Utah’s defense just got a little bit deeper and a little bit better.
Former Washington safety Brandon McKinney announced Wednesday night in his Instagram Stories that he is transferring to the University of Utah.
McKinney will be immediately eligible and is expected to contend for a starting job in the Utes’ secondary.
Washington defensive back Brandon McKinney stands on the field during warmups before an NCAA college football game against Montana, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017, in Seattle.
Ted S. Warren, AP
A senior, McKinney played in 44 games over four seasons at Washington — largely on special teams — and totaled 40 tackles — including a tackle for loss — a pass deflection and a forced fumble.
This past season, he played in all four of the Huskies’ games and tallied four tackles, three of which came in Washington’s win over Arizona.
According to Rivals, McKinney entered the transfer portal on April 2 and had immediate interest from Kansas State, Louisville, Colorado and Hawaii, among others.
A four-star recruit coming out of Orange Lutheran High School in 2017, the 6-foot-1, 201-pound McKinney was considered the 28th-best recruit in the state of California and the 22nd-best safety recruit in the country, per 247 Sports.
McKinney has one year of eligibility remaining.