6/9/2022 football Edit

UteNation Countdown to Kickoff: No. 87 Thomas Yassmin

Sean Davenport • UteNation

Ute Nation

The tight end position has become a strength for the University of Utah in recent years, and with 87 days left until kickoff, today we take a closer look at junior Thomas Yassmin. Yassmin hails from South Wales, Australia and was a standout rugby player. Despite being a tremendous athlete in his own right, Yassmin has not seen much playing time due to sitting behind some exceptional tight ends in Cole Fotheringham, Dalton Kincaid, and Brant Kuithe since arriving on campus. In 2022, Yassmin finds himself in another stacked position group, but could be on the verge of a breakout season.

UteNation Take

Fotheringham graduated, but Kincaid and Kuithe surprised everyone and are back for one more season. Even with the new talent brought in this offseason, Yassmin’s versatility should be something that gets mixed into the offensive scheme. The 6-foot-5 and 248 pound Australian possesses ideal size for the position. He is still relatively new to football, but with another year of football under his belt, this is the season where things may have finally started to really click for him.

Yassmin has learned from some of the most talented and productive tight ends that Utah has ever seen, but this should be the season where we could start seeing results on the field. Yassmin saw playing time in 13 games last season as a reserve tight end and on special teams, but an opportunity presents itself in 13 personnel groups and other packages for the 2022 season.

Remembering Yassmin’s Recruitment

Lewis Powell and Morgan Scalley did what Utah coaches do best, scout talent that other teams might not pay full attention to. This time, it was a little more unique as Yassmin was a high school rugby player who had never played football. Despite never playing football, numerous P5 teams entered the picture after his Utah offer went public. UCLA was one to offer him soon after his Utes visit and even sent him an NLI. They nearly had him convinced to wait a week and trip there, but the Utah staff did a great job closing the deal.