The NCAA transfer portal officially opens on Monday, though players have already been announcing their intentions to pursue new opportunities, including 16 from Utah so far.
After a 5-7 season that didn’t live up to expectations, it’s something of a rebuilding year for the Utes as they turn the page to the 2025 season.
Utah hired a new offensive coordinator for the first time since 2019 after Andy Ludwig resigned midseason, bringing in New Mexico’s Jason Beck to oversee the offense.
Beck will have a bit of a blank slate to work with on offense after an exodus in the transfer portal and a senior class that is larger than usual due to NCAA rules that gave everyone on the 2020 roster an extra year of eligibility during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s going to be a heavy shopping season for us in the portal,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said in November.
Utah will replace between 40-45 players, Whittingham projects, between high school and transfer portal players.
Here’s a look at three positions of need for the Utes ahead of the transfer portal’s official opening on Monday.
Quarterback
The most important position on the team is the most glaring need.
Since the season’s end, three quarterbacks have entered the transfer portal — Isaac Wilson, Brandon Rose and Sam Huard — and one — Luke Bottari — is out of eligibility.
Wilson announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on Sunday morning. Wilson, the team’s backup quarterback, saw action in nine games, starting seven as Cam Rising missed most of the year with injury.
In his true freshman season, Wilson showed some glimpses of potential, but those moments were too far and in between as he was unable to lead Utah to many victories. The Utes scored 23.6 points per game (14th in the Big 12), passed for just 199.4 yards per game (15th in the Big 12) and rushed for 130.4 yards per game (12th in the Big 12).
Wilson finished the season with 1,510 yards, 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions on a 56.4% competition rate. He suffered a season-ending injury in the penultimate game of the season vs. Iowa State.
In his third year in the program, Rose got his opportunity, finishing the Houston game after Wilson was benched in the third quarter and earning his first-ever start against BYU.
While he couldn’t lead the Utes to a win in a 17-14 loss to Houston (Rose’s final line: 7 for 15 for 45 yards with one interception), he performed well in the first half against BYU. Rose passed for 87 yards and two touchdowns and added 44 yards on the ground as the Utes raced out to a 21-10 halftime lead against the Cougars, but he suffered a Lisfranc injury shortly before halftime that limited him in the second half.
He finished with a final line of 12 for 21 for 112 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, plus 55 rushing yards, as Utah scored zero points in the second half.
Huard, a transfer from Cal Poly, did not play for Utah this season and suffered a season-ending injury that required surgery.
Those departures, combined with Bottari’s graduation, will result a near total reset of the quarterback room.
Rising, who could return for an eighth season of college football, still hasn’t decided to return to Utah or not, but regardless of his decision, the Utes need a transfer quarterback — or two.
Aside from Rising, the only scholarship quarterbacks on Utah’s roster are incoming true freshman Wyatt Becker and Jamarian Ficklin.
Utah knows a starting quarterback is going to cost it some money, and it’s something the program is prepared for. A good FBS starting quarterback will cost at least $1 million in NIL money and increase from there.
“We can’t be deterred by a hefty price tag. It’s the most important position by far, hands down, no questions asked. I’ve said that many times. And so you can’t compromise and try to get a bargain and get by with something that you don’t think is elite,” Whittingham said.
The most obvious QB target for the Utes is New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier, who entered the portal shortly before Beck’s contract with Utah was finalized. Dampier threw for 2,768 yards and 12 touchdowns with 12 interceptions this season and added 1,166 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground.
There’s going to be competition for the former Lobo, but the fact that Utah has his former offensive coordinator and a clear path to being a starter (if Rising doesn’t return) is a positive.
There’s plenty of quarterbacks that have already entered the transfer portal, like Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold, Washington State’s John Mateer and USC’s Miller Moss, but Utah will likely be beat out for those players by upper-echelon schools.
Running back
Another area that has undergone huge changes is the running back room.
Micah Bernard, who crossed the 1,000-yard mark this season, and Charlie Vincent, who rushed for 44 yards, are out of eligibility and three running backs behind them have entered the portal.
Jaylon Glover (12 carries for 60 yards in 2024), Anthony Woods (did not play with a season-ending injury) and Dijon Stanley (66 rushing yards, 166 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 2024) have announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal, and running-back-turned cornerback John Randle Jr. has done the same.
Right now, that leaves Mike Mitchell, who battled injury this season and rushed for 158 yards and a score, as basically the only scholarship running back from 2024 on the roster. It remains to be seen if Hunter Andrews, who crossed over from the linebacker room to the running back room this season, will remain at the position.
Utah is bringing in four-star freshman Raycine Guillory, who will have an opportunity to compete, but may need to bulk up a little bit at 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds. Three-star running back Daniel Bray (5-foot-9, 165 pounds) will also be incoming.
While a healthy Mitchell could have a bounceback season, this is another area where Utah needs immediate starter-level help and will need to bring in possibly two players from the portal.
Again, a New Mexico transfer could fit in nicely here. Eli Sanders, well-versed in Beck’s offense, rushed for 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns on 147 carries, though there will be competition to win his services.
Wide receiver
Utah’s most productive pass-catcher last season, Dorian Singer, is out of eligibility, leaving a big hole in the receiver room. Singer was probably Utah’s best transfer portal pickup ahead of the 2024 season, finishing the year with 702 receiving yards and a touchdown, despite the lack of quarterback production to lead all pass-catchers.
Utah’s second-leading receiver, Money Parks (21 catches for 294 yards and three touchdowns), is also out of eligibility
Damien Alford, who didn’t have a reception this season after a productive 2023 at Syracuse, is entering the transfer portal, while Munir McClain (3 catches for 20 yards) is graduating.
As far as returning players, freshmen Zacharyus Williams (who came on strong during the last four games and finished with 10 catches for 101 yards) and Dadrien Zipperer (eight catches for 122 yards) are ones to watch next season, but Utah could bolster the room by adding an experienced receiver or two to the mix.