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**Guest** · 07-19-2012, 09:10 AM

Good news! Randy now makes more money than Britt Meyer. I reneged with Britt and he's making over $11 mil now. Pretty sure the old guy asked for a lot less money after his horrid playoff performance in the Divisional Round against Chicago.

**Aston** · 07-22-2012, 10:36 PM

Meyer's still scheduled to make more than Randy next season, however

Although it would be a small price to pay right now to cap out Randy's contract...Utah officials are privately of the opinion that their star quarterback is unlikely to hold out so early into his new contract. Let's hope the Prince of Bees is as good a soldier as they believe!

'25 Free Agency Departees

For the first time in years, Utah's own roster is being somewhat raided in the early free agency period. None of this has been a very big deal, but it's noteworthy - this just didn't use to happen.

CB Martin Ingram - 5 - 19/19 was the first casualty. The Bees front office wanted to retain one of their two special teams aces at cornerback - they had accumulated two only due to injury. Ingram was the bigger prize and better ace, but the villains from Morgantown swooped in at the earliest opportunity and signed him away.

The Bees feel pretty good, however, about keeping Alan Broughton - older, but better in coverage. And his 80 ST is none too shabby compared with Ingram's 98. Broughton fills the CB#7 spot very adequately.

MLB Hardy Eicholz - 14 - 45/45
Eicholz played a key role as LB#7 in 2024, his first year with the team, serving as a backup 'backer at all positions, and a frequent special teams player. No teams showed interest in him early on in free agency, and we were excited to retain him on the cheap.

However, eventually Eicholz caught the eye of the dastardly dogs at division-rival Los Alamos. We noticed this and put up a fight to keep him. Of all the losses, this hurt the most. We've brought in some replacements (Terrell McDonald, Brant Henson), but Eicholz was a part of our plans. Darn you, you devils.

RT Tyrus Hutton - 12 - 54/54
The first hand-made pick of the Nutah Utah Era. This was a bittersweet one to let go away, but more from an out-of-context standpoint than a true football loss. Hutton was a warrior for us for a long time, and there would have always been a place for him on the team had he chosen to stay.

Those bums from Motor City, however, decided to knock us way out of contention with a contract we couldn't have come close to matching.

Hutton ended both of the last two seasons with devastating knee injuries. We frankly thought he was going to retire. With Sinclair having been waiting in the wings for a few seasons, and Greg Bell (G/T) returning, TH wouldn't have made the 2-deep at tackle. Still - it is sad to see him go on and play in a different uniform. Especially for an evil organization. Best of luck to you in Michigan, Tyrus, stay healthy.

**Aston** · 07-25-2012, 05:09 AM

'25 Free Agency Additions

With the latest stage and a welcome-back party for our 2023 7th-round pick, it's time to look at the rapidly wrapping-up Utah FA class of 2025. In 2023 and 2024, nobody who made it into the final 53 was signed during FA1. Early signs are that this year will break the trend.

This was a nice class overall, and I'm surprised at how easily we were able to sign a few pretty talented guys. And there is one really, really intriguing high-profile player in here I didn't even notice during the first few weeks I had him offered.

RB Ronald Harrow - 6 - 38/38
The three-year Utah #2 was cut after a very slow start in '24, and a particularly ugly 10 carry, -3 yard performance vs Kalispel. Harrow is aging, but still has the skills to be a #2, and his replacement Woods - though starring in a big way in the Bowl - will face his old nemesis in another camp/preseason battle. Good group of backup RBs here.

TE Howie Staley & Leland Christianson
Scrubs who can possibly play some ST. Gunning for that TE3 spot we have left open.

LT James Vaughan - 2 - 14/38
A tackle signed as a UDFA last season, very much in the mold of our nice 5th-rounder, Gene Sinclair. We think he has a similar future ahead of him, and maybe even better. Welcome back, V. With Hutton gone, this was the insurance we needed while we wait and see if heavy creeper Rich Ansell (rookie 4th round tackle, 2024) will climb enough to replace Hutton.

DE Louis Cooksey - 8 - 40/40
Veteran leader who has four affinities with the team. No brainer to sign for essentially free, but a tough call on whether he'll make the team or not.

MLB Terrell McDonald - 2 - 19/31
Our early replacement for Eicholz. We feel pretty nice about McDonald, who shows some pass-rushing skills and most importantly, significant ST promise. 55 all-red bar at 5/10 development. Creeping and best buddies with Cooksey.

MLB Lonnie Boone - 11 - 46/46
We couldn't help but sign this guy for free (0 bonus, minsal). A 2020 FA acquisition from Utah, later traded to Punxsutawney, where he really took off and flourished. Now the veteran Boone returns, with 77 run defense, 62 play diag, and 63 zone. He's really a 4-3 guy, but he's pure talent.

WLB Brant Henson - 5 - 35/35
If this name seems familiar, that's because it should be. Henson was a stud linebacker out of dear old Nebraska University. Drafted 1.13 in 2021 by the Charlotte Cougars. Henson ran a 6.92 agility score, which would put him in the top 5 in the entire draft class this year.

The four guys ahead of that? The receivers and safety who went 1-2-3-4 in round one. Yeah....and this was from an outside 'backer.

Henson never seemed to develop in Charlotte. But here's the kicker: he was 35/52 after the bowl was completed. Once the new season rolled around, the green evaporated, but his positional experience didn't change. It's not max, it's not even close - he's at 5/10 level experience (blueish/green, it's halfway).

Will Henson have a lot of developing left to do? Will he live up to his promise as both a pass rusher, and run stopper? Will his ST abilities surpass those of Eicholz, whom he is meant to replace? Lots of intriguing questions here. It certainly isn't every day that a 1.13 combine-warrior stud of a LB makes his way into free agency right after his rookie contract, and signs for the minimum.

FS Derek Hines - 3 - 23/36
The most recent and final meaningful addition to this FA group. Hines was a 7.15 pick by the Bees in 2023, and one of the toughest Week 1 cuts made in 2024. He is a fast-improving safety whose zone skills are quickly on the verge of becoming very good (37/60 bar...38/64 on the cut test). He's a versatile free safety who is solid stopping the run, and capable of returning punts.

The complicated thing is he was signed to be our fifth safety in the final 53, and now we've gone and drafted a surprise falling S in the first round. It's going to be a fun camp for this safety group. Some long-held jobs will be up for grabs.

Overall

There are a lot of guys here who have the talent to make the team. A number of them are very young prospects who we can keep for the long term. A few of them are ST/affinities only guys whom we'll have to try and find room for. For a class entirely signed to minimal or close to minimal bonus/salary values, we feel we've done extremely well in acquisitions this FA period.

None of these guys will have greater than $750k cap hit. 6 of the 8 are $700k or under. If we were to cut all eight, the penalties incurred would be $100k vs the 2025 cap, and $170k vs the 2026 cap. In the context of any team's financials, this is a free lunch. No expenditure or risk at all.

Utah 2025 Draft Notes

In every season from 2020-2024 (five in all), the Bees have held at least two first round draft choices. In each of 2022 and 2023, the Bees held three (their own 2023 first was traded for the services of RB Earnest Giang early in the 2022 regular season, however).

2025 marks the first year in this six-year period in which the Bees have held only one 1st-round pick. And yet, it will be the only time this period (and in Utah history) the Bees will end up making two 1st-round selections.

After all those years of holding 2 or even 3 first rounders, the year we hold one is the year we finally go and make two.

Go figure! For this privilege, the Bees have given up their own 2026 1 and 2 to the Camden Cutters.

**Aston** · 07-30-2012, 08:48 PM

<div style='width:460px;background:#eee;box-shadow:2px 2px 6px #666; -moz-box-shadow: 2px 2px 6px #666; -webkit-box-shadow: 2px 2px 6px #666; padding: 25px; margin:0 auto;font-family:serif !important;text-align:center;font-variant: small-caps'>'25 DraftUtah Bees</div>

In the midst of the '22, '23 run, the Bees were still one of the league's youngest teams, something that had been a longstanding tradition. One skipped 2024 draft later, and the Bees have come into 2025 as a wizened, aging bunch.

As a result, the '25 draft marked a great big shift in Utah draft strategy - partly by design, partly emerging as the draft unfolded as it did. A lot of parallels to the 2019 draft, where we made four picks in the first two rounds (three in the 2nd), reached for a KR as a consequence of need, and attacked the depth chart whenever we could to acquire a core.

2019 was absolutely critical in setting up Utah for its modern era run, and we hope that 2025, six drafts later, will be similarly successful in managing the coming turn.

1.17 S Wally Burgess (33/70, 36%) [3 exp]
In no world should Burgess have slipped to 17. The 4.39 forty, and 57 position drill that he posted up at this year's OSFL combine aren't just great scores. They're spectacular. Also, 40 sole and 16 intel. Also all those bars and other combines. This was a coup of pretty amazing proportions, I think. I don't mean to boast. I still can't believe that I ended up being able to draft him.

1.24 T Artie Samuels (25/43, 42%) [5 exp]
When this draft class came out and I saw a tackle with a 7.45 agility score, there was nothing more that needed to be said. He was the one and only from the get-go, "let's get him and good draft everybody." I moved to 18 - higher than I wanted, but that was the offer on the table - intending to select him. With Keisel's pass blocking abilities being less than I had hoped for, Samuels is going to step in as the new left tackle in Utah. Keisel will have to shift to the right side.

With Burgess unexpectedly falling into our laps, we gave up our 2026 1st & 2nd to secure our original target. Samuels has come out low, but is definitely creeping. Hella creeping, I hope

2.11 RB Nate Washington (27/40, 32%) [4 exp]
The Earnest Giang Watch is in full effect. We're not sure when this guy will retire...it could be next year, it could be never. Okay, maybe not never. But it's coming, and we want to be ready. Washington isn't the kind of guy I like to pick this early. We're hoping he has the physical abilities to provide a soft landing, should Giang putter out in the coming seasons. This one was a gamble. At these ratings, I am not sure where he'll go.

4.2 WR Chester Haddix (20/45, 19%) [3 exp]
Haddix is a 5'9, 187 lb guy you figure would line up in the slot. Apart from his paltry attempt at a bench press, the rest of his combines are not too bad. He flashed some gamebreaking ability while at the lesser Michigan college, both as a slot guy and as a returner. He just needs the ball in his hands.

At 20/45, he looks like a dropper, and will end up marginal in the OSFL as a receiver. We just need him to be a better returner than Brock Rosalez, however, and can settle for marginal. If he holds and ends up better than that, it'll be a victory. This is our KR gamble.

4.32 TE Derek Wheeler (20/52, 27%) [3 exp]
Another guy we'd normally hate to spend a high pick on. At 20/52, he really looks like a dropper. However, we searched unsatisfactorily for a TE3 all offseason. The sticking point is we want our 3rd TE to really be a special teams standout. Wheeler looks like he could be that, but it's REAL iffy. His 24 sole /1 intel projects very nice for his RR, and if that holds up, perhaps the matching ST bar will as well, or even climb.

What's interesting to me is that Columbus sees this guy as 20/53. It would be unspeakably awesome if this guy were a creeper. I just can't bring myself to hope, yet. (addenum: my own cut test has him down to 20/51, which is more in line with how he looked like to start.)

5.8 Philip Parrish (19/35, 34%) [4 exp]
#badairportdecisions. I'm solidly 4-deep at DE and threw a future 4th in-division to select him after seeing him crop up in my draft list during a boring airport layover. The thinking is, *if* he turns out to be a good creeper, he can push out a guy like Rondell Tyler, or Kerr if he drops further. I like that his strength is higher than his bench press showed (as evidenced by the PH bar). It's a good sign that he'll be a creeper. If it's enough, he'll stick somehow. If not, he'll wind up a Totem by year's end.

5.18 G Marc McDonald (14/34, 16%) [2 exp]
A high-volatility (not that I really care about that) guard with great size and a good combine showing. It's unusual for us to be relying on 5th round picks to make the team, but that's what we're doing this year as we try to get younger. Definitely a creeper here, a nice VU athletic guard.

(Addenum: McDonald has only 2 exp at RG, where he was moved pre-TC with no change, while he had 3 exp at LG originally. Also, he's a conflict with my OL leader. Oops, that's what I get for not checking.)

7.26 S Lester Harding (14/27, 43%) [5 exp]
We missed out on Shane Littlefield (WR - 6.31 - CHI), and Lester was I think, one of the top options after that. Clay scooped us on a nice 3rd round corner, and Harding is our answer. Secondary is certainly not much of a need at all, but Harding has a nice VU look himself (no idea if this is correct).

Whatever his ratings come out as, he'll have to climb a crapton. He reminds me of another late round S I took and cut very early on, named J.J. something. Harding really has his work cut out for him, at either CB or S. My guess is he climbs, but not nearly enough. This is another draft pick for Dakota ;)

(Addenum: I completely forgot to drop weight pre-TC so that I could move him with no loss to corner post-camp. Oops.)
--

My overall feeling is man, I'm excited at what we were able to get in a critical year. A lot of calculated chances, but a lot of potential, and some sure-fire talent to form a solid base below that. This has the chance to be really key for the Bees' future.

We were also able, fortunately, to get what we wanted. Everyone on this list was someone I targeted and wanted to get at one point or another, which makes the various misses hurt a lot less. yes, I got scooped here and there, but I replaced them with other guys I wouldn't have had room for otherwise.

**Aston** · 08-04-2012, 12:30 AM

'25 UDFA Rookie Class

QB Leland Bell (8/32, 10%) [2 exp]
Cut test is even, sort of (-1/-0 to 7/32). Super raw prospect, but vaguely reminds us of where The New Rico Whalen once was.

QB Johnnie Kobeck (2/19, 7%) [2 exp]
Randy's on the wrong side of 30, and though we feel confident in his backups, now is a great time to take some shots at a long-term successor who is younger. This is a REAL shot in the dark. Kobeck is terrible. But he is named Johnnie. Cut test even at 2/19.

RB Lawrence Collier (21/26, 43%) [5 exp]
We'll never forget the year we counted utterly on 96-breakaway back Ken Schacht to resume fulltime starting duties, trading away Darrel Boulware for pennies, only to watch Schacht's already humble ratings take, well, a schact. RBs can sure putter out early, and our replacement breakaway back, Herman Woods, is now in year 5, the same year Schacht took his dump.

Our other co-#2 is in his 8th year, our starter is in year 9, and aside from that we have two young draftees we aren't sure we can count on. So Collier is valuable insurance for us. Not a well-rounded back, but an athletic one with some running skills who'll be there if enough other guys fall apart. Cut test to 21/27.

WR Terrell Brady (14/19, 29%) [3 exp]
Brady's high development and low development %, and experience, were too much not to do a little splurging on. While we let Dakota get our top UDFA quarterback prospect, Bryant Gallegos (he was a conflict here, anyway), we had to secure the bottom half of the WR depth chart. Not only is Alvin Foley aging, we don't have totally solid answers for the #3-#4 spots long-term. Cut test to 14/20.

DT Bobby Kittner (16/36, 36%) [4 exp]
This was a case of numbers (we are carrying just two other nose tackles at this point) matching up nicely with a player evaluation (Kittner was one of the few left by the end of the draft we liked, based on an athletic combine result). Cut test to 16/37, which was a little bit surprising, but has us feeling good about where he might end up. Could be a surprise addition to the final roster, and at the least provides insurance for the nose position.

No non-rookie free agents were added this year in late free agency. RB B.J. Wayne was mighty tempting before I saw his fumble count.

**Guest** · 08-04-2012, 06:13 AM

Unfortunately, dirty SMD nabbed Gallegos! Doesn't look like any undrafted QB will make my roster, although Canady might make it as a 3rd QB/holder. Look out, Zellner!

**Aston** · 08-05-2012, 03:22 PM

Oh yeah, THIS is what it feels like to carry a lot of old players into TC. Silly me, I'd forgotten.

The Old Guys
RB Ronald Harrow -10
RB Giang -10 (he's still 64/64, thank goodness!)
OG Greg Bell -8
OG Michael Huffman -5
CB Chuck Horton -4
FS Chester Foster -6 (cohesion, though...let's see if I can keep starting him one last year)

The '25 Bees Knees Draftees
1.17 FS Wally Burgess 33/70->38/68 (+5/-2)
Dissapointing ;) OK, just kidding. Burgess is a super-mega-stud.

1.24 LT Artie Samuels 25/43->31/49 (+6/+6)
Oh good, he'll at least be a cut above that 5th round T I liked who went +7. What a monster camp for Dar Dar! Samuels is going to have a nice, long career in Utah, though, protecting the blind side of Randy Boone's final ten seasons here.

2.11 RB Nate Washington 27/40->29/41 (+2/+1)
Could he be the future in Utah? Tough to say. At this point, it looks like he won't be. He'll be a middle-of-the-road back, and quite a good backup, but won't have the key skills necessary to succeed Giang. At least, if he does, we'll have to platoon.

4.02 WR Chester Haddix 20/45->24/45 (+4/0)
Woah! Haddix is going to mount a very strong preseason campaign against incumbent WR/KR Brock Rosalez. That KR bar looks very nice here, and I'm surprised by how little he appears to be dropping.

4.32 TE Derek Wheeler 20/52->23/49 (+3/-3)
Dropping ST bar. Uh oh, and I ended up carrying only three TEs into camp. Might be signing some competition for him now - this is looking like a fairly bad pick.

5.08 DE Phillip Parrish 19/35->23/36 (+4/+1)
Parrish could stick into preseason, but showing very few signs of mounting a challenge to the Fantastic Four at DE, plus the DE5 team leader. Oh, a waste of a future 4th this was.

5.18 G Marc McDonald 14/34->18/37 (+4/+3)
Well, that's a disappointingly low climb! He's also a conflict, which I failed to notice. He could make the team, but it'll be tough. He's nothing special.

7.26 S Lester Harding 14/27->18/32 (+4/+5)
WOAH! Safety was already crowded. I wanted to move him to corner, but it's looking like he'll be a better safety. This is a major camp result, and some of my other safeties are going to have to be put on notice. I thought he'd go up and that my scout's VO was full of crap, but I didn't expect this much movement.

UDFA Rookies
QB Leland Bell 8/32->11/33 (+3/+1)
Well, that's interesting. Could stick.

QB Johnnie Kobeck 2/19->3/19 (+1/0)
This'll be a tough sell.

WR Terrell Brady 14/19->16/21 (+2/+2)
+2 is very noticeably NOT +5. Back to Dakota you go!

RB Lawrence Collier 21/26->23/28 (+2/+2)
I like his speed and his skills. Let's see him on the field.

DT Bobby Kittner 16/36->19/37 (+3/+1)
Definitely lots to like here, but he'll have an uphill battle making the case that we should carry three defensive tackles.

**Aston** · 08-21-2012, 12:17 AM

Q1 2025 Check-in: (3-1) Utah

We're one quarter through the 2025 season. In these early stages, the Bees have looked as dominant as they've ever been, outside of a stumble against a pretty talented Boston group. However, the league's #1 rushing attack is going to face a serious uphill battle the rest of the way without Stephen Wells for the remainder of the regular season.

QB
Randy has done spectacularly in three out of four games, and his 8TD-1INT ratio so far puts him on pace to match exactly his second year of starting, back in 2020, when he went 32-4. It was the first signs that we were about to have something special. We're hopeful that his slow, but steady psychological recovery since the 2022 bowl is proceeding along.

If there are two things we are really aiming to fix right now, it's going to be our 3rd down AvgYTG. 7.6 is not a pleasant figure...and our 6 fumbles lost so far this season are a travesty!

He led the league in YPA in 2024, but we want to see a 100+QBR at the end of the year.

RB
Earnest Giang has hit the mythical wall that all 30-year-old backs do, but he's still an exceptional player. And he is still carrying the load for the Bees. The #2 spot, which was absent for most of last season, has been seemingly secured at the present by 5th-year Herman Woods, whose extra gear continues to find its way into games.

Should Giang fall off in the near future, a variety of succession plans are already in place, The future platoon is set, with recent climbing draftees Green and Washington. 2.11 rookie Washington drew the opening-day #2, but after a 12att, 17 yard performance, he's likely headed towards a flat-out redshirt year.

FB
The 2-FB system continues! The Bees are rolling with 2RB/2FB/2TE active this year, counting on starting fullback Kerry Duran and his 6.96 agility to both take on some of the bruden of carries, and serve as the 3rd TE. Meanwhile, Mario Evanswhite is quite possibly even better.

TE
Mario Bradford has really come into his own since his struggles as a new fulltime-starter in 2023. He's currently the tema's second-leading receiver, and conjuring up images of Nate Barlow this season...Barlow caught everything thrown his way, which hasn't been Bradford's trademark, but so far he's 14-for-16. And a 10.94 average/target. Oh, and 4 TDs.

Evanswhite's former teammate in Washington, Billy Ballard, is now in his third season of holding down the fort as TE2. Quite a solid blocker, and receiver.

WR
This has been the surprise of the year. Declining 8th-year receiver Hunter Vandersommen is having the season of his life so far, leading the team in receiving and posting up 10.27 ypa. Teams are really trying to take Foley out of the game, but Randy and Hunter are making them pay.

Fletcher & Foley are always dangerous, so it's just a matter of throwing to the least covered guy. Leave any of these weapons away from double coverage, and their teammates are going to pick up the slack.

Rookie Chester Haddix is still developing and trying to make his mark as a KR. So far, that part of the game has been a step back. Winston Reynolds hasn't found his way onto the active roster because of Haddix's role as a KR, and 90-BPR Ray Mansker is continuing defining his role in this offense as the #4 receiver.

OL
We played with fire carrying only 8 OL on the final 53 this year, and are paying for it now with Wells out for 13 weeks. We're really going to play with fire now and hope the rest can stay healthy - 7 is the minimum for a legal roster. We'll always have the option of putting Wells on IR, if we should really need to. But he's the star of this group.

Meanwhile, the pressure is on new starting left tackle Artie Samuels this season. The rookie is going to have to grow up before our very eyes. Also on deck for playing time (finally) is 4th-year guard Jared Craig, now the sole interior backup.

K/P
Nothing new here. K Parrish continues to be extraordinary (nailing a 56-yarder this past game) and Compton, well, he'll do.

DL
We finally have a new full-time starter at DE. After rotating with Kerr last season, Junior Bello (two years his junior) has grabbed hold of the LDE1 spot, potentially for good. Logan, our previous LDE1, is shifting over to RDE and giving us a wealth of pass rush options. Kerr of course, is a long-tenured and solid player in his own right. We have four starting-quality DEs, and this is a tremendous luxury.

At nose, we continue to have two 3-4 starters as well, in the fairly great Siragusa, and the rock-solid Jerald Berrios. It's too bad all our DL are so close together in years, but right now, they're all in their prime.

LB
We're carrying one extra 'backer vs last year, thanks to our fascination with Brant Henson, who continues to not climb any points. But we have a star-studded cast here with depth and separation in years. O'Donnell is great insurance for Melnick at WLB, and Motz, drafted in that messed-up 7th round year (thanks Brad!), has become a quality SLB2.

On the interior, we're all set, and the addition of 2nd-year Terrell McDonald was an important one. He's looking like a capable run-stopper with ST value; quality backup for years to come.

CB
Longtime nickel Chuck Horton was on the chopping block, but a late injury to Benjamin Chmelik and a trade of Derek Hines ended up saving his spot. Horton's here to provide depth, if something should happen like it just did to GBY in my other league: lose your mega-star corner for 22 weeks. If that were to happen here, we have enough depth that Horton wouldn't start on the outside, but he would immediately become the top backup/nickel and provide valuable, needed cohesion.

Our corners are a good group, however. Stephen Easton and Jared Cuevas are looking like a solid pair as #3/#4 guys, with Cuevas/Easton sharing the nickel/dime duties. The starters are studs, and we aren't worried about them at all.

S
Last but not least, safety is the deepest position group on the '25 Bees. We can absorb so many hits here, and not miss a beat. While Driscoll has SS locked down pretty good, affording +5Bynaker a second redshirt year in a row, we have three guys to play free safety.

9th-year-on-team Chester Foster, whom we want to give some starts to for the sake of cohesion; 4th-year-Lance Morris, who has exceeded Foster in skillset and will be our top SS should Driscoll go down; and rookie Wally Burgess, who is the future face of the Utah secondary, but may not get too much PT this season.

Outlook:
Our schedule appears slightly lighter than in years past, or maybe it's just because I don't see CLB or YUM on here, but we are going to have tests a-plenty. Denver is never a team to sleep on; NOS, SMD, and CAM are all teams who are in position to make runs at the bowl, and we have circled our <abbr style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #666">Week 9 road trip to Port City.</abbr> Because we want badly not to give up 500 yards to those guys.

**Aston** · 09-11-2012, 06:47 AM

9-5 Utah Bees

Another check-in, as the season draws to a close. It has been a rough and tumble year for the AC. While Columbus, Las Vegas, and North Liberty are running away from the pack in National conference, Utah and Washington share the AC's best records at 9-5 each.

This has been a frustrating season in Utah. 17 lost fumbles, to lead the league and spoil Randy's league-lowest 6 INTs...93 penalties, to rank 3rd in the league...along with other factors, that have led to uneven performances, despite a highly efficient offense and mostly solid defense. And yet, we're still fighting for a first-round bye here. We're very lucky to be in that situation.

OFFENSE NOTES
Starpower. We are currently enjoying a bevy of it, and it's good to see them shine while they can. The rest of the league is arming up like nothing else, but at the moment, the Utah offense is still as potent as any.

Earnest Giang is currently leading the league in rushing yards (a good H2H battle with Columbus's Ted Hartman in recent weeks, with a fair amount of separation after them). Randy Boone is leading the league in QBR, 5.4 points ahead of the next runner-up, although he's only 13th in yards. Not highly productive, but super-efficient and low on mistakes.

For receivers, Utah's m.o has continued to be to spread the wealth. Foley is still the feature receiver, but we can't quite seem to get Fletcher #2 type targets - too many other options present themselves, such as WR3 Hunter Vandersommens' 10.23 ypa season, and TE Mario Bradford.

What's different this year is the emergence of a #4 WR in Ray Mansker. Mansker has given us 5 solid receiving options with over 44 targets each so far, which may not sound like a lot, but it's decent for our league-trailing, 32nd-ranked 25.6 attempts per game. We're having a lot of games where our top options are quiet, but those tertiary and whatever-is-after-that guys step up. TE2 Billy Ballard led the team in receiving vs Los Alamos, and Mansker the game before that vs Brooklyn.

Defense

Our biggest incentive for chasing that week-1 bye is Emmanuel Logan's torn thumb ligament. It's a 9-week injury listed as doubtful, and while it shouldn't keep him off the field, we do want him to be as healthy as possible during the playoffs.

We've had a tough year with the pass defense, and we're having to pin a large part of it on cornerback Stephen Easton. He did alright in a pseudo-starting role in 2024, but his 11 starts this season have been dreadful. 5 passes defensed, and 37 allowed.

Juggling our top three CBs has been a tricky problem. We've been putting Mitchell Prescott in as the slot corner in nickel formations, due to Easton's low zone, but it's getting clear that Easton is having troubles handling his outside corner duties. On the other hand, we need to take advantage of Prescott's considerable zone coverage capabilities.

Inside linebacker Dan Harper has turned into a super, super, superstar and we are really kicking ourselves for not giving him enough salary in his last deal to cap him out this year. We won't be able to help handing him a mega contract in the offseason, the kind that pays him well over $10m a year. With Logan sitting the rest of the regular season, we'll really have to be leaning on our LB duo of Harper and Slaten to make plays.

Outlook:

We're excited for a return to the playoffs, potentially with a bye to heal up our injuries. However, we don't have that aura of invincibility we have managed to conjure, as we have in the past three seasons. We have not looked even threatening at any point this season (outside of an early-season smackdown of Ohio Valley).

**Aston** · 09-20-2012, 12:32 AM

'22-'25 Bees

A look back at the following starters/major contributors are about to make their fourth bowl appearance together:

Offense (10)
QB R.Boone
RB E.Giang
FB K.Duran
TE M.Bradford (1 injury)
WR A.Foley
WR C.Fletcher
WR H.Vandersommen
G M.Huffman
C S.Wells
T G.Keisel (1 injury)

Defense (12)
DE E.Logan
DE R.Kerr
DE J.Bello
NT B.Siragusa (1 injury)
SLB N.Slaten (1 injury)
SILB D.Harper
WILB T.Conant
WLB C.Melnick
CB Q.Robinette
S B.Driscoll (1 injury)
S C.Foster
S L.Morris

ST (1)
K T.Parrish

And the contributors who have come aboard more recently:

3rd bowl (6)
FB M.Evanswhite
TE B.Ballard
WR R.Mansker
G M.Giles
CB M.Prescott
P E.Compton

We only have three guys who are "On Team - 2024",all of them drafted rookies who have not ascended the ropes yet. But, a big crop of new contributors so far on this '25 squad:

1st bowl (5)
RB N.Washington (RB#2)
WR C.Haddix (KR)
LT A.Samuels (LT #1)
LB B.Henson (SILB/WILB #2)
FS W.Burgess (FS #1)

Others of note:
-After starting TE Mario Bradford's concussion sustained in the CCG vs Denver, rookie tight end Derek Wheeler will be unwrapped and activated for the first time this season.

-OG Greg Bell was signed during bowl week vs Chicago in 2024 due to injuries. He was re-signed for 2025 but released at the start of the exhibition season, before being brought back in Week 6, again due to injury.

One-time contributors during our 4-year bowl run, no longer with the 2025 Bees:

Losses (10)
TE N.Barlow
T B.Roberts
T T.Hutton
G B.Forbes
G C.Rodgers
NT B.Johns
LB H.Cote
CB K.Cate
CB C.Horton
P M.Russ

Announcement

UTA|2025

UTA|2025

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