The University of Utah is a month away from kickoff with 31 days left on the UteNation Countdown to Kickoff. That means today we discuss No. 31, Nate Ritchie. The sophomore saw action in 12 games last season with three starts at safety while also seeing some time on special teams. Ritchie played as a true freshman in the COVID-shortened 2020 season before serving an LDS mission from 2021-2023.

Ritchie spent most of last season knocking off the mission rust and now he’ll be a crucial piece to a safety that lost both Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki as early entrants to the NFL Draft.

UteNation Take

With the departures of Bishop and Vaki to the NFL, both starting safety roles opened up. Ritchie and Johnathan Hall will battle for the strong safety starting spot along with Stanford transfer Alaka’i Gilman. Ritchie is versatile enough to play either safety spot, but Tao Johnson is a lock for the starting free safety role after his transition from nickel back.

During the 2023 season, Ritchie struggled at times with angles and seemed a step behind the play. He dealt with an injury in spring ball before last season that slowed his ability to knock the rust off after not playing for two years. This shouldn’t be a concern now that he’s been back and in action for over a year.

It feels like “wash, rinse, and repeat,” but Utah’s safety group should be in capable hands once again in 2024.

Remembering Ritchie’s Recruitment

The former 4-star recruit and the No. 24 rated safety, the Lone Peak HS standout held 14 offers from some big time names, including USC, UCLA, Stanford, and Cal. A long-time Utah lean, Ritchie committed to the Utes not long after his visit to campus. Utah’s safety tradition and being able to be coached by Morgan Scalley, was key in his decision.