UteNation Countdown to Kickoff: No. 81 Connor O'Toole

There are 81 days left in the UteNation Countdown to Kickoff series and today we discuss no. 81, Connor O'Toole. The 6-foot-4 senior from Albuquerque, NM returned from injury last season to play in the final 8 games, starting five. In those 8 games, O'Toole racked up 31 total tackles (6.0 TFL, 4.5 sacks) and three pass breakups.

O'Toole is part of a treacherous defensive end group that includes Van Fillinger and Logan Fano among others. They will need to replace the production and gravity of Jonah Elliss' departure to the NFL, but the group should be up to the task and be a force off the edge.

UteNation Take

After missing the first few games of the 2023 season, O’Toole still battled through injuries and had a productive season. Now healthy, Utah returns one of the top pass rushers in college football.

Now a senior, the one-time tight end has two years under his belt learning the craft from defensive ends coach Lewis Powell. O’Toole finds himself firmly planted on the radar of NFL scouts. He should be a top three round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Big 12 offensive lines and quarterbacks are about to hate this man.

Remembering O’Toole’s Recruitment

O’Toole was the top recruit out of New Mexico as a 3-star 5.7 rated Rivals prospect. He had an impressive offer sheet with 21 total offers, including Utah, Arizona, Arkansas, Baylor, California, Cincinnati, Colorado, Florida State, LSU, Nebraska, New Mexico, Purdue, TCU, and Washington State, to name a few. In the end, Utah beat out the Baylor Bears for the tall, speedy receiver.