Current Transfer Portal – Leaving

[highlandute7]

As of this morning – Dec 6. Will try to update as best I can.

Vili Taufatofua, DE, sophomore. 2024 stats: 1 game, three snaps.

Bobby Piland Jr., DT, redshirt freshman. 2024 stats: Did not play.

Dijon Stanley, RB, sophomore. 2024 stats: 12 games, 66 rushing yards, 166 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Ka’eo Akana, DE, sophomore. 2024 stats: No defensive snaps.

CJ Blocker, CB, redshirt freshman: 2024 stats: 12 snaps, one tackle.

Anthony Woods, RB, junior. 2024 stats: Did not play with a season-ending injury.

Sione Fotu, LB, sophomore. 2024 stats: 8 games, 19 tackles, two pass deflections.

Jaylon Glover, RB, sophomore. 2024 stats: 3 games, 12 carries for 60 yards.

Damien Alford, WR, senior. 2024 stats: 4 games, no receptions.

Simote Pepa, DT, junior. 2024 stats: 9 games, 10 tackles, two tackles for loss.

Jack Bouwmeester, P, junior: 2024 stats: 12 games, 60 punts with a 44.7 yards-per-punt average.

John Randle Jr., RB/CB, redshirt freshman. 2024 stats: 6 tackles.

Brandon Rose, QB, sophomore. 2024 stats: 19 for 26 for 157 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 66 yards rushing.

Issac Wilson, QB, freshman. 2024 stats: 127 for 225 for 1510 yards, 10 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 47 yards rushing.

Sam Huard, QB, senior. 2024 stats: Did not play.

[DataUte]

Woods would have been good to see what he could do. More like a before-season-starting injury.

Don’t forget Alford also was 0/1 with 1 INT 😉

[Tony (admin)]

Alford’s QB rating must be terrible!

[2008 National Champ]

Same as Bluto Blutarsky’s GPA.

[jshame17]

Sad to see Akana. We will be DE help for sure.

[BD]

Simote Pepa to the portal.

Instagram Post

[highlandute7]

Hadn’t seen that one yet. Thanks.

[Anfernee]

Forgot he even still played.

[jshame17]

I was so hyped for Pepa.

Sad to see him not be able to get his weight and health in check.

Hope for the best

[2008 National Champ]

Did they have to widen the door so that he could enter the portal?

[utefansince79]

Players can opt into the portal to explore offers/opportunities, then return of course.

But NIL is going to greatly increase numbers who transfer out (and who transfer in too).

[Hellhound152]

So Woods came, got free medical care, a stipend, plus whatever NIL he was given, never played a down and is in the portal. That tracks.

[The Miami Ute]

Just like Damien Martinez stayed at Oregon State until his final NIL check cleared and then immediately transferred to Miami the next day. When there are no checks (i.e. contracts) on people following their interests, this is what happens.

[Charlie]

Lots of talent on the defense line. These guys can assess well the chances to play next year. There are younger guys in the program and there is good talent coming in this spring. The DL will continue to be good.

[2008 National Champ]

Mom! Charlie said asses

[#3bballer]

Someone help me understand why woods would leave? Wouldn’t he be first in line to start next season?

[jshame17]

Ganther…

[#3bballer]

Someone help me understand why woods would leave? Wouldn’t he be first in line to start next season?

[The Miami Ute]

Bad advice? Maybe he thinks he can get a bigger payday somewhere else.

[22Ute22]

Lmao that would be terrible advice. Better payday after having a torn ACL and not having played in over 2 years? Wait, where have I heard that one before?

But seriously, he’s not getting a better payday. My guess is that Utah will hit the portal hard for RB’s.

[Rick]

That list is some serious fire power! We are doomed! The only name on that list that will be a bit of a loss is Pepa but he would likely not start next year anyway because he can’t control his weight. It is sad to see some many running backs leave and I have concerns about that position from a coaching perspective. I have not been impressed with our RB output since Moss and a limited amount of Ty Jordan. That has been several years now!

[Utesbyfive]

Tavion Thomas produced.

[22Ute22]

Uh, what? 2021 and 2022 were great years for rising. It’s just that 2022 the numbers were more spread out. 2021 was Tavion Thomas’ great year.

[BD]

Bouwmeester to the portal.

X post

[highlandute7]

This one doesn’t make sense to me.

[Brettski]

I wonder what a good punter costs these days? 20-50K? Worth upending your life and moving somewhere new?

[Rick Walker]

Rumors are he wanted all of Cams NIL because he felt he was “just as, if not more important” as Cam was to the teams success

[2008 National Champ]

Jokes that are true are the best kind

[Holladay Ute]

He knows that our offense is going to be so good next year that he’ll never get opportunities to punt!

[BD]

John Randle to the portal.

https://x.com/RandleJ5_/status/1865470954865922494?s=19

[jshame17]

Wants to play RB?

[hbUte]

Well, sounds like he definitely doesn’t want to play CB.

[2008 National Champ]

Quentin Ganther’s new title should be 4* Killer

Since Ganther took over in spring of 2022:

JaQuinden Jackson – transfer out
Jaylon Glover – transfer out
Dijon Stanley – transfer out
John Randle – transfer out

[PNWUte29]

Ganther has probably been the biggest disappointment in terms of position coach hires. RB has been an absolute mess. I miss Kiel.

[Rick Walker]

Kiels been doing a good job at USC too. Unfortunately for him Lincoln Riley forgets his running backs are actually pretty good.

[URow]

Kiel is the Chargers RB coach

[Rick Walker]

You’re right, I had no idea he left. Good for him

[UM4G]

Dijon hurts, very frustrated that we couldn’t put together an offense tailored to take advantage of his speed. Hope he kills it at his next stop.

[UTEopia]

Reading the tea leaves of who has announced they are staying and who has entered the portal, my guess is that Utah has committed to spend NIL $$ on guys who have proven themselves as front-line players and to not spend on potential. I don’t believe Utah has the $$$$ to spend unwisely and if this is what is happening, I have no problem with it. Other than Fotu, what other player currently in the portal has shown himself to be a front-line player?

[highlandute7]

Updated

[BD]

TE CJ Jacobsen to the portal.

[jshame17]

Man, when you look at outgoing seniors as well, we are rebuilding the middle of the defense as well.

At LB we lose Reid and Fotu, so we have Barton and Hall left.

At DT, we lose Tafuna, Pepe, Fotu, Vimahi, so we have Tanuvasa that got minutes.

DE, we lose Filinger, O’toole, Akana, and Taofatofua , so we have Fano.

Defense needs some portal help as well.

So many needs in this team, it’s pretty shocking.

[Rick Walker]

I don’t think defense will be too bad honestly, I would like to see a DE from the portal but I think we still have talent at other positions.

CB – Calhoun and Kenan Johnson are supposed to be back, and Elijah Davis was serviceable last year and Snowden could improve enough to play outside (but he is short and a better nickel)

LB – Barton, Hall, and Damuni are a solid three but yes depth is TBD

DT – Tanuvasa and Vakalahi I think will be a decent interior, probably want some more depth though.

S – Tao Johnson back and Nate Ritchie and Rabbit Evans, honestly needs improve but potential is there to be solid.

DE – my personal biggest defensive concern but Fano, Fitzgerald, and Henry-Daley could be fine plus lots of younger guys that could be good, would like to see another portal guy here though.

[2008 National Champ]

I’m with Rick on this one. Until I see the defense fail, I’m going to assume that they’ll get the job done. I don’t think they will be as good as 2018 but that’s a really high bar with seniors all over the place.

D Line – Luther and Powell have earned the benefit of the doubt that they will have those spots ready even if Fano is the only name we know at this point.

LB – I’m hoping for the same senior bump out of Lander that we saw from Cody and Francis Bernard. Hall looks like he can play the hybrid LB/S that Nephi Sewell did and allow Scalley to go back to the 4-2 as his base. Not worried

S – Need either Ritchie or a portal guy to step up and play box safety. Tao should be better in his 2nd year at Free. Solid should be the floor

CB – Corners will give up plays because that’s what corners do. Toughest position on the field in my opinion. Calhoun should be better and Johnson may be ready to go. If Snowden can play outside, it would be best for his future because the league values that more than slot. But it’s best for the team to keep him inside. Really the only thing lacking is concentration on turnover worthy balls. Gotta have those picks when the QB makes a mistake.

[jshame17]

I agree with both of you, I was just thinking about NIL dollars and attempting to call the loss of games played and snaps taken.

We need to rebuild the offense completely, but we also need some depth on defense as well.

Lots of work to do in the portal and off season.

[2008 National Champ]

I’m sure I’m still naive about it but I just don’t think every player that goes somewhere else is strictly because of NIL. At the same time, I feel like the truck thing was a miscalculation on the part of the Ute collective. A company car is a nice perk but I wouldn’t sign a deal for better perks and less base money. These kids aren’t any different than in my day where many of the most talented come from families that aren’t able to send them spending money.

I wish we could actually see the NIL offers so we could either put that boogeyman to bed or turn our ire to the Ute collective.

[jshame17]

Speaking of the trucks, I wonder how much driving they actually do with these.

I mean, they are supposed to spending their day in class, at training and practice, in the film room, rehab/recovery and eating at the facility, etc.

Seems like their world is pretty isolated and limited on campus and it’s Not like they have an hour+ commute to get to campus.

Are they really enjoying the trucks as much as we originally thought?

[2008 National Champ]

I didn’t like the attention it got at the time for those very reasons. A leased truck isn’t a tangible benefit. And who is going to take that over someone else offering 10k more in cash?

I just think the Ute collective outsmarted themselves in thinking that something they would find valuable in their world – a company car which is a nice perk on top of their 1%er incomes – would be something the prospective recruits would find more valuable than money to eat, buy clothes, send to their families, take a date out.,,

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Trucks, more NIL money, playing time guaranteed etc etc. Lost in all the madness is a free education and life changing experience at a quality university. The entitlement has gone off the charts.

In a perfect world all scholarship players (in revenue generating sports) should get an equal amount of money per month as compensation for their efforts away from school time. Players would become employees of the university.

I know that’s a pipe dream but it would eliminate a lot of problems with FB and BB programs. Culture and development would become more than just words.

[Tony (admin)]

This thread is getting pretty big. I think we should close start up a new one.

[highlandute7]

I am also unable to make Edits now to my original post with list of those transferring.

[Tony (admin)]

Not sure why that is, but maybe it’s still loading since it is so big. I’ve closed it and you can copy/paste your list into a new thread. That’ll help!

[USS Utah]

Entering the transfer portal does not necessarily mean the player leaves. For example, last year Micah Bernard entered the transfer portal but returned to Utah and rushed for 1,000 yards.

[Author]

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