We won’t see Rising, Kinkaid, or CPIII in 2023, so be prepared for a step back next year.
Well, to give you an idea here is a link to an article that suggests the #3 overall recruit in the 2023 class (according to 247) has an NIL deal potentially worth up to $8 million over the course of his collegiate career. He may actually be making money from this deal already. He is committed to Tennessee.
Nico Iamaleava NIL Deal
They’ve been trying to get him there since he got on campus. He struggled with it in 2020 and all of the injuries on the other side in 2021 didn’t give much opportunity. Also, having Nephi be so flexible allowed Clark to stay outside while Nephi played a hybrid LB/S instead of the traditional CB/S that you associate with the Nickel.
JT, Vaughn and Marks being healthy and playing with more confidence allows Phillips to move to Nickel which is a huge upgrade over Mataele, even if the true math is Phillips/Vaughn > Phillips/Mataele. With Jaylon Johnson, it was an exceptional cover corner who would shut down one guy. With Clark, the potential is that by lining up all over the field, the offense never knows who he is covering which can be a force multiplier. I believe that his 3 picks last week were against 3 different receivers and field/boundary alignments didn’t matter.
Assuming competent play out of the corners, having Phillips and Bishop be equally adept at pass coverage and run support (Phillips shut down either a 3rd and 2 or 4th and 2 run while the game was still in doubt) will take a lot of pressure off the front 6. I don’t know if the move is official but even if it stays 50/50 like last week it really enhances Scalley’s options. Not to mention that in 2023, either Ritchie or Bishop will play the nickel and the corners will stay the same so you are getting your best alignment now while building experience for the future ensuring that Phillips getting drafted will not gut your secondary.
I’ve been wondering about Bishop’s size and saw that he was reported at 225. Getting Ritchie back should provide the opportunity for Bishop to move forward like Nephi did since Nate/Cole have similar skill sets.
Getting Fotu back (he looked really good in the short 2020) and pairing him with some combination of Bishop & Barton while having K. Reid, Medlock and perhaps E. Calvert or Tufaga should make 2023 LB’s the strength of the D.
Counterargument: Moss was the 6th best pass blocking RB in the NFL in 2021, is my understanding. As much as Buffalo throws, this makes him a valuable commodity. Although he only had 6 of the 15 RB rushes last night, he had 6 receptions on 6 targets, not bad, all other Bufallo RB’s combined for 2 receptions. Moss is making $1.1M per year, on top of a $900k signing bonus, his contract is good through 2023. I think he’s a good fit for what Buffalo is trying to do.
Hard to read too much into Bumphis yet. He might not have immediately turned just-a-guy WR into studs, but the real question is if he can get the higher end types onto the team.
Which is… tough to assess. He’s been here for just over a year which means half of the 2022 recruiting cycle and the 2023 cycle.
WR recruits in that time are
Ryan Peppins (2022, but immediate transfer)
Chris Reed (2022)
Tiquan Gilmore (2022)
Tao Johnson (2022 ATH, now at WR for Utah)
Kainoa Carvalho (2023)
That’s not a lot of his recruits that he’s had to work with – only two. Which serves both as an excuse and an indictment of him, though it’s hard to blame him for Peppins. But the name of the game is recruiting. If hiring you or me as a position coach would bring in two top 100 recruits a year, it’d likely be worth it, despite me having no real scheme knowledge.
Last year’s record: 10-4
Chance to make playoff: 7.2%
Chance to win national title: 0.4%
Toughest test: Sept. 3 at Florida. It’s a tricky trip to the Swamp, and ESPN’s FPI gives the Gators a slight edge to win at 52.1%. A Utah win, though, would resonate through Selection Day and give the Utes some wiggle room in conference play.
What the committee will like: No divisions. The Pac-12 scrapped the North and South Divisions, effective immediately, so its two best teams are guaranteed to face each other in the conference title game. While it’s possible Utah faces Oregon in a familiar North-South duel, the new rule opens the door for Utah to play USC in a rematch and potentially redeem itself for a regular-season loss. Of course, it could also work the other way. Regardless, the Pac-12 winner has a better chance to get a résumé boost from its title game.
What the committee won’t like: The No. 64 strength of schedule. This is the lowest of any of the contenders listed here. Without a win against the Gators, Utah’s nonconference schedule includes Southern Utah and San Diego State. It’s going to need the selection committee to rank at least Oregon and USC in its Top 25.
Utah @ 
UCLA 
Pac-12 rank: 6 of 12
