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Spring Football Starts Monday; Spring Game on April 17

by Utah Athletics
Mar 12, 2021

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Football is back and ready to hit the gridiron come Monday, March 15 when spring practices officially begin.

The spring season will start Monday, culminating with the annual Red-White spring game on Saturday, April 17. More information regarding the spring game, including possible fan attendance, has yet to be determined and will be announced in the coming weeks.
 

THE UTAH MAN
Head Coach Kyle Whittingham will enter his 17th year at the helm of the Utah Football program in 2021, holding an overall record of 134-66. He has been with the program for a total of 26 years (11 years as an assistant), contributing to 219 total victories, the most by any coach in Utah history.

  • His accomplishments include National Coach of the Year in 2008 by the AFCA, 2019 Pac-12 Coach of the Year, 2019 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year, 2019 Dodd Trophy Award winner and he was also a finalist for the AFCA National Coach of the Year and Bear Bryant Award in 2019.
  • He is the longest tenured coach in the Pac-12 Conference and the third-longest tenured head coach at the same school in the FBS.

RETURNING PRODUCTION
The Utes will return 20 starters from a shortened 2020 season, including eight on the offensive side of the ball and 10 on defense. On top of the returning starters, the Utes also bring back several key contributors that have proved integral to Utah's success at every aspect of the game.

  • Utah returns 2020 All-Pac-12 selections in Nick Ford (OL, Jr.), Sataoa Laumea (OL, R-Fr.), Brant Kuithe (TE, Jr.), Britain Covey (WR/RS, Jr.), Mika Tafua (DE, Jr.), Devin Lloyd (LB, Jr.), Nephi Sewell (LB, Jr.), JaTravis Broughton (CB, So.), Jadon Redding (PK, So.) and Keegan Markgraf (SN, Sr.).
  • The Utes' returning offensive linemen combine for 97 career starts.
  • Utah's junior tight end tandem of Brant Kuithe and Cole Fotheringham have 42 career starts between the two of them.

NEWCOMER NOTES
Utah will have 23 newcomers on the practice field this spring between 13 scholarship players and 10 walk-on additions.

  • Utah added four scholarship transfers during the offseason in quarterbacks Charlie Brewer (Baylor), Ja'Quinden Jackson (Texas), and running backs Chris Curry (LSU) and TJ Pledger (Oklahoma).
  • The trio of Brewer, Curry and Pledger have 101 career games of Power Five football experience entering the 2021 season. Brewer played in 44 games at Baylor with Curry seeing action in 27 at LSU and Pledger getting playing time in 30 at OU.

ITS PERSONNEL
Utah welcomed two new full-time staff members to the program this offseason.

  • After Jeff Rudy was promoted to Associate Athletics Director for Football Administration, Adam Fry was named Director of Football Operations. He has served a wide range of positions with the Utah Football program since 2013, spending the last three seasons as a defensive graduate assistant.
  • Chad Bumphis was also named the new wide receivers coach this past week after serving as a Utah graduate assistant in 2018. Bumpis returns to the Utes after coaching the wide receivers at Austin Peay.

COMING FALL 2021
Utah will play a 12-game slate in the fall of 2021 that includes nine conference matchups and three non-conference opponents. Six games will be played inside Rice-Eccles Stadium, debuting the Ken Garff Performance Zone.
 

 

 

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