With 54 days left in the UteNation countdown to kickoff on August 31st, we feature a former walkon turned scholarship athlete in no. 54, Hayden Furey. The senior linebacker originally walked on in the fall of 2019. Since then, Furey has played in 27 of 28 games over the past two seasons, including four starts in 2021.

Furey’s loyalty to Utah through his career and his belief in himself is something to take note of. He bet on himself and it has paid off, as he’s a valuable depth piece to the linebacker room and he has two Pac-12 championship rings to show for it. Now, he’s looking to add a third.

UteNation Take

Furey has exceeded any expectations that one would have for a walkon athlete. In his first season, he saw playing time in five games on special teams, and his role has grown ever since. Amidst a young and injury-affected linebacker group in 2021, Furey stepped up and started four games. While he may not be slotted to start this fall in 2023, Furey provides solid depth and experience behind projected starters Lander Barton and Karene Reid. His playing time recently has typically been dictated by if Utah is in three linebacker sets. He’s one of Utah’s best backers in coverage.

Furey has a high football IQ and his leadership within the linebacker room provides a lot of value to the younger players.

Remembering Furey’s Recruitment

Furey was a team captain at Westlake HS in Saratoga Springs, UT and played both sides of the ball as tight end and linebacker. Listed at 6-foot-3 and around 200 pounds coming out of high school, he was a little undersized for either position and eventually chose to go up to Salt Lake City to pursue football.