Kyle Whittingham has made a shocking revelation regarding Utah’s Transfer Portal deals
In a Jan. 16th appearance on The Bill Riley Show, Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham shared some exciting news about potential transfer additions.
Whittingham provided an appealing response to Riley’s question about the Utah program’s tendency to use the portal prudently rather than initiate a complete roster overhaul.
“We have more that we’re going to add, we’ll probably add another half a dozen players that we’ll add before fall — We’ll probably add six or as many as 10,” Whittingham said.
Whittingham’s response also stated that Utah’s portal activity would begin to slow in the coming weeks.
While additions may slow, Utah had a strong performance during the portal’s winter window. The Utes added nine players (as of January 18th), filling some of their most critical needs.
Furthermore, Utah’s current transfer class is ranked 34th in the nation, with the highest average recruit ranking in the Big 12 (88.75, according to 247Sports).
As Riley hit on during his interview, Utah has adopted a seemingly unpopular method of using the transfer portal. Rather than going out and trying to organize a complete overhaul of their roster, the Utes tend to target positions of need and highly prioritize the fit of potential newcomers.
This will likely be the same methodology Utah implements in its portal pursuits during the spring window.
The spring portal window, which opens on Saturday, April 15, will allow Utah to add the majority of their additional “half a dozen” players, as predicted by coach Whittingham.
It’s unclear which positions the Utes will target, but backup quarterback, defensive line, and running back all appear to be in need of an upgrade or added depth.