Any word on Taeshaun Lyons (or other potential transfers)

[krindor]

Just looking at what Taeshaun Lyons has posted, Utah is the only program he’s highlighted since entering the portal.

[The Miami Ute]

Another guy I’m hearing about is OSU WR Silas Bolden. However, the Utes have a lot of competition for his services to include Michigan State, where he would be reunited with Chiles and Smith, among others.

[Central Coast Ute]

Has he been any good for Washington? I know they have some damn good WR’s, but someone transferring from a national title contender makes me wonder why he’s leaving.

[2008 National Champ]

Hasn’t seen the field yet.

I believe UW will lose Odunze and probably Polk. MacMillan is a toss-up since he was injured most of the year. Even if all 3 leave Giles Jackson, Germie Bernard and Boston are probably locked in as starters for 2024 so Lyons may have been looking at a couple of seasons before he got a lot of reps. He may also have gotten an indication from the coaches that he wasn’t as good of a fit as they had hoped when recruiting him. Just speculating.,,

[Central Coast Ute]

Ty for the response. This is why I don’t get too excited about transfers. Sometimes, they’re great like Cam. Sometimes, they’re not, like Brewer. There’s a reason he didn’t see the field. That could just be fit, and maybe he’ll be great somewhere else.

[The Miami Ute]

I don’t even get excited when we bring in guys that have been good in other schools. Just because you did it there, doesn’t mean you’ll do it at Utah. Brewer is Exhibit A in this train of thought…he was a four year starter at Baylor and the second leading passer in the school’s history and we saw what happened during his cup of coffee in Salt Lake. Hartman at Notre Dame is another example…he killed it in Wake Forest and had a relatively mediocre 2023 (#21 in QBR) playing in a much better team with better offensive weapons.

[Caliman]

Utah targeting Salter (Liberty QB) probably not gonna happen, but Utah would be set if he does become a UTE.

[Ghost of the HEB]

Watch for Trejan Bridges news

[Utesbyfive]

He’s on probation after a diversion program. Apparently if he completes a year’s probation with no further infractions, his conviction will be vacated, and it will be as if he were never even charged.

[DataUte]

Only thumbs down because although he could help the WR room, after TJ and AL and too many 2nd chances for Tavion creating all sorts of chaos, not sure if we really would want Bridges around.

[The Miami Ute]

Don’t know how you can get past the fact that he threatened to kill someone with a loaded weapon while in the commission of a felony. I wish him well as he gets his life together but not as a part of the Utah football team.

[J Rocksville]

I grew up in a pretty poor neighborhood and went to a pretty poor school. I found myself in some pretty s**tty situations due to some people that I was around either directly or indirectly several times. Guns, knives, drugs, violence, destruction of property etc. I’m not a violent person or a drug user, but I didn’t have the judgement at that age to know who not to be around or when to see that it’s time to leave. I’m sure we all have those stories to some degree.

Kids can be knuckleheads, and just because he screwed up once doesn’t necessarily mean he has a previous track record of being a violent offender or that he will have continued issues. Do we know if he had a previous history of, or reputation for, violent acts? I have no idea and I’m not trying to give the kid a hall pass, but it’s at least a possibility that he’s not as bad as a kid as that one snapshot of his life might suggest. Everyone deserves an opportunity to do better, especially at that age.

My 5 y/o came into my room this morning, yelled I’m Jon Cena and I’m going to kill you, sat on my head and farted. I’m not quite ready to abandon hope for him, but it’s getting close. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

[The Miami Ute]

Just keep in mind that Bridges is no high school kid. 2024 will be his sixth college football season and he’ll turn 24 later this year. I just don’t want some one season transfer to disturb the chemistry of the team because he has a chaotic personal life. We already went through an episode like that during the Thomas years.

Not sure why you bring the anecdote with your son. It has zero relevance to an adult pointing a loaded weapon at another adult while committing armed robbery. Would you be so quick to shuck that off if you were the guy with the gun pointed at your head? Probably not.

[J Rocksville]

I’m not disagreeing with you. Evidence suggests he could be a bad egg, but if we don’t know then we don’t know. It was nearly 3 years ago, so he was probably 20 years old at the time? I know in Utah it’s generally assumed that a 20 year old is a fully emotionally mature adult capable of making informed and intelligent life decisions, but that’s not always the case. When I get 21-22 years old kids in my business (brewery), they’re generally idiots. I actually have to tell them, more often than you’d think you’d need to, not to throw darts 40 feet across the taproom, over tables and through the most common walking path. I have to replace dart-lacerated TV’s at least once a year because some ding-dong was trying to show off and was throwing a dart behind his back from 20 feet out and missed the dart board by 7 feet.

Really, I just like talking about how kids are idiots, but I was an idiot then too so I like to hold out hope that they can change.

[The Miami Ute]

I get it. Thanks for the elaboration.

[Ute Dub]

[The Miami Ute]

Really two totally different issues…As a member of the Spartans, Muhsin Muhammad ran afoul of the law in 1993, when campus police discovered a gun in the glove compartment of his car. This was a violation of his probation from an earlier charge of possession of marijuana.

Now, compare that with Bridges’ crime, which was robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

[2008 National Champ]

It’s amazing how talent gets second chances that others may not

[James]

I am good friends with an individual whose job it is to cover OU and Texas football. I trust this individual and what he says a great deal based on personal experiences. I also trust him greatly as an evaluator of talent. Upon speaking with him recently about the Trejan Bridges situation, he informed me that he was absolutely stunned when the news broke surrounding Trejan and the Oklahoma incident. He said he has known Trejan and his family for many years and unequivocally stated how “great” Trejan’s family is and how good of a kid Trejan is. He thought he placed himself in a bad situation and made a very bad decision perhaps to fit in with a couple of his new teammates. In any event, he definitely had a serious lapse in judgment and has paid a significant price for it.

Since that time, his former junior college coach has gone on record stating how Trejan was a model teammate, a team player and great student while at East LA JC. IMO, he has done everything the right way since the incident. This is all he can do. He also has some serious incentive to stay on the right path as doing so will lead to the dismissal of the charges altogether.

I agree with J Rocksville and believe a second chance is warranted here. This situation is different than Tavion’s situation, especially considering the supportive family Trejan comes from.

With regard to his talent level, my friend stated that Trejan can be “elite.” Hopefully, he will be on campus soon and can take advantage of spring ball to get into football shape.

[The Miami Ute]

This is an excerpt from the arrest warrant:

Bridges — wearing a blue surgical face mask — pointed a handgun at the victim. The victim then pulled McGowan to the ground, and Bridges hit the victim on the head with the gun and kicked him multiple times. Bridges then allegedly threatened to shoot and kill him.

Thanks, but no thanks.

[beaslad]

Yeah, I went and read some articles about the crime. I have never tried fitting in with people so much that I threatened someone’s life in addition to being suspended for drug use before a bowl game. It doesn’t matter your opinion on weed (I do partake) but them’s the rules. Sounds like trouble from the get-go.