Utah Football Coach Says NIL ‘Overriding Factor’ in Key Transfer Losses

The Utah Utes had a rough first season in the Big 12 Conference. They lost their quarterback, Cam Rising, early in the season and never seemed to recover.
Coach Kyle Whittingham and the Utes went 5-7 and missed a bowl game, so they’re working to reload for next season. But they’ll do so without a couple of key players that could have made a difference.
Among the Utes that have transferred out are cornerback Cam Calhoun and defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa. Calhoun transferred to Alabama while Tanuvasa went to Utah’s rival, BYU, down the road in Provo.
During an offseason press conference, Whittingham was asked if name, image and likeness (NIL) deals had something to do with their departures. He didn’t mince words.
“Absolute overriding factor was NIL, there's no doubt about it in my opinion,” Whittingham said. “Cam ended up at a school in the Southeastern Conference and he would have been battling for a starting job (at Utah) just like last year. He was in that rotation. Keanu was a very good player for us last year. But they both felt it made more sense to move for their own reasons. But NIL was certainly something that was in the equation.”
Calhoun had 21 tackles in 2024, with one interception and nine passes defended. Tanuvasa had 16 tackles with one sack and four passes defended.
In a different era, these players Utah would likely have hung onto for another season and developed further. But, in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, there’s always a chance you’re going to lose talent.
In the same interview, Whittingham talked about the gap between some programs.
“The discrepancy between most schools and some of the real upper-echelon schools is dramatic. It’s five, six times the amount of resources at some of those schools as other P4 schools and so it’s far from a level playing field,” Whittingham said.
Whittingham is skeptical that revenue-sharing will help level the playing field further. The House vs. NCAA settlement should be final in April, and at that time schools will learn the amount of money they can share with student-athletes. That amount is expected to be at least $20 million.
Utah athletic director Mark Harlan has repeatedly said the Utes will share at the highest amount possible. Utah is also bringing its NIL collective in-house, which will give it more control over those deals. But, even with schools sharing the same amount of revenue, NIL deals could act as a sweetener, or a bonus, and continue to lure top talent away from schools like Utah.