Dalton Kincaid is heading back to Salt Lake City, and this time his job is a little different.
The former Utah star and current Buffalo Bills tight end has been named ESPN College GameDay’s celebrity guest picker for Saturday’s broadcast ahead of Utah’s matchup with Houston, a move announced Thursday on The Pat McAfee Show. With the Utes set to dust off their black uniforms, Kincaid’s return lands with a clear callback to one of the most memorable Dark Mode nights in program history.
That night came on Oct. 15, 2022, when Kincaid turned in a ridiculous performance against No. 7 USC.
He caught every one of his 16 targets for 234 yards and a touchdown in Utah’s 43-42 win. The 16 catches tied for second in school history, and the yardage total also ranked second.
USC knew the ball was likely going Kincaid’s way. Stopping it was another matter entirely.
He finished with 10 of Utah’s 31 first downs and had eight receptions of at least 15 yards, giving Cam Rising a target who could move chains and flip field position in the same breath. Utah also had to claw back twice from 14-point deficits, and Kincaid was right at the center of that rally.
The atmosphere only made the performance more iconic. Utah wore black uniforms and hand-painted helmets honoring Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe, and the opponent, the tribute and the finish all fed into the same unforgettable scene.
Kincaid sparked the comeback in a big way. He stacked three straight catches for 54 yards to help set up a touchdown before halftime, then scored the tying touchdown early in the third quarter.
On Utah’s final possession, Rising found him for 11 yards on third-and-five to get the ball to the USC eight-yard line. Rising finished the drive with a rushing touchdown and the winning two-point conversion, sealing one of the most memorable nights Rice-Eccles Stadium has seen.
That USC game was the peak of a Utah career that produced consecutive Pac-12 championships and 107 catches for 1,414 yards and 16 touchdowns.
After transferring from San Diego, Kincaid grew into one of the country’s best receiving tight ends. In 2022, he led Utah with 70 receptions, 890 receiving yards and eight touchdown catches, earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors and All-America recognition.
Buffalo moved up to take him 25th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, making him the first tight end selected that year and the highest-drafted tight end in Utah history.
He made an immediate impact with the Bills, catching 73 passes for 673 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie. That reception total set Buffalo’s rookie record.
Kincaid followed that with 44 catches for 448 yards and two touchdowns in 2024, then took another step in 2025. He posted 39 receptions for 571 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, averaged 14.6 yards per catch, added two postseason touchdown grabs and earned his first Pro Bowl nod as a replacement for Travis Kelce.
Through six games this season, Kincaid has 23 catches for 315 yards and a touchdown. That leaves him with 179 receptions, 2,007 yards and 10 touchdowns in 47 career regular-season games.
His Saturday assignment is now a different kind of spotlight: picking winners on College GameDay. But in Utah, his name still carries the kind of weight that comes from delivering one of the defining Dark Mode performances in school history.
In Other News...
BYU Just Made Its Support For Kalani Sitake Very Clear
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Santiago said the football oversight structure will be a collaborative one with Vice President Keith Vorkink, and the focus is on lifting the program even higher. That comes at a time when BYU is sitting No. 2 nationally, its best ranking since 1984, which only adds to the sense that the Cougars see this as a moment to push forward rather than reset. [Read more 🡒]
GameDay Backed BYU But One Warning Still Looms At UCF
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Dalton Kincaid was the one voice on the set who went the other way, picking UCF and highlighting the kind of emotional letdown that can follow a big week. He also leaned into the Knights homecoming setting, a reminder that even when the national spotlight is tilted heavily in one direction, a road game can still carry plenty of traps for a highly ranked team. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Just Put BYU And Kalani Sitake In The Spotlight
Nick Sabans recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show gave BYU another national moment, and it came with a pretty flattering nod from one of the sports most respected voices. Saban praised the excitement and passion of Cougars fans, and he also singled out Kalani Sitake for the leadership he has brought to the program, adding to the sense that BYU has become one of college footballs more compelling stories this season.
The praise landed with even more weight because Saban pointed to the confidence BYU carried into its game against Notre Dame, a performance that helped fuel the buzz around the program. The Cougars College GameDay appearance drew more than 3 million viewers, and 9.2 million watched the upset of Notre Dame, so the spotlight on Sitakes team is no longer just local or regional. The bigger question now is how much more attention this run can keep generating. [Read more 🡒]