Legendary Utah football players to be inducted into Utah Athletics Hall of Fame during Arizona State game

Star Lotulelei and Nate Orchard will be honored Saturday as the Utes battle the Sun Devils

Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham looks on before the game against the Cal Poly Mustangs at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Kyle Whittingham's weekly press conferences usually consist of Utah's head coach fielding questions from the media regarding his team's latest performance on the field, or ones that have to do with the upcoming matchup that ensuing Saturday.

But on this particular Monday, ahead of the Utes' Big 12 bout against Arizona State, Whittingham wasted no time in honoring a couple of program icons and their accomplishments before they're inducted into the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday.

"I want to start off and congratulate Star Lotulelei and Nate Orchard," Whittingham said. "They're being inducted into the Utah athletics hall of fame this week, and just proud of those guys; two great players for us, both had outstanding NFL careers, and I just can't say enough good things about what they meant to the program and how they've given back and just been great ambassadors for us."

Lotulelei became one of the program's most decorated defensive linemen over the course of his three seasons in Salt Lake City, bringing home All-America First Team honors from the Associated Press and the Walter Camp, in addition to being named to the All-Pac-12 first team for the second straight year in 2012. At the time, the former defensive tackle was just the second player at his position in school history to earn AP All-America First team honors.

Lotulelei was also recognized as the best player at his position in the Pac-12 in 2011, which earned him the Morris Trophy for his efforts.

November 3, 2012; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes defensive tackles Tenny Palepoi (91) and Star Lotulelei (92) celebrate a sack during the first half against the Washington State Cougars at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Russ Isabella-Imagn Images

Lotulelei was selected No. 14 overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 2013 NFL Draft. He earned NFL All-Rookie Team honors and finished fourth in defensive rookie of the year voting. Lotulelei served as a full-time starter for his first seven seasons in the NFL, including five with the Panthers (2013-17) and two with the Buffalo Bills (2018-19).

Orchard, who was teammates with Lotulelei for two seasons from 2011-12, was a dominant force along Utah's defensive line in his own right. By the end of his four-year stay in Salt Lake City, Orchard was tied for fifth in school history in career sacks (25), with a majority of those quarterback takedowns occurring during his record-setting 2014 campaign, in which he set a new school benchmark with 18.5 sacks across 13 games played.

Orchard's career year earned him All-America first team honors from the likes of Walter Camp, ESPN and Phil Steele, among other outlets. He also received the Ted Hendricks (top defensive end) award and was the Morris Trophy winner in 2014 as well.

Jul 23, 2014; Hollywood, CA, USA; Utah Utes defensive end Nate Orchard (left) and Utah Utes wide receiver Dres Anderson (right) pose for a photo during the Pac-12 Media Day at the Studios at Paramount. | Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images

Orchard became the No. 12 player in Utah history to be taken in the second round of the NFL Draft when the Cleveland Browns selected him with the No. 51 overall pick in 2015. He played seven seasons with six different teams, including Cleveland, Buffalo, the Kansas City Chiefs and Washington. His best season as a pro came during his final year with the Browns in 2017, recording 2.0 sacks and 25 total tackles, including five for loss, in 16 games.

Lotulelei and Orchard will join five iconic Utes as part of the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025, including C.J. Cron (baseball), Georgia Dabritz (gymnastics), Bernt Lund (men's skiing), Ashley Mason (women's soccer) and contributor Kem Gardner.