The University of Utah’s Cole Bishop enters the 2022 season, looking poised to become a sophomore sensation. Utah has produced a steady stream of skilled and dominant safeties under the watchful eyes of Utes defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley. Now Bishop finds himself in a crucial role, ready to make his mark on a young defense loaded with talent.

“My main focus is doing my job as good as I can,” Bishop said. “Taking in the coaching really helped me to excel at my job and I’ll hopefully do more of that this year.”

With zero questions at the strong safety spot, Scalley is hyper-focused on finding the next talent to slot in the defensive backfield alongside Bishop. The sophomore is already emerging as a trusted leader in the secondary. Bishop only has 10 games and six starts under his belt, but his football IQ and relentless work ethic is being counted on to get the others up to speed.

“Coach Scalley always says, leadership isn’t provided from the role you’ve been given, it’s how you act,” Bishop said. “I’m not the biggest vocal leader—I’m trying to learn on that—but (I) just try and lead by actions through work ethic on and off the field.”

Two springs ago, Bishop arrived on campus and immediately exceeded expectations. High hopes surrounded him in 2021 but a pair of nagging injuries limited his time on the field until the final half of the season. Even while battling injuries, Bishop’s natural talent and instincts helped him become a game changer in the secondary.

Bishop finished his freshman campaign with 54 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks, and five pass breakups.

“It was pretty tough because you’re doing everything you can — watching film, preparing with the team, expectations are that you’re hoping to play and then you get hurt,” Bishop said. “I was supposed to have some pretty good minutes at BYU, but I pulled my hamstring that Thursday before. I did a ton of rehab, wasn’t really 100% for WSU and injuries happened and I had to go in and then I played pretty much the whole game and ended up pulling it again and I was at square one for rehab. It’s tough doing all you can and still not getting to play.”

Because of this setback, Bishop did not really announce his presence on a feared Utah defense until the Utes demolished Stanford.

“My understanding of the defense from Week 1 to the Stanford game when I started to get my first minutes was so different, just from being confident and knowing my assignment and being able to look and know what the offense is going to do,” Bishop said. “When you have more experience and more mental reps it gives you a better chance to make a play.”

From that point on, Bishop became a fixture on Utah’s defense. He saved his best performances for the biggest games, recording a career high eight tackles in both the Pac-12 Championship Game and the Rose Bowl.

From that point forward, the secret was out. Bishop was no longer in the shadows.

“Cole’s a stud. Cole’s one that makes you a better coach,” Scalley said. “Another guy that’s a student of the game. You see him studying film all the time. Cole’s a great ambassador for the University, as well.”

The faith Utah’s coaching staff has placed in their rising star gives Bishop even more confidence to elevate his game.

“It means a ton, with the confidence they have in me. It really helps me be confident in myself because if you’re worried about messing up, you’re not playing your game,” Bishop said. “It helps me with my future goals and the coaches just knowing what I’m capable of.”

While the secondary struggled against Ohio State, any knowledgeable football fan who watched the Rose Bowl came away with a distinct impression that Bishop was a budding star at the safety spot. Even with his arrival on the national scene, he knows he has plenty of work ahead of him to realize his individual goals and the team’s goals.

One area where he’s applied extra focus is his footwork and man coverage.

“This whole winter and summer I was focusing on my man coverage, mostly—all of us safeties,” Bishop said. “Then, footwork, just mostly being able to play in the post more. Last year I was in the strong safety spot, but now hopefully I’ll be able to rotate a little bit more.”

While Bishop tirelessly works to make strides in those specific areas, Scalley is also preaching the off-the-field work. Bishop wholeheartedly applies his coach’s advice to his daily regimen.

“Just stay in the film room and study. Mental reps—they always preach that. It’s cliche, but it really makes such a difference,” Bishop said. “If you’re watching and pretending to take your steps, it makes such a big difference. We watch a ton of film after practice, and it helps us a ton.”

Over the past year, Bishop has had the opportunity to meet a few special Utah safeties who preceded him like Eric Weddle, Julian Blackmon, and Terrell Burgess. He understands the hype and lofty expectations around him. The main advice he’s gotten from those three past standouts is to keep working and stay humble.

“Obviously it’s been just one season and I have so much more to do,” Bishop said.

His inclusion on the Jim Thorpe watch list and preseason All-Pac-12 First Team speak to the high regard given to Bishop and his talents. Like so many of Utah’s other team leaders, though, Bishop looks beyond the individual hype and narrows his focus to realizing the team goals lying ahead in 2022.

“Obviously we went to the Rose Bowl, but we’re not trying to just go to the Rose Bowl and lose this time,” Bishop said. “We’re going to take one game at a time and hopefully the sky’s the limit.”