Gone is of the greatest offensive weapons in Utah Football history, Brant Kuithe, along with two other 2024 contributors: Carsen Ryan and Miki Suguturaga. Kuithe is looking to fight through his injury struggles and make the NFL, while Ryan transferred down south to BYU.
Utah’s previous offensive system under Andy Ludwig heavily utilized the tight ends. Now, under new offensive coordinator Jason Beck, the tight end involvement is yet to be determined. Although Beck has proven that if they can be valuable weapons, he’ll find ways to utilize the position.
Despite losing three key players, Utah still returns solid veterans at the position, one being Landen King, who could be primed for a big bounce-back season.
Let’s take a look at the tight ends:
The Potential Starters
Landen King
Senior, 6-foot-5 and 232 pounds
King didn’t have the 2024 season that so many expected him to have. Part of that had to do with weight and playing shape to start the season. Part of it also had to do with a quarterback that struggled to get him the ball. Now he looks to get back to the dynamic threat he was showing he could be in 2023.
Overall, 2024 was a season for him to forget, but he showed signs of his old self towards the end of the season. The good news for King heading into the Utes 2025 spring ball? Offensive coordinator Jason Beck’s new system led by Devon Dampier, has the potential to feature King significantly.
Dallen Bentley
Senior, 6-foot-4 and 264 pounds
Like King, Bentley didn’t have the 2024 season many expected, despite playing in all 12 games and starting seven of them. His lack of stats can also be somewhat correlated to the lack of production at the quarterback position.
The big-bodied tight end has reliable hands and moves well for his size. He’s an interesting piece to the puzzle for Beck to find ways to utilize.
The Freshmen
The new guys bring a ton of talent to the table and it’s only a matter of time before at least one of them breaks out. After seeing time at linebacker and also running back during the 2024 season, redshirt-freshman Hunter Andrews is now an imposing and athletic 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds. Could he be Utah’s next version of Brant Kuithe?
From there, both Drew Clemens and Bear Tenney graduated high school early and enrolled for spring ball. Clemens will want to packed on weight, while Tenney, who is a preferred walkon, will look to recapture the magic that once made him a four-star tight end as recently as a year ago.
