Utah went into the offseason knowing cornerback needed a serious refresh, and Elijah Reed looks like the kind of addition Sharrieff Shah had in mind when the Utes hit the transfer portal.
Reed arrived after two seasons at Akron, where he turned into a full-time starter and made himself useful in all the ways a defensive staff wants from an outside corner. Last season, he started all 12 games and finished with 47 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, four pass breakups and two interceptions. His Pro Football Focus grade of 77.3 ranked fifth on Akron’s defense.
The fit is obvious on paper. Reed is 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, and Shah has made no secret of wanting length in his cornerbacks.
“If I have a corner that’s 6-2, that ball has to be perfect. Most of the time it won’t be.
Success to the defense. Having a long corner gives you a better chance to get an incompletion or something that’s really awesome, like a pick or maybe a pick-six,” Shah said this spring.
That size also gives Reed a chance to be disruptive early in the route, something he says he welcomes.
“I take pride in being the best I can be for the guys in my room, I would say. Just showing some experience and just bringing that physicality and showing the guys that we can bring this every day,” Reed said.
Utah’s interest in Reed didn’t come out of nowhere. The Utes and Shah recruited him out of high school, but the Louisville, Kentucky, native stayed close to home and signed with Kentucky instead. This time, after a stop at Kentucky and then a productive run at Akron, Reed said the decision was easier.
“I came down here and seen everything and I got to really see how the culture was and how coach Shah was in person. It made it way easier to make my decision,” Reed said.
Cornerback is one of the spots Utah loaded up on in the portal, bringing in four players to help rebuild the room. Scooby Davis is the lone returning full-time starter at the position, while Rock Caldwell - listed as a nickel but used mostly at safety for need in 2025 before moving back to corner this spring - is also expected to be in the mix.
Davis and Caldwell are projected starters, but the battle for the outside corner job has been wide open all offseason.
Reed is right in the middle of it, and he isn’t the only one. USF transfer James Chenault is another name to watch, whether that ends up being a starting role or a spot in the rotation. In 2025, Chenault posted 32 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups, and he came through in big moments with picks against Miami and Florida.
Senior JC Hart, who played 88 snaps at corner last season, is another option who could see the field.
Shah said this fall that the room has a lot of different pieces he can lean on.
“Eli Reed who showed his physicality and length. James Chenault, we call Bobo, incredibly savvy. JC Hart, who’s been with us, now is comfortable in the defense and starting to make some plays,” Shah said this fall.
“Earl Parker, young man we got out of Juco. Brandon Holmes, another young man who would probably be vying for a nickel spot. The person I’m probably most excited for is Jeremiah Caldwell, we call Rock.
“Rock played safety, played outside corner, played nickel. His versatility and command of the room just gives us such, I think, a benefit, especially it helps to be 6-2-and-a-half and playing nickel as well as corner.”
Utah still has to replace starting nickel Smith Snowden and starting outside cornerback Blake Cotton, but Shah believes the Utes have enough bodies - and enough competition - to keep the cornerback pipeline moving.
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