Southern California wide receiver Dorian Singer raises his ball after scoring a touchdown during a game on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. The Utes snagged Singer out of the transfer portal in the offseason. | Kyusung Gong, Associated Press
Utah has had its share of high-impact transfer players over the years. and that continued last season.
In 2023, Miles Battle, a transfer from Ole Miss, provided a boost at the cornerback position, playing nearly as many snaps as starter JaTravis Broughton. Battle finished the season with 32 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, an interception and four pass breakups in his final year of college football.
“The portal really is the place that we fill gaps with guys that we need to be ready to play immediately. The ready-made guys that can plug and play.” — Utah coach Kyle Whittingham
Cole Becker, a Colorado transfer, shored up Utah’s kicking game (making 15 of 18 field goals and all 28 extra points); he nailed a game-winner on the road at USC. Stanford linebacker Levani Damuni stepped up after Lander Barton’s season-ending injury in Los Angeles, leading Utah’s defense with 87 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss, and BYU transfer defensive end Logan Fano was on pace for a good season before tearing his ACL at Oregon State.
Tight end Landen King played some valuable snaps with Brant Kuithe and Thomas Yassmin injured (Kuithe was out for the season, while Yassmin suffered a season-ending injury five games into the season), finishing the year with 14 catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns.
“The portal really is the place that we fill gaps with guys that we need to be ready to play immediately. The ready-made guys that can plug and play,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said in December.
Nine players — USC WR Dorian Singer, Washington WR Taeshaun Lyons, Stanford S Alaka’i…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/transfer-players-could-biggest-impact-180748589.html
Author : Deseret News
Publish date : 2024-02-26 18:07:48
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