Countdown to Kickoff: No. 5 TJ Pledger

With five days left until kickoff for the University of Utah, let’s talk about no. 5 on offense, TJ Pledger. The versatile running back finds himself in a heated four-way battle for starting reps after transferring this past season from Oklahoma.

In over 30 games in his career with the Sooners, Pledger averaged 5.1 yards per carry, totaling 695 yards on 135 touches. He tallied six touchdowns and 964 all-purpose yards.

The 5-foot-9 and 196 pounder came to Utah to prove that he’s an every down back, something he’s proven the Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham and running backs coach Keil McDonald, throughout both spring and fall camp.

UteNation take

Pledger has put himself in good position to get the first crack at the starting running back spot, but Micah Bernard, Chris Curry and Tavion Thomas all still have something to say about who eventually will get the lion’s share of the carries.

During fall camp, Whittingham hasn’t been shy about comparing Pledger to Ute-great John White IV. That could be a scary proposition for Utah opponents. However, regardless of how well he’s done in camp, the true battle is about to be won on the field over the first 2-3 games before Pac-12 play begins.

Alex remembers Pledgers recruitment

Before transferring to Utah and reuniting with his old 7-on-7 teammate, Cam Rising, Pledger was a four-star 6.0 rated running back. He was the no. 5 overall back and the no. 70 ranked recruit overall by Rivals.

Pledger’s recruitment came down to Oklahoma and Nebraska, as he tripped the Huskers after already being committed to the Sooners, but he remained committed to Oklahoma and those were the only two official visits he would take.