Utah defensive end accepts Senior Bowl invite

The past week has been a notable one for Utah's Logan and Spencer Fano.

While Spencer has been racking up postseason accolades left and right, his brother Logan has taken a significant step forward in seeing his NFL aspirations come to fruition.

As his collegiate career with the Utes nears an end, the next stop on Logan's path to the pros will take him to Mobile, Alabama, where he'll compete alongside other players with similar hopes of making it to the next level in the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl.

Logan recently accepted an invite to participate in the prestigious college football all-star game, giving the Spanish Fork, Utah, native an opportunity to put his skillset on display for NFL scouts and personnel over the course of a week-long event.

The Senior Bowl — not to be confused with the East-West Shrine Bowl, which serves a similar purpose but is a different showcase entirely — tests the top seniors in the country through drills and workouts before splitting them into two teams for a standalone all-star game. It's considered a crucial stage in the NFL draft process, given the amount of attention it draws from evaluators and the media alike.

According to the Senior Bowl's website, a total of 77 players were on the 2026 roster by Tuesday afternoon. Fano was the only Utes representation, but it wouldn't be a shock if some of his teammates made the journey down south after Utah's Las Vegas Bowl matchup with Nebraska on Dec. 31. Especially when considering his brother, as well as Jaren Kump, Caleb Lomu and Lander Barton, were all tabbed to the Senior Bowl Top 300 list in August.

There's a chance Barton will be tied up with other obligations, though, based on the fact Utah's standout linebacker is set to participate in the East-West Shrine Bowl instead. The Senior Bowl game, set for Jan. 31, takes places a few days after, likely overlapping the East-West Shrine Bowl's schedule. Both events typically compete for attention from NFL scouts.

Logan earned an invite to the Senior Bowl after recording a career-high 44 tackles, including 7.5 for loss, and 4.5 sacks during the 2025 regular season. Heading into Utah's bowl game, he had tallied 93 total tackles, including 18 for loss, as well as 10.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries in three seasons with the Utes.

News of Logan's impending trip to Mobile, Alabama, came a few hours removed from Spencer's fourth All-American honor of the 2025 postseason. A fifth would make Spencer a unanimous All-American.