Utah's Kyle Whittingham provides injury update for season opener

'We're not 100%, as nobody is in the country I would imagine'

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said the Utes will be down a player or two for their season opener against UCLA. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The Big 12's new rule regarding availability reports meant Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham didn't have to reveal anything about his roster leading up to Saturday's season opener against UCLA.

And so, the Utes didn't release an official depth chart ahead of Week 1, even while some teams' social media departments shared their squads' lineups online for everyone to see.

Though rather tight-lipped, Whittingham did offer some sort of injury report on the Utes during his scheduled media session on Tuesday.

"Pretty good," Whittingham said of his team's health status. "We're not 100%, as nobody is in the country I would imagine. Nothing that is long-term for any of the starters or the guys who get significant playing time, so I think we're in better shape than most teams."

"But we'll still be missing out most likely a guy or two."

Whittingham didn't name the players who sustained injuries, nor did he mention anything about how long they might be out of the lineup; only that the "starters" were good to go.

Kyle Whittingham on the health of his team going into Week 1 against UCLA pic.twitter.com/9ovtccUVS0

— Josh Furlong (@JFurKSL) August 26, 2025

It appears only time will reveal Utah's starting lineup, as Whittingham has kept to his word regarding the team's decision not to release a depth chart based on the Big 12's new rule on availability reports.

Starting with the 2025-26 season, the conference is requiring its members to provide player availability reports for all conference games in football, men's basketball and women's basketball. Additionally, Big 12 football teams have to submit daily reports three days before each conference game.

Whittingham cited the league's new rule as he explained the Utes' deference on a public depth chart, saying it was only mandatory to provide an availability report for conference games, not nonleague contests.

"We'll adhere to the rule," Whittingham said on Aug. 19. "And the way I understand it, the rule's not in place for nonconference games, so it's only when you're you're facing a conference opponent. So we'll fill the paper out, or whatever the procedure is, and go from there."

Utah opens its 2025 regular season slate with a nonconference matchup against UCLA at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, with kickoff set for 9 p.m. MT on Fox.