8/26/2022 football Edit

UteNation Countdown to Kickoff: No. 8 Cole Bishop

Sean Davenport • UteNation

Ute Nation

We have just over a week left in the UteNation Countdown to Kickoff and today we discuss one of the best young safeties in the Pac-12 conference, no. 8 Cole Bishop. By the end of the 2022 season, he could be one of the top safeties in all of college football. The sophomore out of Peachtree City, GA earned Pac-12 Honorable Mention last season with 54 tackels, 9.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks and five PBUs. He accomplished this, while starting the final six games of the season.

In his true freshman season, Bishop's impact on the defense grew over the season and he established himself as a top name to look for on the scouting reports. The best is yet to come for this talented safety that Utah Defensive Coordinator Morgan Scalley constantly raves about.

UteNation Take

The 6-foot-2 and 206 pound safety came to Salt Lake with a high football IQ and a love for contact. Bishop came on later in the season, not initially starting for the Utes due to some early injuries. He saw action in 10 games and, as mentioned, started in the final six games of the season. Cole had career highs of eight tackles in the two biggest games of the season: vs. Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship game and vs. Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

Bishop is poised to take his game to the next level in his sophomore campaign and become one of the next great safeties in the Utah lineage. His work ethic and IQ have already established him as a leader on what is already a loaded defense. However, Bishop knows he has room to improve and has worked on his footwork and man coverage skills this offseason, which should make him more versatile this season.

Remembering Bishop's Recruitment

A three-star safety rated a 5.6 and no. 61 overall at the position, Bishop held 16 offers with 10 being from P5 programs. He was committed to Duke for seven months before making the switch to the Utes.

After his commitment to the Blue Devils, Utah never backed off. The Utes NFL history at safety, they overall defensive success and they’re business program were enough to convince him to head west.