Today we focus on one of the Kuithe brothers. No, not Brant who should be battling for All-American honors in 2021. Instead we’re focusing on Blake Kuithe, who before injuries ravaged, was considered the better of the two twins. The good news? When healthy, Blake had been dominant in practice and best of all, he’s finally healthy after back to back knee injuries.

So what does this mean? Kuithe lines up at a stacked position, defensive end. However, the talent is there to compete for reps behind Maxs Tupai and Mika Tafua.

The Utes have an embarrassment of riches at the end position, something that should worry the Pac-12, as the defensive line as a whole, is exactly what ever has come to expect out of Utah: ferocious and relentless.

UteNation take

This is a tough one to evaluate and come to a fair assessment, but our sources throughout the program remain high on him when healthy. Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham has beene open than ever since access to practices was pandemic restricted and even he has talked glowingly about Blake when he’s healthy.

The only questions are… can he stay healthy? How much have the injuries restricted his ceiling? It’s no secret that Utah has two Rivals Top 250 defensive ends in Xavier Carlton and Van Fillinger that both performed well in limited 2020 duty. That said, the depth at the position is ridiculous and if any team in the country knows how to fully utilize its defensive line, it’s the University of Utah.

A healthy Blake Kuithe should be a solid contributor in 2021, as the Utes can afford to do a rotation without much drop-off. That my friends, is downright scary for their opponents.

Alex remembers Kuithe’s recruitment

A one-time commit to Rice University, Kuithe signed with Utah in 2018 after he and his brother Brant committed just a few weeks before signing day. Although he wasn’t heavily recruited, Kuithe did have some quality offers from such teams as Boise State, Colorado, and Iowa State.