In a Jan. 16th appearance on The Bill Riley Show, Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham delivered some exciting news regarding even more potential transfer additions.
In response to one of Riley’s questions regarding the Utah program’s tendency to use the portal prudently as opposed to initiating a complete overhaul of the roster, Whittingham delivered an appealing response.
“We have more that we’re going to add, we’ll probably add another half a dozen players that we’ll add before fall -- We’ll probably add six or as many as 10,” said coach Whittingham.
Whittingham’s response also noted that Utah’s portal activity would start to slow down in the upcoming weeks.
While additions might slow down, Utah had themselves a strong run during the portal’s winter window. The Utes added nine players (as of Jan. 18th) and filled some of their most important positions of need.
Moreover, Utah’s current transfer class ranks 34th in the nation and has the highest average recruit ranking in the entire Big 12 (88.75 according to 247Sports).
As Riley hit on during his interview, Utah has adopted a seemingly unpopular method of using the transfer portal. Rather than going out and trying to organize a complete overhaul of their roster, the Utes tend to target positions of need and highly prioritize the fit of potential newcomers.
This will likely be the same methodology Utah implements in its portal pursuits during the spring window.
Opening on Saturday, April 15, the spring portal window will give Utah its chance to add the bulk of their additional “half a dozen” players predicted by coach Whittingham.
It remains to be seen what positions the Utes will target, but backup quarterback, defensive line, and running back all seem like positions in need of a potential upgrade/added depth.
More must-reads: