60 in 60: #4 Utah’s Cole Bishop (Safety)

Aug 29, 2023, 1:41 PM

Utah Utes safety Cole Bishop (8) and Utah Utes cornerback Clark Phillips III (1) walk off the field after Utah and Florida played in Gainesville, Fla., on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. Florida won 29-26. (Courtesy of Deseret News)

(Courtesy of Deseret News)

BY KSL SPORTS

SALT LAKE CITY – The countdown for Hans & Scotty’s 60 in 60 is on. Coming in at #4 is Utah’s Cole Bishop (S).

Throughout the summer Hans & Scotty are counting down the top 60 college football players in the state of Utah as voted on by the media (and a fan ballot).

Another Ute on @975Hans and @ScottyGZone's 2023 #60in60 list … @Cole_bishop_8 #GoUtes @Utah_Football pic.twitter.com/17rgvnirK8

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 29, 2023

Last year, Bishop came in at No. 15 in the 2022’s 60 in 60.

Utah’s Cole Bishop

Bishop is a junior from Peachtree City, Georgia. He was a standout at Starr’s Mill High School where he was a three-star recruit. Bishop was named first-team all-state as a junior and all-region and all-county as a sophomore while also earning County and Region MVP. The Georgia native was invited to the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl. As a junior in high school, Bishop racked up 101 tackles, nine pass breakups and five interceptions.

In his first season with the Utes in 2021, Bishop played in 10 games and started the last six contests of the season. He was named Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention. Bishop led all true freshmen on the team with 54 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks and five pass breakups.

“Started as a true freshman last year, exceeded everybody’s expectations but ours,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said of Bishop in 2022. “We knew how good he was. I don’t think the rest of the league did. He’s a guy that is poised to have a very good sophomore season.”

Last season, Bishop recorded 83 total tackles, 47 solo tackles, three pass breakups, 1.5 sacks, and one interception.

This fall, Bishop and the Utes will open their 2023 schedule at home against the Florida Gators. The Utes will host the Gators at Rice-Eccles Stadium on August 31 at 6 p.m. (MDT). The game will be televised on ESPN.