Utah Football Key to Big XII Conference Realignment
By now just about any college football fan has heard that the Big XII is talking with Pac 12 members Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State about joining the conference.
From that group, the Utah Utes are without question the most important football program to add to the Big XII and here’s why, starting with the leader of the Utes.
Utah Football Under Head Coach Kyle Whittingham
Utah has been quite successful with Head Coach Kyle Whittingham. The Utes are coming off a Rose Bowl appearance against Ohio State that it nearly won, coming up short by the score of 48-45. Utah went 10-4 in 2021.
Utah has gone 21-7 during the last two full seasons of college football, 2019 and 2021 respectively. Utah was 3-2 during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.
In six of the last seven full seasons (again, 2020 being the exception), Utah has won nine or more games six times, highlighted by the 2019 team going 11-3. During that stretch from 2014-2021, Utah is a combined 68-31, for a 68.7 winning percentage.
During Whittingham’s tenure that began in 2005, he guided a Utah program that has won nine or more games 10 separate times. Prior to Whittingham arriving, Utah won nine or more games just four times from 1970-2004, and he was the defensive coordinator for the 2003 and 2004 Utah teams that finished 10-2 and 12-0 when then Head Coach Urban Meyer roamed the sidelines in Salt Lake City. Here’s another way to look at it.
Under Whittingham’s watchful eye, the Utes have not been under .500 since 2013 when they went 5-7, while traditional Pac 12 power USC has finished below .500 twice – 2018 at 5-7 and 2021 at 4-8 – during that same span.
Utes in the NFL
The NFL has also come calling on Utah, with 13 Utes drafted since the start of the 2019 NFL Draft. From that list, seven of the 13 Utah players went in the first three rounds, highlighted by linebacker Devin Lloyd going No. 27 in the 2022 NFL Draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Since Whittingham took over as head coach in 2005, Utah has had three first round draft picks: defensive tackle Star Lotulelei went No. 14 to the Carolina Panthers in 2013; offensive tackle Garrett Bolles went 20th overall to the Denver Broncos in 2016; plus the aforementioned Lloyd to the Jaguars in 2022.
Since 2006 with Whittingham at the controls, Utah has seen 10 more football players drafted into the second round of the NFL Draft.
Utah Recruiting as a Big XII Member
The Utes have commonly raided prime recruiting states like California, Texas and Florida for top talent, and this past recruiting class was no exception. California (four), Texas (three), and Florida (three) combined to provide 11 of the 20 total prospects signing with Utah.
By joining the Big XII, Utah would play games in the state of Texas much like it used to play games in the Golden State as a member of the Pac 12. Based on coaching connections and its history as a Pac 12 member, Utah is likely to still recruit out West.
What’s interesting about joining the Big XII is adding even more inroads to the Lone Star state as that will provide the Utes more overall talent and depth. It would not be surprising if Utah ended up signing five or more Texans per year, on average, assuming it does indeed eventually join the Big XII.
Additionally, it’s not out of the question for Utah’s recruiting to grow further to the east – with states like Louisiana and Georgia being prime areas to mine – in an effort to add even more talent to the overall roster.
In conclusion, Utah is a program that definitely has a firm footing with its football program, and it will add tremendous value to the Big XII. Now can the Big XII bring the Utes in? That’s the next question to be answered.
Follow UCF Knights coverage at Inside The Knights on Facebook, @UCF_FanNation on Twitter, and ucf_insidetheknights on Instagram.
In This Article (1)
