nfl

Has Utah widened its gap on BYU in the NFL? Here’s the offseason status of players with Utah ties

The Utes, as usual, have the most former players in the NFL among Utah schools, while the Cougars are second — though by a wider margin this summer

Published: June 23, 2025, 3:50 p.m. MDT

Denver Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles (72) during game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Denver. David Zalubowski, Associated Press

Mandatory minicamps have wrapped up around the NFL, meaning teams won’t be back for official workouts again until mid-to-late July.

With a few weeks until teams return to the practice field for training camp, there are 82 players with Utah ties currently on NFL rosters.

There are another 22 Utah ties who are free agents right now that were on a regular-season roster in 2024 for any amount of time or a 90-man roster at some point this offseason.

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The University of Utah has a noticeable lead on all other schools for representation in the league, with 32 former Utes dotting NFL rosters right now.

BYU is next with 21 — that doesn’t count Caleb Lohner, the one-year Utah tight end who was drafted and played basketball (but not football) for two seasons in Provo.

Utah State follows with eight former players on an active league roster, while Weber State has five, Southern Utah has three and Utah Tech has one.

There are also 40 players who prepped at Utah high schools, making up nearly half of the players with Utah ties currently in the NFL.

Of the 82 players with Utah ties on rosters right now, 20 are rookies. That includes five draft picks — headlined by former Corner Canyon High and Roy High quarterback Jaxson Dart, a first-round selection — and 15 who signed as undrafted rookie free agents.

There are 10 former Utes who are rookies on NFL rosters this summer — including wide receiver Kyrese White, who played at both Utah and Utah State — while BYU has four.

That helps explain how the Utes have an 11-player edge over the Cougars for the highest number of Utah ties in the NFL right now.

Last year, in May 2024, Utah held a 31 to 26 advantage over BYU.

A little over a year later, the Utes have maintained their number in the low 30s, while BYU has seen a decrease with a smaller incoming rookie class.

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The Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints have the most players with Utah ties league-wide on their rosters — each team currently has six Utah ties.

How many of the current 82 NFL players with Utah ties — and even those 22 free agents with local ties — will make an initial 53-man roster ahead of the 2025 season?

The number of Utah ties on NFL rosters will be cut down considerably just before the start of the 2025 regular season, when league teams — which are allowed to carry up to 90 players on their active roster during the offseason — must trim the active roster to 53 players before Week 1.

Last season, 54 players with Utah ties made an initial 53-man NFL roster after final cutdowns. That was up from 51 in 2023 and 46 in 2022.

We’ll find out come the end of August.

For now, here’s a look at all 82 players with Utah ties currently on an NFL roster.

Note: Players can count toward more than one school, whether college or high school, as long as they played one season at a given school. Players with multiple Utah ties are categorized by the in-state team they most recently played for.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) during wild card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, in Glendale, Ariz. | Samantha Chow, Associated Press

BYU Cougars

Name | Position | Team | Utah tie(s)

Tyler Allgeier | RB | Atlanta Falcons | BYU
Zayne Anderson | S | Green Bay Packers | BYU and Stansbury High
Tyler Batty | DE | Minnesota Vikings | BYU and Payson High
Chris Brooks | RB | Green Bay Packers | BYU
Brady Christensen | OG | Carolina Panthers | BYU and Bountiful High
Caleb Etienne | OT | Cincinnati Bengals | BYU
Blake Freeland | OT | Indianapolis Colts | BYU and Herriman High
Taysom Hill | TE | New Orleans Saints | BYU
Dallin Holker | TE | New Orleans Saints | BYU
Gabe Jeudy-Lally | CB | Tennessee Titans | BYU
Darius Lassiter | WR | Jacksonville Jaguars | BYU
Puka Nacua | WR | Los Angeles Rams | BYU and Orem High
Ryan Rehkow | P | Cincinnati Bengals | BYU
Jakob Robinson | CB | San Francisco 49ers | BYU, Utah State and Orem High
Kedon Slovis | QB | Houston Texans | BYU
Kingsley Suamataia | OG | Kansas City Chiefs | BYU and Orem High
Khyiris Tonga | DT | New England Patriots | BYU and Granger High
Max Tooley | LB | Minnesota Vikings | BYU and Bountiful High
Kyle Van Noy | OLB | Baltimore Ravens | BYU
Fred Warner | LB | San Francisco 49ers | BYU
Zach Wilson | QB | Miami Dolphins | BYU and Corner Canyon High

Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson (1) before a game against the Indianapolis Colts in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. | Michael Conroy, Associated Press

Utah Utes

Name | Position | Team | Utah tie(s)

Cody Barton | LB | Tennessee Titans | Utah and Brighton High
Jackson Barton | OT | Cleveland Browns | Utah and Brighton High
Miles Battle | CB | New England Patriots | Utah
Cole Bishop | S | Buffalo Bills | Utah
Garett Bolles | OT | Denver Broncos | Utah, Snow College and Westlake High
JaTravis Broughton | CB | Carolina Panthers | Utah
Terrell Burgess | S | New Orleans Saints | Utah
Xavier Carlton | DE | Chicago Bears | Utah and Juan Diego High
Britain Covey | WR/Ret. | Los Angeles Rams | Utah and Timpview High
Braeden Daniels | OL | Miami Dolphins | Utah
Mohamoud Diabate | LB | Cleveland Browns | Utah
Jonah Elliss | OLB | Denver Broncos | Utah
Leki Fotu | DT | Las Vegas Raiders | Utah and Herriman High
Matt Gay | K | Washington Commanders | Utah and Orem High
Ja’Quinden Jackson | RB | Jacksonville Jaguars | Utah
Jaylon Johnson | CB | Chicago Bears | Utah
Dalton Kincaid | TE | Buffalo Bills | Utah
Sataoa Laumea | OG | Seattle Seahawks | Utah
Devin Lloyd | LB | Jacksonville Jaguars | Utah
Caleb Lohner | TE | Denver Broncos | Utah
Zack Moss | RB | Cincinnati Bengals | Utah
Connor O’Toole | LB | Seattle Seahawks | Utah
Tim Patrick | WR | Detroit Lions | Utah
Clark Phillips III | CB | Atlanta Falcons | Utah
Karene Reid | LB | Denver Broncos | Utah and Timpview High
Nephi Sewell | LB | New Orleans Saints | Utah and Deseret Hills High
Dorian Singer | WR | Jacksonville Jaguars | Utah
Junior Tafuna | DT | Houston Texans | Utah and Bingham High
Sione Vaki | RB | Detroit Lions | Utah
Zemaiah Vaughn | CB | Minnesota Vikings | Utah
Devaughn Vele | WR | Denver Broncos | Utah

Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) wears a Walter Payton Man of the Year Award sticker on his helmet during a game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. | Jerome Miron, Associated Press

Utah State Aggies

Name | Position | Team | Utah tie(s)

Wyatt Bowles | OG | Los Angeles Rams | Utah State and Syracuse High
Jalen Davis | CB | Cincinnati Bengals | Utah State
Jordan Love | QB | Green Bay Packers | Utah State
Jalen Royals | WR | Kansas City Chiefs | Utah State
Bobby Wagner | LB | Washington Commanders | Utah State
Jaylen Warren | RB | Pittsburgh Steelers | Utah State, Snow College and East High
Kyrese White | WR | Denver Broncos | Utah State, Utah and Roy High