Utah Football Making A Run At 2021 Prospect, 3-Star Safety Cole Bishop
It may be the month of October, and the COVID-19 pandemic may be seriously hindering recruiting for most of the college football programs throughout the country. But for the University of Utah, head coach Kyle Whittingham and co. are off to a stellar start in recruiting compared to where they usually are this time of year.
Utah currently has the Pac-12's eighth-ranked recruiting class, receiving a boost when three-star tight end Isaac Vaha committed to the program two weeks ago.
Headlining Utah's 2021 recruiting class is quarterback Peter Costelli, one of the top-ranked passers in the country according SI All American's John Garcia.
Joining Costelli is one of the premier running backs in the country in soon-to-be four-star running back Ricky Parks out of Gaither High School in Tampa, Florida. The Utes the secured their first wide receiver commit of the 2021 class when Deamikkio Nathan, the playmaker out of South Grand Prairie High School in Grand Prairie, Texas, announced his commitment to the Utes on July 1.
All three players have been named SI All-American nominees.
But now with the offense starting to thrive, Utah must turn its attention to the other side of the ball. With three-star linebacker Trey Reynolds, another SI All-American nominee, already on board, the Utes are looking to add to its secondary — especially after losing out on three-star, in-state safety Jeffrey Bassa.
Enter Cole Bishop, a three-star safety out of Starrs Mill High School in Fayetteville, GA. The one-time commit to Duke recently announced his de-commitment and is opening up his recruiting again.
After offering him a scholarship this past spring, Utah is in the mix.
Cole Bishop
At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Bishop is listed as an outside linebacker. But there are plenty of scouts out there, including Bishop himself, who believe he is best suited as a safety.
He has the athleticism to thrive in pass coverage, and more than makes up for it on the physical side of things. He also has the frame to continue to fill out and put on weight, and could potentially play as a hybrid safety/linebacker, much like Tyrann Mathieu of the Kansas City Chiefs.
"I think my biggest strengths are tackling and my ball skills, I like playing safety a lot because it's a good mix of getting opportunities for some big hits and also being in pass coverage," Bishop told 247sports.
Utah recruiting him as a safety have put them in a very good spot for his recruitment. But they must continue to stay hot on his trail as Bishop is wanting to commit soon and enroll early, which means he won't be taking any visits anywhere.
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