In today's UteNation Countdown to Kickoff we have 12 days until Utah plays at the University of Florida and that means it’s time to discuss no. 12, Tyler Wegis. The 6-foot-6 redshirt freshman is listed at defensive end and has not see action on defense for the Utes yet. Wegis is still putting on weight from the 210 in 2020 and is just under 230 pounds now. In high school, he was a First-Team All-Orange County as a senior with 92 tackles, 37.0 TFL, and 10.5 sacks.

UteNation Take

Wegis has the frame and potential to develop into a monster of a defensive end. After arriving at Utah around 210 pounds, the extra 20 pounds he’s gained have been substantial, but he’ll need to pack on 15-20 more before he can be viewed as someone with every-down potential.

In high school, Wegis' length gave him a huge advantage on the edge, creating good separation with his reach. In 2022, the Utes can unleash him on obvious passing downs, but the Utes have surplus of guys in their two-deep that are currently ahead of him. Barring injuries to the group, his greatest contributions in 2022 are likely to come on special teams.

Remembering Wegis' Recruitment

Wegis was a late-bloomer who, in between his junior and senior year, grew two inches and packed on 40 pounds. A three-star defensive end with a 5.6 rating, Wegis chose Utah over 11 other schools, including Cal, Washington State, Virginia, Boise State and Oregon State. The Utes were his first P5 offer and he unofficially visited the school with his dad the week in 2019 in which the Utes annihilated Arizona State with one of their best defensive performances in school history.