10 Utah Football Players I’m Most Interested In Seeing Action

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Football is only hours away from kicking off the 2024 season, which is exciting for many reasons. With the game on Thursday night, here’s a look at 10 players that we’re most interested in seeing.

Kyle Whittingham’s ball club is considered the favorite in the new Big 12 Conference, as well as a College Football Playoff contender.

There are plenty of proven commodities returning that provide the foundation for their promising outlook. They also have a number of other players ready to make a name for themselves.

RELATED: Top Five Takeaways From Utah Football’s Kyle Whittingham Week One Press Conference

With the season-opening matchup against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, we now know how Utah will look in the matchup.

𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟏 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 ⚪️🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/K8Vp5yynFR

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) August 26, 2024

Frankly, though, I’m less concerned about the uniforms or the final score. I’m way more interested in who makes plays, who on the depth chart actually rotates in, and which new face flashes the most. I’ve put together a list of the 10 Utah Football players that I’m most interested in seeing this Thursday.

1. Dorian Singer – He’s been the talk of camp

Almost every single update provided during fall camp included an update on just how good Singer has looked. Whittingham has been effusive in his praise of the talented pass catcher. That’s rare. He’s a receiver that had a 1,000-yard season in 2022, could Utah get that out of him this season? Sign me up for the first episode of The Dorian Singer Show on Thursday.

2. Caleb Lohner – The most interesting TE6 in football history?

It’s not often a 6-foot-8, 250-pound dynamic athlete has taken to the gridiron. That sort of size has typically been limited to the hardwood. But Lohner has been hard at work to make this opportunity work and I am ready to see it. How does he look? What does the TE rotation look like with him? How do teams defend him? These are all the things I’m curious to see.

3. Cameron Rising – For old time’s sake

It’s been so long, I’m ready to be reminded of the Bad Moon Rising.

4. Isaac Wilson – For new time’s sake

I’m also ready to get a glimpse of the potential post-Bad Moon Rising era. Assuming Utah takes care of business early on in the game, that should provide backups the opportunity to see the field. We know that Wilson has talent, I’m curious to see how comfortable he looks in the offense under the lights at Rice Eccles Stadium.

5. Tao Johnson – A centerfielder in the secondary?

Utah’s defense has traditionally been strong. For whatever reason, it just seems to be that much stronger with a centerfielder type of free safety patrolling the secondary. Johnson has the sort of ability that gives him a promising projection to that sort of role. Beyond his own play, it’ll also be interesting to see the rotation between he, Nate Ritchie, and Alaka’i Gilman.

6. Caleb Lomu – The new blindside protection

It’s not often a true freshman earns a starting left tackle job. It’s even more rare for that true freshman to move to the other side because a redshirt freshman is just as promising. I’m quite interested in seeing how Lomu looks protecting the blindside. He’s got all the tools to be great.

7. Kenan Johnson – The other guy in the secondary

There’s been plenty of talk about Zemaiah Vaughn and Smith Snowden but Johnson is the guy that may end up leading the team in interceptions. There were a number of updates throughout camp that featured a K. Johnson interception. If he can be that for Utah this season, that’s a big boost to the outlook in the secondary.

8. Dijon Stanley – I got the need for speed

Mike Mitchell has been my breakout pick all offseason and still is but my interest has been piqued with Dijon Stanley. The dude’s speed is rated a 98 on College Football ’25… Coach Quinton Ganther said he operates on a different playing field because of that speed… Though it may be limited, due to the rotation at running back, all signs point to Stanley still being a factor this season. I’m ready to see him in action.

9. Keanu Tanuvasa – A disruptive interior presence

Utah’s defensive tackle room will be a strength of the team again this year. This group in particular has been together for about three seasons now and that bodes well for the group overall. Tanuvasa has worked very hard to take a big step in his game, which could really elevate the group’s impact as well.

10. Rayshawn Glover – A punt return specialist?

Utah’s had great success with the smaller, elusive punt returners. There has been a positive buzz about the 5-foot-8, 175-pound Glover as a punt returner. He seemed to make the most of his chance in camp and earned the starting punt returner role. I’m interested to see if he can capitalize on an opportunity in game one.

Utah Football Schedule

Utah will kick off the season against Southern Utah on August 29. You can find Utah football’s conference schedule here.

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

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