UteNation Countdown to Kickoff: No. 80 Brant Kuithe
With 80 days left until Utah Football kicks off the 2024 season and today we discuss No. 80, Brant Kuithe. The senior from Katy, TX is a Swiss Army knife of the offense and is used all over the field in multiple ways. He will rejoin a versatile tight end group with Landen King and Miki Suguturaga.
Kuithe has not seen the field since 2022 when his season ended early with a knee injury that ultimately kept him out of the entire 2023 season as well. Despite missing almost two straight seasons, Kuithe is a three-time All-Pac-12 tight end, earning second-team in 2019, 2020 and 2021. He has 148 career receptions for 1,882 yards (12.7 ypc) and ranks 8th all-time in receptions at Utah.
UteNation Take
Utah’s jack-of-all-trades is back. It’s crazy to think that the Utes have played 23 games without one of the most lethal offensive weapons in program history. Currently eighth all-time, he needs 1,261 receiving yards to pass Bryan Rowley for the most receiving yards in school history. With a healthy year, he should easily break Utah’s all-time receptions record currently held by Kevin Dyson, needing only 44 receptions to do so.
With Kuithe being Rising’s most trusted target, the receptions record should fall with ease. Being a year and a half removed from a bad knee injury, Kuithe might not lead Utah in yardage in 2024.
The versatile tight end allows Utah offensive coordinator to get extremely creative. The days of him running the ball again are yet to be determined, but Kuithe’s game is much more reminiscent of LA Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp than it is a typical tight end. Fellow tight end Landen King is the same way, so Utah can disguise a lot of schemes.
During spring ball, it was scary how in sync Rising and Kuithe were. That should carry over into a productive season. With the added weapons to the receiving room, Kuithe can’t be as keyed on by opposing defenses as he was in the past. Get burned deep by Money Parks, Dorian Singer, Landen King and crew? Or give Kuithe too much of a cushion to pile on the YAC?
Get ready to enjoy one more year of an all-time Utah great.
Remembering Kuithe’s Recruitment
Like his twin brother, Brant was also a one-time commit to Rice University out of Katy, TX. Kuithe signed with Utah in 2018 after he and his brother Blake committed just a few weeks before signing day.
Although he wasn’t heavily recruited, Kuithe did have some quality offers from such teams as Boise State, Colorado, and Iowa State. He’s another great example of an under-the-radar pick up from the Utes, in which they see something that others don’t and end up with an immediate contributor.