The Pac-12 may soon be in fragments with USC and UCLA leaving after the 2023-24 season, but Utah football is still currently the team to beat after winning back-to-back conference titles. That has not stopped head coach Kyle Whittingham, though, from giving an honest critique of his roster with the spring transfer portal now active.
He addressed the team's most glaring question mark for this upcoming season on Tuesday.
“Whittingham said their biggest area of concern is wide receiver,” Josh Furlong of KSL.com Sports Tweeted. “Said he needs more playmakers to step up. That could be players already on the roster, but the transfer portal could be an option, too.”
The Utes have a massive hole on their offense to fill with star tight end Dalton Kincaid now headed to the NFL. They have two weeks to scour the transfer pool if they wish to bring in more reinforcements. However, there are talents in-house who were solid contributors last year who could be primed to take a leap forward.
Wide receiver Devaughn Vele, who initially considered declaring for the NFL Draft before deciding to return, recorded 55 receptions for 695 yards and five touchdowns in his breakout season in 2022-23. His star could continue to rise with more targets expected to come his way. Vele had five catches and 100 yards in Utah's Rose Bowl loss to Penn State.
Money Parks is another player who could answer Whittingham's plea to “step up” after flashing his impressive speed in his sophomore campaign. He tallied just 26 receptions, but averaged a dangerous 15.9 yards per catch. He shined in the Pac-12 Championship versus USC, scoring a critical touchdown in the third quarter to go with 88 receiving yards.
On the surface, both of those wideouts seem like strong candidates to produce big numbers. Perhaps Whittingham is exercising some tough love and hoping to motivate his athletes to reach unforeseen heights. Whatever the plan is, fans will probably trust in his and the staff's process.
It is hard to do otherwise given this prosperous era of Utah football.
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