Eric Weddle is headed into a place reserved for the biggest names in Utah football history.
The former Utes standout has been selected as the 2026 inductee into the Utah Football Ring of Honor, and he will be recognized during Utah’s home game against Arkansas on Sept. 12. His name will be added to the press box at Rice-Eccles Stadium, making him the fourth former Ute to receive the distinction.
It is already the second major honor of the year for Weddle. In January, he was named to the College Football Hall of Fame in the Class of 2026.
Utah’s ring of honor is still a relatively new tradition, but the list is growing fast. Quarterback Alex Smith, Weddle’s teammate in the early 2000s, was the first player inducted in 2024. Last year, the school added former head coach Ron McBride and wide receiver Roy Jefferson.
Weddle’s Utah career stretched from 2003-06, and he left as one of the program’s most decorated defenders. He began as a true freshman cornerback in 2003, later moved around the secondary, and also handled duties on offense and as a return man. He was a key part of the defense during Utah’s undefeated 2004 season, when the Utes became the original BCS busters.
By the time he was done in Salt Lake City, Weddle owned the school record for career forced fumbles with nine and ranked second in interceptions with 18. He finished with 277 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 23 pass breakups and six fumble recoveries.
His honors piled up, too. Weddle was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year in both 2005 and 2006, and he earned consensus All-America recognition as a senior.
His role kept expanding late in his Utah run. Over his final two seasons, he contributed on offense as both a runner and a passer, and in 2006 he scored eight touchdowns. He also returned 52 punts for 408 yards during his college career.
That production turned into a long NFL run. Weddle was a second-round pick of the San Diego Chargers in 2007 and went on to play 14 seasons in the league. He earned Pro Bowl honors six times with the Chargers, Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Rams.
His pro career ended with a championship. Weddle came out of retirement to join the Rams’ playoff push in 2022 and finished by winning a Super Bowl ring.
A native of Fontana, California, Weddle is now the head football coach at Rancho Bernardo High in Poway, California. He was previously inducted into the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.
In Other News...
Former BYU Star Still Waiting As Training Camp Opens
As NFL teams report to training camp, two familiar names from the Utah college linebacker pipeline are still waiting for their next stop. Bobby Wagner and Kyle Van Noy are both free agents, and both arrive with the kind of rsums that usually keep veteran defenders in the conversation well into the summer. Wagner, 36, last played for Washington, while Van Noy, 35, most recently suited up for Baltimore, and each has already won a Super Bowl.
The open market has left both veterans in a holding pattern for now, even as possible landing spots begin to take shape. Wagner has been linked as a fit for Dallas or Jacksonville, while Van Noy has been connected to San Francisco and Minnesota as teams sort through their camp plans and defensive depth. For two players with long track records and plenty of experience, the bigger question is not whether they still have value, but which contender decides it needs that value most. [Read more 🡒]