With just one day left until Utah welcomes Florida into Rice-Eccles Stadium, we take a closer look at a transfer with SEC experience in no.1 Miles Battle. Battle attended Ole Miss from 2018-22 prior to transferring to Utah where he appeared in 45 games with four starts at cornerback.

Battle came to Utah because of their man-to-man coverage scheme, as well as their development on getting guys at his position to the NFL.

UteNation Take

Although he has not officially played for the Utes yet, Battle is listed on the two-deep at left cornerback, which is a testament to his skills and ability to learn Utah’s man-to-man heavy scheme. At Ole Miss, they primarily played a Cover 4 scheme, and Battle specifically came to Utah to prepare himself for an NFL future.

The 6-foot-4 senior took awhile to find a permanent position at cornerback, bouncing back and forth between receiver and defensive back his first couple seasons in Oxford. His length and athleticism give him great tools to play cornerback in Utah’s system. He even has a similar build and position history as former Utah corner Sean Smith.

Battle will get near starters reps in Utah’s system, despite being listed currently behind JaTravis Broughton on the depth chart.

Remembering Battle’s Recruitment

Battle was a tall, lanky 4-star receiver out of the talent-rich Houston area with plenty of offers around the country. With 30 offers to choose from, Battle verbally committed to Oregon before decommitting when then head coach Willie Taggart left Eugene for Florida State. The Ducks hung in the conversation until the very end, as Battle went back and forth between Oregon and Ole Miss to the very end.

When Battle explored the transfer portal and Utah showed interest, Battle made the visit to Utah and loved it. Utah’s history of putting defensive backs into the NFL intrigued him, and recent draft picks Clark Phillips III and Jaylon Johnson are evidence to Utah’s preparation for the next level.