2020 Utes Breakout Candidates: Bronson Boyd

There are plenty of questions swirling around who will start at cornerback this year for the University of Utah. The Utes have a young defensive back group which will have to prove itself quickly, since the first scheduled opponent is the pass-happy Washington State Cougars. While Mike Leach is no longer running the show in Pullman, his replacement, Nick Rolovich, runs a similar style of offense.

Fortunately, there’s not a lack of athleticism on the back end of Utah’s defense, and the battle for the starting cornerback jobs will be fierce. There are two promising candidates between four-star true freshman Clark Phillips III and speedster JT Broughton, but there’s another player to keep an eye on, junior wide receiver convert, Bronson Boyd.

Bronson Boyd | 6-foot-0, 192 pounds | 2019 stats: 3 tackles, 1 FR

Boyd has had an interesting journey to get where he is now. Originally committed and signed to Texas Tech, Boyd transferred to Utah after just a couple of months with the Red Raiders. After redshirting, Boyd showed some early promise as a wide receiver, displaying exciting agility and an aggressive mentality that helped him win one-on-one battles in practices. As a redshirt freshman, Boyd caught two passes for 40 yards, but struggled to perform consistently. In 2019, with Utah boasting a deep receiving corps, Boyd was approached by Sharrieff Shah about the idea of switching defense, much to the chagrin of receivers coach Guy Holliday. The change was made, and Boyd started practicing with the cornerbacks in spring camp. He stuck there and played in all 14 games on special teams, while also playing in three on defense.

It wasn’t a smooth transition, but all of the tools are there. That’s what has everyone excited, now that he has more reps under his belt. This was a position switch that Shah saw as inevitable when the receivers and defensive backs were going head-to-head in drills, constantly telling Boyd he was a defensive back and to make the switch.

Boyd’s most memorable moment of the 2019 season came against Arizona State, after Brant Kuithe forced a fumble on a punt return, and Boyd showed quick reflexes to jump on top of it right after the ball came out. His quick reaction set the Utes up in great field position, and allowed Zack Moss to deliver the knockout blow and become Utah's all-time leading rusher on the very next play.

Boyd will be expected to have a much bigger role on defense this year, as he is one of the most experienced cornerbacks on the 2020 roster—although that also justifies some initial worry about the group. Coach Shah loves Boyd’s athleticism and aggressive mentality, and his experience as a receiver undoubtedly helps him to get into the heads of his opponent and anticipate what’s going to happen across from him. Good ball skills and elite change of direction ability will help him too, as he works on his transition to become the next Sean Smith, Brian Allen, or Josh Nurse.

Just as they have almost every year in the Pac-12, it's a safe bet that the Utes will use a rotation of players at cornerback, in order to help keep their players fresh. Regardless of who wins the starting job, Boyd will almost certainly see plenty of playing time this year.