Utah's Kyle Whittingham provides injury update on Rabbit Evans: 'It doesn't look good'

Utah didn't come out of its 31-6 victory over Wyoming completely unscathed.

Early on in the second quarter, Utes defensive back Rabbit Evans went down with an apparent leg injury after checking in for his first snaps of the 2025 season and didn't return to the field.

"It doesn't look good," said Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham of Evans' injury after his team's 25-point victory over the Cowboys, per KSL's Steve Bartle. "It's a lower leg injury, that will likely be season-ending. He just can't catch a break. We'll look at his redshirt situation and see what we can do for him."

Evans, who missed the team's first two games of the season, was expected to play an impactful role this season as one of Utah's more experienced defensive backs on the roster. He didn't play in either of the Utes' wins over UCLA or Cal Poly with an undisclosed injury, though Whittingham expressed optimism regarding his status for Week 3 after the Mustangs' game.

Evans checked into Saturday's contest for the Cowboys' first drive of the second quarter. He had to be carted off the field after getting tangled up with a Wyoming pass-catcher and having his legs buckle on his first play of the season.

The 6-foot-1 senior from Jacksonville, Florida, played in 11 games and made five starts in 2024, totaling 34 tackles and one pass breakup while lined up at safety.

With Evans out, Utah leaned on Jackson Bennee, Tao Johnson and Nate Ritchie to pick up the slack in the secondary.

Bennee, who has played on both sides of the ball as a receiver/nickel corner combo, recorded his second interception of the season during Utah's win over Wyoming after housing his first pick of 2025 in his team's 63-9 victory over Cal Poly.

Bennee's 57-yard return on Saturday set up Utah's offense inside the Cowboys' 20-yard line with just under 10 minutes to play in regulation. Devon Dampier found freshman JJ Buchanan for his first career touchdown reception moments later, extending Utah's advantage on the scoreboard to 24-0.

Despite Bennee's production and Utah's impressive numbers against the pass to start the season, the Utes coaching staff wanted to see more discipline from the secondary heading into Big 12 play. With Evans potentially out for the season, more responsibility will fall on the team's younger and less-experienced defensive backs moving forward.