There was a sense of optimism mixed in with doses of reality when Utah cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah met with local reporters last week to discuss his players prior to the first day of fall camp.
On one side:
- The Utes have returning starters at two of the three cornerback positions in reliable veterans Smith Snowden and Scooby Davis.
- Utah hit the transfer portal hard and brought in a mix of size and versatility to help bolster the position.
- There are some intriguing younger options — not unlike when Davis and Snowden were once depth pieces looking to make an impact.
On the other hand:
- There’s the reality that Shah expects more from his group — from Davis and Snowden all the way down to the new players, both transfers and freshmen.
- This group needs to find a reliable starter on the outside opposite Davis, after Zemaiah Vaughn exhausted his eligibility and is now in the NFL, while Cam Calhoun transferred to Alabama. Vaughn, in particular, was an all-conference corner with 36 career starts.
- Sorting out the other starting outside cornerback is a priority for Utah, one that coach Kyle Whittingham said he’d like to have solved “earlier rather than later” in fall camp.
Still, that realistic undertone isn’t stopping excitement to permeate into what’s possible for Utah at the cornerback position this season.
That’s understandable, considering Shah’s successful track record of developing pro-caliber corners. Former Utes like Jaylon Johnson and Clark Phillips III are now thriving in the NFL.
Shah, who’s headed into his 14th season at Utah, believes this year’s group has a high amount of “viable candidates” who could make an impact in the Utes secondary.
“I’m excited because there are legitimate kids that can really factor into a game right now, that’s what I’m excited about,” he said. “Having gone through the summer, met with our guys and been able to see their level of understanding and how quickly they’ve been able to digest the defense, that’s promising.
“I haven’t had so many viable candidates in a long time, so that’s at least pleasing.”
Who does Utah have at cornerback?
Here’s how the Utes’ cornerbacks room breaks down, by eligibility:
Senior
- *Blake Cotton — 6-foot-2, 190 pounds
Redshirt junior
- *Rock Caldwell — 6-foot-3, 172 pounds
- Scooby Davis — 6-foot, 182 pounds
- *Don Saunders — 6-foot-4, 187 pounds
Junior
- Smith Snowden — 5-foot-10, 180 pounds
Redshirt sophomore
- *JC Hart — 6-foot-2, 199 pounds
Sophomore
- Isaiah Brown — 5-foot-9, 172 pounds
Redshirt freshman
- LaTristan Thompson — 5-foot-10, 173 pounds
Freshmen
- *Jaylen Moson — 5-foot-11, 173 pounds
- Cole Standage — 6-foot-3, 195 pounds
- Jason Stokes Jr. — 6-foot-1, 163 pounds
* Indicates incoming transfer this offseason
Who will lead this group?
The 6-foot Davis and 5-foot-10 Snowden both enter the 2025 campaign as second-year starters and will be asked to carry a lot of the leadership at cornerback alongside a pair of experienced safeties in Tao Johnson and Rabbit Evans.
Davis had seen minimal action over his first two seasons at Utah, before stepping into a bigger role last year. When one starter, Kenan Johnson, was lost for the season in the Utes’ opener to an injury, he was asked to take on more of the load.
Davis ended up starting nine games at outside corner opposite Vaughn, and he finished the year with 29 tackles, two interceptions and 2.5 third-down stops.
Snowden, meanwhile, was Utah’s primary nickel back, starting 11 games at the position. He’s a breakout star, as evidenced by the fact Snowden was one of four Utes who represented the team at Big 12 media days last month.
During his first season as a starter, the Skyridge High product accounted for 48 tackles, four tackles for loss, eight pass breakups, a pair of interceptions and a forced fumble.
His 10 passes defended tied for ninth in the Big 12 during the regular season.
Earlier this year, Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley said Snowden will rarely come off the field — when the Utes go to just two corners on the field, he’s likely to slide over to the outside much of the time.
“From Smith and Scooby, I would want more — more plays, more consistency, better man coverage, better zone drops, and then, as they become better, pull everybody along, pull everybody in that room along."
— Utah cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah
Between Davis and Snowden, there’s a solid base for Shah to build his cornerback group around this year.
“They have some experience, and because of that, they are at least more consistent than the other players, because the other guys that are in the room just haven’t been under the lights in our defense, going through some of the things that we’re going to ask them to do,” Shah said of Davis and Snowden.
In a group where seven of 11 players in the cornerback room are new to Utah football this season, though, Shah wants — and expects — more from his two leaders.
“From Smith and Scooby, I would want more — more plays, more consistency, better man coverage, better zone drops, and then, as they become better, pull everybody along, pull everybody in that room along,” he said.
Fall camp will provide plenty of opportunities to do just that, before Utah opens its season at UCLA on Aug. 30.
Who else will step up?
Utah hit the transfer portal hard this offseason, to help counter the fact that Vaughn and Calhoun are no longer in Salt Lake City.
In the spring, Blake Cotton (transfer from UC Davis), Don Saunders (Texas A&M) and Rock Caldwell (Garden City Community College) had their chance to get up to speed with the Utes’ defense.
Following spring practice, JC Hart (transfer from Auburn) and Jaylen Moson (Furman) made the decision to join the Utes.
That’s an intriguing level of new transfer talent, and Shah noted two others — returning redshirt freshman LaTristan Thompson and incoming freshman Jason Stokes Jr. — when talking about the group who will be in contention to make contributions this year.
The 6-foot-3 Cotton, 6-foot-4 Saunders and 6-foot-3 Caldwell received valuable reps in the spring and made an impression. The height and length they bring to the position is invaluable as well.
As for the post-spring transfers, Shah said Moson is working out at nickel back and he “could be viable” if he gets up to speed.
As for Hart, Shah noted his SEC experience — he played in 15 games over the past two years at Auburn, with five tackles — and his smarts.
“I think he was valedictorian of his high school in Alabama. Just a good kid, and he has some intention to him, very purposeful,” the Utah cornerbacks coach said.
Then, Shah delved more into the potential the 6-foot-2 Hart has.
“(He) can really run, has shown some physicality. When I watch the special teams film from Auburn and some of the limited amount of reps he received, I think he becomes just somebody else that maybe after three to four weeks, I’m like, ‘Wow, I uncovered another jewel.’”
Why there’s optimism for the new crop of cornerbacks
Over the previous two recruiting classes, Utah brought in three transfer cornerbacks. That group included Miles Battle (from Ole Miss), Kenan Johnson (Georgia Tech) and Calhoun (Michigan).
All three ended up finding their way into the cornerback rotation in their lone seasons in Utah.
Battle, a four-star transfer, had 32 tackles for Utah in 2023 and started twice that season. He’s now in the NFL with the New England Patriots.
Johnson ended up coming in and being a Day 1 starter for Utah last year, though his season-ending injury limited him to just a few snaps in Salt Lake City. He transferred to Virginia this offseason.
Calhoun was a key member of Utah’s cornerback rotation last year and showed promise to be a star, finishing with one start, 21 tackles, an interception and a team-high nine pass breakups a year ago. This offseason he transferred to Alabama.
The overall success of this year’s cornerbacks group could hinge on whether its added depth — and a new starter — can make the necessary plays when called upon, to help complement the play of Snowden and Davis.
Part of that is being ready, and being durable.
Case in point: when Johnson was lost for the year in Week 1 last season, Davis stepped up. It’s a reminder that those who find themselves outside the spotlight need to be ready when called upon.
“I’d like us to be better and more durable. I just told all of the boys, your best ability is durability. Last. (If) you go, ‘Coach, I want to find my way on the field,’ be available, because invariably, someone goes down,” Shah said.
