PFF Ranks Brant Kuithe as Top Five Returning Tight End
In a new edition to what has become a common offseason trend, Pro Football Focus ranked Utah’s Brant Kuithe as one of the top tight ends for the upcoming season.
Since announcing his formal return to the football field in January, following a long hiatus stemming from a knee injury suffered in 2022 when the Utes took on Arizona State, Kuithe has been touted as one of the best-returning players at his position.
In PFF’s most recent ranking, a top-five list of the best-returning players at each position, Kuithe earned the number three spot among all eligible tight ends.
In a February ranking of the top 10 returning tight ends for the 2024 season, PFF analyst Max Chadwick wrote the following regarding Kuithe’s return:
“Kuithe missed the entire 2023 season and all but four games in 2022 after tearing his right ACL and meniscus against Arizona. While he’s been mostly absent for the last two seasons, Kuithe still deserves a high ranking on this list for what he did in the three years prior.”
“He was named to PFF’s All-Pac 12 team every year from 2019-2021 and was a third-team All-American as a sophomore in 2019,” Chadwick added, “He led all FBS tight ends in that span with 31 forced missed tackles while having the fifth-most receiving yards in that span (1,449). With both quarterback Cameron Rising and Kuithe returning for their seventh seasons, Utah should be seen as the favorite in the new-look Big 12 next season.”
Throughout three weeks of spring practice, Kuithe has looked deserving of all the high praise he has garnered.
In one of the first practices of the spring, the seventh-year tight end snagged a leaping touchdown pass over the middle of the field from Cam Rising. The touchdown was an instant reminder that when the Utah offense has a healthy Rising and Kuithe, it is nearly impossible to stop.
Utah’s Spring and Summer sessions will give Kuithe the perfect opportunity to return to form after being away from the gridiron for nearly two years. Moreover, competing with the team’s fleet of newcomers (since Kuithe’s injury) will give the incumbent tight end the ability to sharpen his game. Utah added Landen King (Auburn), Carsen Ryan (UCLA), and Dallen Bentley (Snow College) since Kuithe last stepped on the field.
With six years of experience, a long-standing connection with Cam Rising, and ball skills to rival the best tight ends in the sport, Kuithe is in line for a breakout season if he can stay on the field.
With 148 career receptions, the star tight end needs 45 more to earn the title for most in school history. Additionally, with two touchdowns and 200 yards, Kuithe would crack the program’s top five in career receiving touchdowns and receptions.
AUSTIN EAMES