Utah Utes Football

HEIGHT: 6'4"

WEIGHT: 236

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POSITIVES

— Good size and athletic ability for a modern NFL linebacker.

— Has the speed, change of direction and loose hips to cover tight ends in man coverage.

— Lateral movement skills also allow him to tighten throwing windows when playing zone coverage.

— Uses hands well in coverage to either force re-routes or help stay in phase.

— Against the run, he uses his hands to take on blocks and is physical at the point of attack.

— Has the agility to execute gap exchanges/stunts post-snap effectively.

— Patient with the athleticism to avoid getting caught in the trash as a run defender.

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NEGATIVES

— Lacks strength to shed blocks from offensive linemen and will struggle to hold his ground against more physical linemen.

— Has a habit of taking on blocks square instead of getting on an edge which can cause him to lose gap control and contributes to his issues escaping.

— Will occasionally over-pursue on the backside of runs, creating cutback lanes.

— Eye discipline in zone coverage is sub-par; he'll get caught staring into the backfield too long and gets easily manipulated off his spot by quarterbacks.

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NOTES

— Born Dec. 30, 2003

— 4-star recruit in the 2022 class, per 247Sports

— Injuries: 2023 (Leg, season-ending, missed 6 games)

— 2022 Second-Team Freshman All-American, Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year

— Father (Paul) was a two-sport (football and baseball) athlete at Utah and was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, mother (Mikki) played basketball at Utah and is in the school's Hall of Fame, sister (Dani) was an All-American volleyball player at Utah, brothers (Cody and Jackson) played football at Utah and are currently in the NFL

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OVERALL

Lander Barton comes from an athletic family, and it shows in his play. Movement skills are the foundation of his game, as he has plenty of athleticism and loose hips to be effective in man coverage and tighten throwing windows when playing zone. His ability to move laterally also helps him avoid the trash against the run and execute gap exchanges.

Against the run, Barton is physical and has some pop behind his pads when coming downhill. However, that may not translate well to the next level as he struggles to hold his ground and get off blocks against more physical offensive linemen. For example, Oregon State's Taliese Fuaga got the best of the Ute when those two went head-to-head in 2023.

The Utah product needs to develop a move to help disengage from blocks and/or learn how to use his quickness and athleticism to slip blocks from offensive linemen claiming to the second level. That will help him be more effective against the run early in his career while his strength improves.

Overall, Barton has good size, athleticism and technique to be an effective every-down linebacker in the NFL, but he does need to find a way to defeat blocks. Schematically, he has the versatility to line up as a MIKE or SAM backer.

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GRADE: 7.0 (High-Level Backup / Potential Starter — 3rd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 101

POSITION RANK: LB7

PRO COMPARISON: Drue Tranquill

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder

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Prospect workout numbers, measurables (40-yard dash, hand size, etc.) and 2024 statistics will be added at a later date.

The Big 12 fined Utah Utes athletic director Mark Harlan $40,000 and issued a public reprimand following Harlan's disparaging comments about the officials and the Big 12 after Utah's 22-21 loss to the BYU Cougars, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

This is now official: pic.twitter.com/957cWAMdZe

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) November 10, 2024

Following the loss, after Utah had led for most of the game, Harlan was seen verbally berating the officials.

"This game was absolutely stolen from us," Harlan said after the game, according ESPN's Kyle Bonagura. "We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight I am not. We won this game. Someone else stole it from us. Very disappointed."

Despite complaints by Utah, both teams received 10 penalties during Saturday nights game.

"I will talk to the commissioner," Harlan continued to tell reporters. "This was not fair to our team. I'm disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight."

The controversy erupted after a dramatic ending. The Utes seemed to have secured the upset with a fourth-down sack of BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff at their own 1-yard line with just 1:29 remaining. However, a defensive holding penalty was called, giving BYU a fresh set of downs. The Cougars then capitalized on the opportunity, driving down the field to kick the game-winning field goal in the final seconds.

Utah fell to 4-5 on the season, while BYU extended their perfect record to 9-0.

Utah athletic director Mark Harlan did not hold back following his team's controversial 22-21 loss to rival BYU on Saturday.

"This game was absolutely stolen from us," Harlan said after the game, per ESPN's Kyle Bonagura. "We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight I am not. We won this game. Someone else stole it from us. Very disappointed.

"I will talk to the commissioner. This was not fair to our team. I'm disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight."

The Big 12 fined Harlan $40,000 as a result of his comments and "will issue a public reprimand," according to Pete Thamel of ESPN.

The comments came after a controversial finish. It appeared the Utes all but clinched the upset victory with a fourth-down sack of quarterback Jake Retzlaff at BYU's 1-yard line with 1:29 left, but the officials called defensive holding to preserve the drive. BYU ended up driving down the field from there and kicked the winning field goal in the final seconds.

BYU coach Kalani Sitake took a different tone and said, "Whatever decision the refs make, I don't think they're trying to get it wrong, so that's just part of the game. The refs are part of the game. We were able to capitalize on that."

The Cougars still had to put together a lengthy drive even after the penalty and did so behind multiple key completions from Retzlaff. Will Ferrin then drilled the 44-yard field goal and sent the BYU sideline into celebration mode.

It was another blow for Utah, which was expected to compete in the Big 12 in its first season in the conference after winning double-digit games in two of its final three years in the Pac-12.

Instead, the Utes are 4-5 overall and 1-5 in league play as they battle through injuries to quarterback Cameron Rising and others. They will need to win two of their final three games to become bowl eligible, and they are all challenging contests against Colorado, Iowa State and UCF.

The overall picture looks much better for BYU, which improved to 9-0 on the campaign and controls its own destiny for a Big 12 title and spot in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff field.

It was No. 9 overall in the initial set of CFP rankings but also checked in at No. 4 in the projected bracket since the four highest-ranked conference champions will receive first-round byes and top-four seeds.

The Cougars are 6-0 in the conference and one game ahead of 5-1 Colorado in the Big 12 standings. As long as they win two of their final three games against Kansas, Arizona State and Houston, they will be playing for a CFP spot in the conference title game.

That would give them even more bragging rights over their in-state rivals after Saturday's controversial victory.

Utah quarterback Cam Rising's 2024 campaign has come to an unfortunate end, but that doesn't mean his lengthy college career is over.

The team announced Monday that Rising's leg injury "has unfortunately been deemed season-ending," via Pete Thamel of ESPN.

It came after head coach Kyle Whittingham said the quarterback would be out indefinitely due to a lower leg injury. However, Rising is eligible for an eighth year of college football through a medical redshirt, and Whittingham said, "We'll have to consider it, not sure if Cam has considered it."

Rising was sidelined with a finger injury earlier this year and appeared in just three games. Upon his return in a Week 7 start against Arizona State this past Saturday, he looked like a shell of himself as he threw for 209 yards and three interceptions in a 27-19 loss that dropped Utah's record to 4-2.

In his three appearances this season, Rising completed just 51.5 percent of his passes for 555 yards, seven touchdowns and three picks. Over 26 games with the Utes during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, he established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation by throwing for 5,527 yards, 46 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing 64.2 percent of his passes.

Unfortunately, a major knee injury in the Rose Bowl at the end of the 2022 campaign forced him to miss the entire 2023 season. He also redshirted his first collegiate season at Texas in 2018 before transferring to Utah the following year, when he was redshirted once again. He appeared in just one game in the 2020 COVID-19-shortened season due to a shoulder injury.

Under NCAA rules, players can play in four games in a season and still redshirt, per Pete Nakos of On3.com. The NCAA manual states that an athlete "may be granted an additional year of competition by the conference or the Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement for reasons of 'hardship.'"

Whittingham added that quarterback Isaac Wilson will take over as the starter for the Utes in Rising's absence.

In a matchup that contained College Football Playoff implications, No. 12 Utah took down No. 14 Oklahoma State by the final score of 22-19.

Saturday afternoon's contest started off as a defensive battle, as only one touchdown was scored through the first three quarters. Utes quarterback Cam Rising was ruled out due to a hand injury after attempting to throw prior to the game, resulting in true freshman Isaac Wilson starting for the second straight week.

Wilson, the younger brother of Denver Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson, stepped up against Oklahoma State.

He wasn't as polished compared to his three-touchdown performance in a win over Utah State on Sept. 14, but he still looked comfortable in the pocket and made plays with his legs. Wilson finished 17-of-29 for 207 yards and a touchdown to go along with two interceptions, adding another 41 yards on the ground.

.@Brantkuithe14 from @Isaac_kawika!!! 🙌

📺 @CFBONFOX #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/yk8VjlYLBL

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 21, 2024

Fans were impressed with his performance.

Things are going to get real interesting moving forward if True freshman Isaac Wilson can get the W in Stillwater.

— CFB FIGHT CLUB (@PacFight) September 21, 2024

Isaac Wilson is HIM.#GoUtes

— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) September 21, 2024

One thing I do know from the last two weeks: Isaac Wilson is going to be a big time player

— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) September 21, 2024

https://twitter.com/BensHoops/status/1837598781266927956

https://twitter.com/bcakesfromaz/status/1837623483657842735

isaac wilson is another freshman QB to keep an eye out for in that class. the way he’s stepped up for Cam Rising has been amazing.

— ##. (@PLEASEDNTTALK) September 21, 2024

Utah's rushing attack was led by Micah Bernard. The senior running back picked up 182 yards on 25 carries, helping the Utes control the clock throughout the game.

MICAH BERNARD WOULD NOT GO DOWN 😤

He breaks off for 61 yards for @Utah_Football ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/qAttjeQqKr

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 21, 2024

Seventh-year senior Alan Bowman started at quarterback for Oklahoma State, but he was removed from the game at the start of the second half after the Cowboys were only able to muster three points.

Backup Garret Rangel initially replaced him under center, but head coach Mike Gundy put Bowman into the game once again as Rangel completed a mere three of his 11 pass attempts.

Bowman led the Cowboys back from a 22-3 deficit in the fourth quarter, trailing by three points with less than two minutes remaining in the game. Utah ran out the clock on its final possession, though.

He finished 16-of-33 for 206 yards and two touchdowns, throwing two interceptions.

Add this to the list of strange QB decisions under Mike Gundy.

— Carson Cunningham (@Carson_OKC) September 21, 2024

Arguably one of the worst offensive performance I’ve ever seen under Mike Gundy.

1 turnover and we’ve had an average T.O.P. Of just over a minute.

— Reagan Harris (OSU Mart) (@OKSTMart) September 21, 2024

I love Mike Gundy but pulling Bowman has really hurt the offense

— Joe Murray (@JoeyMurr) September 21, 2024

Mike Gundy decided that playing a backup QB was working for Utah so he might as well try it too.

— Dekota Gregory (@dekotagregory) September 21, 2024

Death, taxes and Mike Gundy making all the wrong decisions at quarterback.

— Mick Shaffer (@mickshaffer) September 21, 2024

After starting the year 3-0, Utah claimed its first Big 12 win of the season on Saturday. The Utes will attempt to stay unbeaten in their next contest, a matchup with Arizona on Sept. 28.

HEIGHT: 6'2"

WEIGHT: 206

HAND: 9½"

ARM: 29¾"

WINGSPAN: 73"

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40-YARD DASH: 4.45

3-CONE:

SHUTTLE:

VERTICAL: 39"

BROAD: 10'4"

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POSITIVES

— Versatile defender who can play at all three levels of the defense and becomes more effective closer to the line of scrimmage.

— Instinctual player who displays good vision and route recognition to see threats.

— Strong tackler who takes good angles and tracks the ball very well. Does a great job of quickly closing ground and explodes through the ball-carrier.

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NEGATIVES

— Short strider who shows a good burst but lacks the speed to flow sideline to sideline. Forced to readjust his angles with speedier backs.

— Shows some stiffness in his coverage drops. Rigid hips to flip and run, causing him to be slow to climb and gain ground.

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2023 STATISTICS

— 11 G, 60 TOT, 6.5 TFL, 3.0 SK, 2 INT, 4 PD, 2 FR, 1 FF

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NOTES

— 29 career starts

— 3-star recruit in the 2021 class, per 247Sports

— 2023 second-team All-America (College Football Network)

— 2023 Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist

— Three-time All-Pac-12 (2023 Phil Steele first team, Coaches second team; 2021 and 2022 honorable mention)

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OVERALL

Cole Bishop is a multiyear starter with very good size for a safety at 6'2" and 207 pounds. He's an instinctual player with a high football IQ and the versatility to play all over the field. He has the physicality to be a box player and the movement skills to cover in space.

While playing the run game, Bishop excels when he's close to the line of scrimmage. He uses his instincts to identify and react to the run with very good short-area quickness, and he closes on the ball with very good angles. He's a strong tackler who does a good job of fronting up and running through the ball-carrier when in the box, but he tends to dive and have more inconsistent tackling when on the edge. Bishop is a downhill player who does a great job of attacking the line of scrimmage and playing close to or in the backfield.

As a pass defender, Bishop has shown the ability to drop as a deep defender, where he is able to play the routes in front of him and react to the ball in the air. When defending intermediate routes, he has the ability to play man coverage, using his short-area bursts to get out of breaks and drive on the ball.

Bishop does his best when playing as an underneath defender, where he can pass off receivers and has over-the-top help. He is a short strider with some stiff hips, and he struggles to turn and run. He's slow to climb and gain growth, which may cause issues in the NFL.

Though Bishop has versatility within his game, he lacks true scheme versatility. He's best as a box defender, so he'll fit best as a strong safety who can occasionally switch up his look as a deep defender. Bishop could carve out a successful NFL career if the right team selects him.

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GRADE: 7.5 (Potential Impact Player — 2nd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 42

POSITION RANK: S5

PRO COMPARISON: Su'a Cravens

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings

Visit B/R's NFL Scouting Department hub for scouting reports on all of the top prospects.

HEIGHT: 6'2"

WEIGHT: 248

HAND: 10½"

ARM: 33"

WINGSPAN: 79¼"

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40-YARD DASH: N/A

3-CONE: 6.69

SHUTTLE: 4.17

VERTICAL: 38"

BROAD: 10'0"

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POSITIVES

— Pretty quick off the ball with good acceleration off the line of scrimmage.

— Sets up his pass-rush moves well by getting square on the offensive tackle and using a Eurostep to get to the outside.

— Has shown a handful of pass-rush moves he can win with around the edge like a rip move and hand swipe to go along with a nice inside spin move as a counter.

— Solid strength to collapse the pocket with a bull rush or a push-pull move against weaker offensive tackles.

— Impressive grip strength to bring the quarterback down with one arm if the offensive lineman hangs onto him.

— Physical against the run and has decent upper-body strength in addition to long arms to get extension.

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NEGATIVES

— Can be heavy-footed, which hurts his quickness.

— Lateral movement skills aren't good, which shows up the most when he's slanting or the looper in line games.

— Average bend. Won't turn a ton of tight corners as a pass-rusher at the next level.

— Pad level and lower-body strength are subpar, which impacts his ability to set the edge against the run, especially against better competition.

—Injuries over the last two years are starting to mount.

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2023 STATISTICS

— 10 G, 37 TOT, 16.0 TFL, 12.0 SK, 3 PD, 1 FF

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NOTES

— Born Apr. 3, 2003

— 3-star recruit in 2021 class, per 247Sports

— Injuries: 2023 (Undisclosed, season-ending, missed 3 games), 2022 (Undisclosed, missed 2 games; Non-football injury, missed spring practices)

— Father, Luther, had a 10-year NFL career and was a two-time Pro Bowler; brother, Kaden, is currently a linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons; brother, Christian, is currently a linebacker for the New England Patriots; brother, Noah, is currently a defensive tackle on the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad

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OVERALL

After serving as more of a rotational player last season, Jonah Elliss earned a starting job during training camp this summer and burst onto the scene as a pass-rusher. He was highly productive this season and has several moves he can win with, showing some nuance as a rusher and the ability to defeat tackles with both power and finesse.

Ellis sets up his pass-rush move well during the stem phase of the rush by getting square to sell the bull rush so offensive tackles stop their feet and then using a Eurostep to win around the edge. He also flashes hands to get tackles to throw their punch early and has an impressive inside spin move as a counter.

Elliss' biggest flaw as a rusher is that he has only average bend to turn a tight corner at the top of the rush. That could be a bigger issue in the NFL, but it's not as if he's terrible in this area and the problem can't be fixed.

Against the run, Elliss is physical at the point of attack and has long arms to help get extension. However, his lower body appears to be a little weak, as he struggles to set the edge against better competition/tackles. He has a top-heavy frame, as his legs are kind of wiry compared to the rest of his body.

Overall, the 20-year-old can contribute as a pass-rusher right away and could develop into at least a serviceable run defender. Schematically, he'd currently be best as a standup outside linebacker in odd fronts.

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GRADE: 7.2 (High-Level Backup/Potential Starter — 3rd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 60

POSITION RANK: EDGE6

PRO COMPARISON: Alex Highsmith

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder

Visit B/R's NFL Scouting Department hub for scouting reports on all of the top prospects.

Utah quarterback Cam Rising revealed that his knee injury suffered in last year's narrow Rose Bowl defeat was more complicated than most initially thought.

The Utes lost to Ohio State by the final score of 48-45 in Pasadena last season, with Buckeyes kicker Noah Ruggles connecting on a 19-yard field goal as time expired.

Rising performed admirably, passing for 214 yards and two touchdowns before he left the contest due to the aforementioned injury.

He has yet to appear in a game this season, and he finally discussed the reason for his absence.

"I wasn't really expecting to do this, but I just want to let everybody know I didn't just tear my ACL," Rising said in an interview with ESPN 700. "I tore my meniscus, MPFL and MCL. It was a big surgery and it's not an easy comeback. I've been working my tail off."

There was some optimism over the summer that Rising would be available for the start of Utah's season, although it is now obvious why he wasn't able to suit up in time.

He also revealed that he's worked with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who is the head team physician of the Los Angeles Rams. He has performed successful major leg surgeries for high-profile clients such as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Joe Burrow.

Utah is currently ranked 18th in the latest AP Top 25 rankings, although it'll likely need Rising to return to secure a third-straight Pac-12 title.