Landen King's brief time in the transfer portal came to an end Monday — less than a week after he decided to depart the Utah football program.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound tight end committed to Duke for his final year of eligibility. King will join the Blue Devils following two seasons with the Utes.
A former Auburn transfer who put together a promising first season in Utah, King saw his role diminish significantly in year two with the Utes, as he recorded three catches for 54 yards after posting 166 receiving yards in the 2023 campaign. In fact, his first reception of the 2024 season didn't come until Week 10 against Colorado. King recorded his lone touchdown catch of the season during the Utes' 28-14 win over UCF on Nov. 29, when he hauled in a 15-yard pass from Luke Bottari in the fourth quarter.
Despite his lack of involvement in the Utes' struggling passing game, King indicated earlier this spring that he wasn't going to transfer. However, with the rise of redshirt freshman tight end Hunter Andrews, it's unlikely King would've taken on a greater role in 2025. Not to mention, Utah explored moving 6-foot-4, 220-pound redshirt senior Otto Tia from receiver to the tight end spot toward the end of the spring window.
Though King's departure will be felt, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham and his staff have assembled a solid corp of pass catchers around their new quarterback Devon Dampier. Cal transfer and 6-foot-5 wideout Tobias Merriweather committed to the Utes on Monday, joining Southern Miss transfer Larry Simmons as the newest receivers to Utah's 2025 roster. Simmons committed to Utah on April 27.
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