Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham. Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Utah football adds three scholarship players in special moment for former walk-ons

Originally posted on Utah Utes on SI | By Cole Forsman | Last updated Apr 22, 2025 6:57 PM ET

Only a fraction of high school football players go on to play at the collegiate level, and of that small percentage, even fewer receive an opportunity to play at the highest form of competition that Division I has to offer.

Three Utah football walk-ons joined that exclusive club of student-athletes on Tuesday, as the Utes rewarded scholarships to Alex Cloward, Reece Parmenter and Mike Tauteoli in a special moment for the trio once spring practices concluded.

Congrats to @alexcloward4 , Reece Parmenter, & Mike Tauteoli❗ pic.twitter.com/nCx6GdILy8
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) April 22, 2025

Cloward, a 6-foot-3, 240-pound defensive end, wrapped up his sophomore season with the Utes in 2024. A former three-sport athlete at Salem Hills High School (Utah), Cloward was a first-team All-State selection in football, in addition to playing first base in baseball and center in basketball. He recorded 14.0 sacks and 63 total tackles in his senior year.

Tauteoli, the son of former Utes linebacker Moses Tauteoli, was also quite the multi-sport athlete during his days at Brighton High School (Utah). Along with football, he played rugby and competed in track and field. The 6-foot-4 defensive end recorded 32 total tackles in his senior season. Tauteoli finished his sophomore season in 2024.

Parmenter, a 6-foot-5, 323-pound offensive lineman, completed his sophomore campaign as well in 2024. A product of Crimson Cliffs High School (Utah), Parmenter earned All-Region first-team honors and was the team captain in high school.