With kickoff at Rice-Eccles Stadium getting closer, Utah’s roster still has plenty of names worth circling. Even with some key departures, there’s no shortage of players who can put together highlight-reel moments this fall. Three in particular stand out: Kyri Shoels, Rabbit Evans and Daniel Bray.
Shoels didn’t get the loudest headline when Utah added receivers, but the move to bring in two proven Mountain West targets was a major win for Kevin McGiven and his staff. Shoels arrives after a strong run at San Jose State, where he caught 59 passes for 768 yards and two touchdowns.
Both totals ranked in the top five in the Mountain West Conference. He did not play in the Spartans’ 2024 season and had spent the previous two years at Palomar College, but last fall he showed he belonged at the Power Four level.
Against Stanford, he posted a career-best 147 yards on 10 catches, and he added 73 yards against Texas. McGiven also saw Shoels make an impression when he topped 100 receiving yards against Utah State.
He has the kind of speed that can stress a defense vertically, and he’s strong at tracking the ball in the air. If he carries that form over, he could be a real weapon on the outside for the Utes in 2026.
Evans was headed toward a big 2025 before injury stopped that momentum cold. In 11 games in 2024, he flashed enough to look like Utah’s next breakout safety, finishing with 34 tackles and making several key third-down plays.
He only started five games, but he looked like the favorite to earn a much larger role the next season. Then came the setback: a season-ending injury in the week three game against Wyoming, which limited him to one game.
Now the path is open again in 2026. Tao Johnson’s transfer to UCLA leaves Utah with a vacancy next to Jackson Bennee, and Evans has the tools to step into it.
His tackling would help the run defense right away, and his instincts stand out. He’s also good at fighting through blocks to get to the ball.
Bennee could move back and play more free safety, which would let Evans operate closer to the line where he’s most effective. Nate Ritche will get a chance too, but Evans has been more consistent at Utah.
If he gets the opportunity, he could become a fan favorite fast.
Bray may have been overshadowed by JJ Buchanan’s freshman season, but his own first year was quietly impressive. He didn’t jump in immediately, but when Utah used him against West Virginia and Arizona State, he looked ready.
Then the BYU game changed everything. The Utes tapped into Bray’s elite speed and leaned on him in the jet sweep game, and he delivered.
The Fort Worth native ran for 121 yards on carries in that rivalry matchup, with Utah lining him up at wide receiver and sending him in motion before the snap to give him a head start. Once the ball was in his hands, that momentum made him tough to corral.
He was so effective that Devon Dampier forced a bad interception trying to get the ball to Bray. Utah kept finding ways to use him after that, and he finished with 40 carries for 272 yards and a touchdown, averaging 6.8 yards per carry.
The Utes also used him on special teams, where he returned five kickoffs for 95 yards. Bray’s knack for making defenders miss has always been part of the package, which is why the former three-star recruit has long been a yards-per-carry machine.
He averaged 8.5 yards per carry in each of his final two high school seasons.
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