All is quiet in the hill…

[ArcheryUte]

The portal giveth and taketh away.
I’m ready for the part where we get some new talent. Any rumors on guys Utah might snag out of the portal?

[Utesbyfive]

So far, everyone I’ve heard mentioned as a Ute target has committed elsewhere. To me it doesn’t look so good.

[chinngiskhaan]

It is going to be hard to attract people who are leaving places where they didn’t get playing time to come here to be backups. We have very few positions where the starters aren’t already decided. The only position where we are in desperate need of better talent is WR, and no wide receiver that is good enough to get Rising’s attention consistently is going to come here if they can go somewhere else where they will almost certainly get the ball more.

We need depth at safety for sure. We probably need depth at linebacker, and maybe corner as well. Possibly offensive line.

The fact that Rising and co have stuck around so long is nice for on-field results, but it is, IMO, hurting recruiting. What we need is for players to do really well, and then move on so we have room for new guys to do even better.

[RedRocks]

This idea that having your best players sticking around longer somehow hurts the team needs to go away.

We rarely get quarterbacks with as much success as Cam Rising. If him sticking around means we don’t get a portal QB, so be it. Shouldn’t affect high school recruiting much, if at all.

[Charlie]

Rising and Kuithe aside, I don’t think we have many key players taking advantage of the extra covid year. Without following other teams, I assume we are similar to others. Another factor may be uncertainty around the move to the Big 12 following two very good recruiting years provided by 2 rose bowls. Last years class will put pressure on guys in previous classes, we have seen that happen with CB. I wonder if poral activity will cause some decommits in the HS group at other schools if they see transfers making their position crowded? Utah has before had recruiting classes come together late in the process but with other elements of uncertainty seems a bit unsettling this year.

[Larry B]

The only rumor I’ve heard came from the board troll who said that we’ll be getting an elite RB from the portal. I’m certain he knows what he’s talking about.

[Utah]

We are set everywhere but S and maybe CB. I bet we don’t see much of anything until after signing day. Then the coaches will try to fill in the roster with transfers, part of the selling point will be, “compete for playing time and be on a team that has a goal of winning the Big 12, going to the playoffs and the sky is the limit from there.”

We really don’t have any “open” positions.

[Anfernee]

Dec. 4 and ending Jan. 2, 2024 is the first portal window. A spring window also opens April 15-30. That’s the one we may see more Utah movement in. This portal/NIL is new to everyone. So I can imagine Utah taking a patient approach right now.