The Utes got some help at safety earlier in the year, when local product Nephi Sewell decided to transfer back home after spending the first two years of his eligibility in the Mountain West Conference, at the University of Nevada. Sewell, who prepped at Desert Hills High School in St. George, was an impact player at safety for the Wolfpack, right from the get-go. As a true freshman and sophomore, Sewell totaled 108 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and four pass deflections, and was sure to start again as a junior.

Sewell joined the Utes for spring camp, and immediately competed for a spot in the two-deep. However, his transfer waiver was denied by the NCAA, and he will have to use his redshirt year and sit a year in residence before he can suit up and play. Once he is eligible, Sewell will have two years left to play two, and will compete for a starting spot next year, after Julian Blackmon and Terrell Burgess have moved on.

Andrew Fronce’s take

Sewell has had an interesting journey to get to Utah. A neck injury during his junior year kept his recruitment from taking off, despite him making a full recovery and having an outstanding senior season. During his senior year, Sewell played safety, running back, and wildcat quarterback for his team, and excelled at all three positions. As a runner, he was physical, intuitive, and showed that he could outrun opponents in the open field. As a safety, he showed good closing speed, instincts, and was a hard hitter. During spring camp, Sewell struggled a bit initially as he adjusted to a new defensive scheme and an increased level of competition, but by the end of camp, he looked more comfortable and made some plays in the Red/White game. Having him available this year would have offered the Utes some valuable depth at safety, but after sitting out a year, Sewell will have the chance to compete for a starting job with the rest of Utah’s safety group.

Alex remembers Sewell's recruitment

As Andrew mentioned above, early on, injuries derailed a promising high school career for Nephi in which he initially looked to be near the top of the class of 2017 for Utah high school ball. Due to bad luck with injuries, interested dropped and Nephi followed his brother, Gabe Jr., to Nevada. Then, this past winter, looking for a new challenge and also looking to get closer to his family, Nephi looked to tranfer in-state.

His dream school and first preference was Utah, but a coach who is no longer with the program initially told him there was no spots. After he posted a Twitter pic at BYU on an unofficial visit, that all changed, as Itah reached and basically said, get here and we’ll make it work.