I consider the bowl game tomorrow to be the start of the 2024 season. I took a look at the projected 2024 roster as it currently sits and I know there will be some subtractions and additions. Utah has 77 scholarship players. Of those, 21 are seniors and 17 are juniors. Due to covid, some from each class might have an additional year of eligibility. However, it is clear that Utah returns a veteran bunch. The Utes return 3 of 5 staring OL and 2 players who either started or played significant snaps due to injuries. The Utes return an All-Pac starting QB, an All-Pac TE and a deep RB group. For the offense to become formidable, they need some help at WR. On defense the Utes return the 2 deep at every position along the DL and at LB. They return one staring CB, picked up a highly rated transfer from Ga. Tech and have some young guys who played a significant number of snaps. The real question mark is safety. They will start 2 freshmen in the Vegas Bowl (Ritchie and Hall). They signed a JUCO and a freshman safety, but could really use a a couple of more guys.
I agree.
For the bowl, I think Ritchie is playing up to speed much better than earlier in the year, which helps. Hall looks formidable at SS, is a Texas kid so he’s likely solid in the fundamentals.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tao get snaps at FS, Snowden can play CB or NB, depending on offensive personnel. For that matter, Snowden dropped back as a S in Cover 2 a few times this year, so Scalley has some wrinkles to throw at NW’s QB.
Don’t know that we can read into anything these days, but Ja’Quinden has a C on his uniform in the Utes uniform unveiling photos for the bowl game
I was going to ask about JJ. I was reading projections that he was going to enter the portal, but have never seen or heard anything after that. The article in the D-news about who’s staying and who’s leaving, never mentioned him in either category. Good to see that he is going to play today and the C on his uniform is interesting.
Regardless of what happens after the game, JJ deserves the Captain designation.
That dude has been an absolute warrior. He put in more miles running off the field in pain than most people run all year… and then he nearly always comes back in.
I assume it’s been a high ankle sprain haunting him all year. Dude never fails to find a way to make an impact on the game, and the next game… and inevitably gets dinged up again.
(I haven’t seen anything like it since Chad Kauhaahaa was paired up with Nate Kia at DE, and one of Chad’s shoulders was chronically bad. He would come out with a limp shoulder, then go back in a play or two later… and this went on for the last half of that season.)
If JJ finishes up at Utah, I think they need to create an award in his name. The Ja’Quinden Jackson Best Teammate Award.
Seriously. We tend to forget that he was recruited as a QB, and then moved to RB to help the team.
Just read Broughton will play, as well, though he’s entered the portal ala Barnes.
JT deserves serious appreciation from Ute fans, for that. I hope he gets a pick.
I wonder why he entered the portal?
Don’t know, but here’s my best guesses:
-
he’s a solid CB, 4 year starter, really good athlete, Oklahoma 100M HS champ. What’s the NIL market for that kind of CB? There are teams that could a really good, plug-and-play corner like him. Experienced, athletic, really well coached in a complex, sophisticated defense.
-
ZVaughn getting mention as an NFL prospect, JT looking to separate himself elsewhere?
The NIL aspect makes all this crazy, Whitt mentioned having to re-recruit your own players as one of the competing priorities before this game.
Where does the NIL market land, not just with JT, but overall? (Rhetorical question, time to get dialed in for this game.)
I’m sure many of you football season ticket holders received an email from the Athletic Dept. inviting you to upgrade or add season tickets. My time for doing so was today and I thought I would take a look at what was available. I expected there to be quite a few given the price increases. I was surprised to find that there were just a scattering of tickets. There were only single seats available. No pairs. Found it interesting.
Aaron Lowe’s killer pled guilty, sentenced to 18 to life.
I hope this brings some closure to his family. He’s not getting out.
It was only 15 to life for murder and 3 to life for attempted murder, so 18 to life. That’s not NEARLY long enough
That’s how sentencing works under Utah law.
This was not a life without parole case, so the most the judge can do is 15 to life.
The ultimate time spent behind bars is up to the board of pardons.
Fixed - I’d be surprised if it ends up being less than 30 years.
How is the women he was with? I remember that she was left unable to speak and had to write down her statements on paper. Haven’t heard a lot about her recently but hopefully she is recovering from the ordeal.
Such a senseless cowardly act by a troubled young individual.
Here are the broad details:
Third District Judge Paul Parker ordered that Buk not only serve the sentences for his murder and attempted murder convictions consecutively, but also consecutive to the prison sentences he’s already serving.
I haven’t done the arithmetic but I don’t think he’ll be out until he’s an old man. Especially if he doesn’t change his view of the matter, as he stated to the court at sentencing:
“I was lost and I didn’t know any better,” he said.
What nonsense.
Most impactful newcomers for each top 25 college football team
ESPN+ article snapshot at archive.today
10. Utah Utes
Top newcomer: WR Dorian Singer (USC transfer)
Why: Singer was a former three-star with modest Power 5 recruitment out of high school. His best production came at Arizona, where he caught 66 passes for 1,105 yards and six touchdowns while tallying four games with 100 yards or more in 2022. Singer tried to capitalize in the portal and signed with USC in 2023, but his production dropped, particularly down the stretch. He has elite ball-tracking skills and polished route-running ability. His hands and acceleration on the outside are some of the best in college football. Singer also knows how to attack leverage and get open.
What to expect: Expect to see the 2022 version of Singer, not the 2023 version that got lost in the shuffle at USC. With quarterback Cam Rising returning from injury and receiver Devaughn Vele moving onto the NFL, Singer should be Utah’s top target and a great fit for Andy Ludwig’s pro-style offense. We got a good glimpse of the Rising-to-Singer connection this spring and the early chemistry looks promising.
I just noticed the following on Rising’s ESPN page. 
Here’s some cool news, beyond FB:
Spring overreactions from each Way-Too-Early Top 25 team
10. Utah
Overreaction: Cam Rising and Dorian Singer are going to be one of the most potent QB-WR duos.
Both Rising and Singer are coming off of less than ideal 2023 seasons. Rising sat out the entire year recovering from knee surgery, while Singer had transferred to USC after a 1,105-yard season at Arizona only to struggle in the Trojans’ crowded receiver room (289 receiving yards and three touchdowns). A fresh start under an experienced quarterback is exactly what Singer may need in order to get back to his 2022 form.
Rising, meanwhile, is back healthy for one last hurrah in Salt Lake City and should benefit greatly from having a top wideout option like Singer. The two seem to have already developed some chemistry throughout spring, connecting on five passes for 92 yards in the Utes’ spring game as well. – Uggetti
PS #10 in the country?