It’s been an odd year for college football, with the novel coronavirus pandemic greatly impacting the sport the past several months.
That impact will continue to be felt going forward, after the NCAA ruled that this year would not count against a student-athlete’s eligibility. So, how has that impacted players whose eligibility basically gained a free year?
Here’s a look at players with Utah ties who have made decisions on where, or if, they will be playing next year. This list will be updated as more players declare their intentions.
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Juniors who’ve declared for NFL draft
- Zach Wilson, BYU QB: The junior declared for the draft after one of the best seasons from a Cougar quarterback in school history, when he completed 73.5% of his passes for 3,692 yards, 33 touchdowns and three interceptions while running for 254 yards and 10 touchdowns.
- Brady Christensen, BYU OT: The Cougars’ All-American tackle — he’s the first BYU player to earn first-team Associated Press honors since Luke Staley in 2002 — is leaving following his junior year, when he helped the BYU offense average 43.5 points per game.
- Dax Milne, BYU WR: Milne leaves BYU after his junior season, when he had 70 receptions for 1,188 yards (the fifth-best single-season total in school history) and eight touchdowns.
- Simi Fehoko, Stanford WR: Fehoko, who prepped at Brighton High, had a standout season in 2020, with a career-high 574 receiving yards in an abbreviated season to earn All-Pac-12 first-team honors, then chose to forgo his senior year at Stanford.
- Penei Sewell, Oregon OT: Sewell, the Desert Hills High product who won the 2019 Outland Trophy, is seen as the best offensive tackle in this year’s draft class and opted to prepare for the draft and out of the 2020 season, which would have been his junior year.
- Jay Tufele, USC DT: Like Sewell, the former Bingham High standout chose to opt out of the 2020 season and began preparations for the draft, forgoing his final two seasons at USC.
Seniors who’ve declared for NFL draft
- Zayne Anderson, BYU S: Anderson announced he’s signed with an agent and ended his Cougar career, which started in 2015, by putting up 41 tackles this season.
- Matt Bushman, BYU TE: After a standout three seasons for the Cougars, he missed the 2020 season with a ruptured Achilles tendon and is moving on to NFL draft preparations, per the Deseret News’ Jay Drew.
- Chandon Herring, BYU OL: Herring reportedly signed with an agent and was named to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman’s 2020 college football Freaks list for being a “complete specimen” at 6-foot-7, 310 pounds that’s “very lean with low body fat.”
- Tristen Hoge, BYU OL: Hoge, who said on Instagram he is preparing for the draft, had some health-related issues — getting COVID-19, then dealing with pneumonia — before finishing his senior season strong on a dominant Cougar offensive line.
- Khyiris Tonga, BYU DT: Last year, Tonga chose to return to BYU for his senior season, and now he’ll take aim at the NFL after putting up 36 tackles, 2.5 sacks and three quarterback hurries in 2020.
- Chris Wilcox, BYU CB: Wilcox opted out of the Cougars’ bowl game to prepare for a shot at the NFL, per 960 AM’s Ben Criddle, after starting nine games this season and putting up 18 tackles and a pass deflection.
- Troy Warner, BYU S: Warner, whose brother Fred Warner is a Pro Bowl linebacker for the 49ers, announced he has signed with an agent after recording 29 tackles and two interceptions as a senior.
Returning for 2021
- Nick Ford, Utah OL: Ford, a junior who’s started 26 games all across the line for Utah, said via Twitter he’s returning for next season because “This season is going to be special and I can not wait to help lead them, and the rest of our Utah family, to victory.”
- Brant Kuithe, Utah TE: The two-time All-Pac-12 junior who had a breakout season in 2019, said on Twitter, “Let’s finish what we started, but this time with the Muss and the best fans in the nation in the stands.”
- Devin Lloyd, Utah LB: One of just five finalists for the Butkus Award given to the best linebacker in the country, Lloyd posted a highlight video on Twitter with the caption “One Last Ride.”
Not returning in 2021
- Kyle Griffitts, BYU FB: The senior reserve remarked after the Cougars’ bowl game, “How thankful I am for the brothers that I have found from playing this sport,” in what he confirmed was his final game.