WHAT IT MEANS: Utah State DE Fitzgerald Transfers to Utah

The Utah defense added depth on the edge on Wednesday with the transfer addition of Utah State defensive end Paul Fitzgerald.

The 6-foot-3 and 255 pound Fitzgerald started all 13 games in 2023, his redshirt freshman season, finishing with 46 tackles and a team-high 8.0 sacks. He also tied the Utah State bowl record for sacks with 3.0 in their game against Georgia State.

What Utah Is Getting

Fitzgerald was the sack leader for the Aggies and a menace in high school, teaming up on the defense with current Ute Tao Johnson. Utah State lines up in a 3-4 base, so Fitzgerald saw most of his time as a stand up outside linebacker, so he could see a hybrid role in the Utah defense depending on how quickly he picks up the system and wear he fits.

Utah has shown time and time again that the best 11 will play. Fitzgerald plays at a stacked position for the Utes, but his knack for getting in the backfield when be something Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley will look to take full advantage of.

What This Means For The Class

Fitzgerald is the eleventh pickup from the transfer portal for Utah and second defensive end. He joins Syracuse receiver Damien Alford, ASU receiver Dorian Singer, Washington receiver Taeshaun Lyons, Stanford safety Alaka’i Gilman, Michigan cornerback Cameron Calhoun, UTEP defensive end Kanious Vaughn, Idaho RB Anthony Woods, UCLA TE Carsen Ryan, Georgia Tech CB Kenan Johnson, and BYU DE John Henry Daley.