Tag: University of Utah

Broncos signing WR Devaughn Vele to 4-year rookie contract

Denver Broncos wide receiver Devaughn Vele was among the first to sign his rookie deal.

The Denver Broncos have signed former University of Utah wide receiver Devaughn Vele to his initial four-year contract, according to 9New’s Mike Klis.

The Broncos selected Vele in the seventh round (235th overall) in the draft.

Vele’s contract is projected to be $4.124 million on his four-year pact, with a $104,480 signing bonus, according to the Denver’ Post’s Parker Gabriel. The 6-4 Vele is projected to be a backup pass-catcher, who may fight for time along the front lines of Sean Payton’s passing attack. Vele looks to help fill the void that was left by wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, who was traded in the offseason to the Cleveland Browns.

Vele is among the first batch of Broncos’ draftees to sign their rookie contract. Fellow seventh-round pick Nick Garguilo and fifth-round pick Audric Estime also signed their respective four-year contracts on Wednesday.

The contracts are set to become official when rookie minicamp starts on Friday, May 10.

Broncos select WR Devaughn Vele in 7th round of NFL draft

The Denver Broncos add another big receiving target in Devaughn Vele.

The Denver Broncos have selected Utah wide receiver Devaughn Vele with the 235th pick in the NFL draft. The Broncos received this pick from the Seattle Seahawks in a pick swap earlier in the day.

Vele (6-4, 203 pounds) put together an impressive NFL combine performance, when he ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash, with a 36-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-6 inch broad jump.

Vele played in 47 games at Utah, starting 28 games. He had at least one catch in 35 of his 47 career games as a Ute.

In 2022, Vele was a Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention after he ranked second in team receptions (55) and receiving yards (695).

In 2023, Vele put in a team-leading 43 receptions for 593 yards and three touchdowns.

Vele joins fellow Utes (and Broncos third-round pick) Jonah Elliss and 2017 first-round draft pick Garett Bolles on the Broncos. He’ll join a wide receiver room that now includes Day 3 draft pick University of Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin.

Next selection: Round 7, 256th overall.

Browns sign journeyman OT Hunter Thedford to 90-man roster

The #Browns signed offensive tackle Hunter Thedford on Monday after releasing veteran lineman Joe Haeg

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After signing wide receiver Ra’Shaun Henry on Monday, the Cleveland Browns continued adding depth to the bottom of their roster by inking journeyman offensive tackle Hunter Thedford to their 90-man offseason roster.

The move came after the team released veteran lineman Joe Haeg, which created about $2 million in cap space.

Thedford entered the league as an undrafted rookie in 2021 and has spent time with the Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, and New England Patriots, though he has not yet seen action in a game at the NFL level.

He played collegiately at the University of Utah, where he was a tight end in the Utes’ offense. His transition to the NFL came with a position change to the offensive tackle spot, where he is seen as a developmental prospect with plenty of potential to excel if he can continue progressing as a blocker.

Watch for Thedford to soak up as much knowledge as he can over the course of the Browns’ mandatory minicamp, and for him to do his best to justify a spot on Cleveland’s practice squad ahead of the 2023 season.

Commanders 2023 NFL draft prospect profile: Utah TE Dalton Kincaid

Dalton Kincaid could be a difference-maker for Washington’s offense.

The 2023 NFL draft is just over two weeks away, and we here at Commanders Wire will look to profile multiple 2023 prospects daily leading up to day one of the draft.

We will focus on prospects who could be available for Washington and who fit a position of need. Our prospect profiles will not be exclusive to projected first-round picks only but also players who will be selected on the second and third days of the NFL draft.

The Commanders are first on the clock at No. 16 overall.

Today, we profile Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid.

2023 NFL draft: Chargers in attendance at Utah pro day

The Chargers sent tight ends coach Kevin Koger.

As the 2023 NFL draft nears, college pro days are happening, as prospects are making their final impressions in front of teams.

Chargers tight ends coach Kevin Koger attended Utah’s pro day this past week, according to Pro Football Focus’ Tony Pauline.

Koger was in Salt Lake City, Utah, to check out TE Dalton Kincaid. However, Kincaid was a non-participant after suffering a minor fracture in his back late last season, which also prevented him from working out at the combine.

Kincaid has been pegged as a top target for Los Angeles throughout the draft cycle, given their need to address the position as they search for a bonafide No. 1 tight end for the first time since Hunter Henry.

Kincaid is a prolific receiver with great hands who can win all over the field with his athleticism and play speed and can create yards after the catch, projecting as a passing game playmaker for offensive coordinator Kellen Moore from Day 1.

Kincaid amassed 103 receptions for 1375 yards and 16 touchdowns in his four years as a starter for the Utes, with his best season coming in 2022. He racked up an impressive 890 yards on 70 catches. Additionally, Kincaid had the lowest drop rate percentage among TEs (2.8%).

If the Chargers feel that his back injury won’t be an issue, Kincaid could be in consideration with they’re on the clock with the No. 21 overall selection.

Utah crushes Oregon, destroying Ducks’ CFB dreams

The University of Oregon saw their CFP dreams wrecked by Utah

Those on the CFP selection committee can breathe easier when mulling Oregon and Ohio State.

The University of Utah dismantled Oregon, 38-7, on Saturday in a Pac-12 game.

The loss was the Ducks’ second of the season and will send them tumbling from the No. 3 slot in the most recent rankings. Oregon had previously lost to Stanford but had also defeated Ohio State in Columbus early in the season.

Oregon is now 9-2 and meets Oregon State next week. Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington State all have a chance to take the Pac-12 North slot in the conference championship game after the Ducks’ loss.

Awaiting the North representative will be the Utes, who are 8-3 overall and 7-1 in conference play.

Earlier, the fourth-ranked Buckeyes had destroyed Michigan State, taking the Spartans out of CFP consideration.

On Saturday, Ohio State meets Michigan, ranked sixth in the CFP. The winner of that game will represent the Big Ten East.

University of Utah football player Aaron Lowe fatally shot

The University of Utah is mourning the shooting of DB Aaron Lowe

The University of Utah has suffered the loss of another football player, the second in 10 months.

Sophomore cornerback Aaron Lowe was shot and killed at a house party early Sunday morning.

“We are devastated to hear about the passing of Aaron Lowe,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Aaron’s family and friends, along with the other individual who was harmed in this tragic incident. Aaron was a great teammate, friend, brother and son and was loved by anyone who crossed paths with him. He will be deeply missed.”

There is a tragic irony to the death of Lowe, a defensive back.

Lowe was a Texas high school teammate of Ty Jordan, the Utah running back who was shot and killed in December.

Lowe was the first recipient of the Ty Jordan Memorial Scholarship. Lowe switched from No. 2 to No. 22 this season in an effort to honor Jordan’s legacy.

 

According to police, several people who were at the party may have witnessed the shooting but left before officers arrived.

 

 

Utah star freshman running back Ty Jordan, 19, dies in shooting

University of Utah freshman star Ty Jordan has died in what police say looks like an accidental shooting

Ty Jordan, a star at the University of Utah and the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, died early Saturday in what police are calling an accidental shooting in his home state of Texas.

“Following a preliminary investigation, we do believe that this was an accidental shooting, where the victim accidentally shot himself,” Denton Police Department public information officer Allison Beckwith told ESPN.

Jordan, 19, from West Mesquite, Texas, was named the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year after running for 597 yards with six touchdowns on 83 carries in five games. He was named to the All-Pac-12 second team. Jordan was the first Utah first freshman to have three consecutive 100-yard rushing games since 1995.

Coach Kyle Whittingham expressed grief through a statement.

“Words cannot express the devastation and heartache that our team is feeling right now upon learning of the tragic death of our teammate and brother, Ty Jordan,” Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham said in a statement. “Ty’s personality and smile were infectious and he made a huge impact on our program in the short time he was with us. He leaves an indelible mark on each of us and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. From the bottom of our hearts, all of us in the Utah Football Family want to say we love you Ty and may you rest in peace.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ_6gX6H-F4

Jordan starred on the field and on the track at West Mesquite HS. He had 13 games with at least 100 yards rushing, finishing his career with 2,589 rushing yards and 35 total touchdowns. He was also named Co-District 7-5A Offensive Player of the Year as a senior.

 

Utah football coach retained but salary, status cut because of racist text

Utes defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley admitted that he had “made a terrible mistake.” It will cost him future salary and status.

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

The University of Utah has reinstated its football team’s defensive coordinator, Morgan Scalley, following an investigation into a racial slur he used in a text to a recruit in 2013.

Scalley, who was suspended from the team for a month, admitted using the slur, and in a statement admitted that he used the word and had “made a terrible mistake.” He added, “It was offensive and hurtful to not only the African-American community, but to all.

“I am also heartbroken over the potential breach of trust with my fellow coaches, and with the young men in our program, both past and present,” he said at the time. “I am truly sorry, and I own up to the hurtful effects of my choice.”

Utah Athletics Director Mark Harlan made the decision official Wednesday.

“We have thoroughly evaluated all of the information available to us to determine the most appropriate conclusion and path forward,” Harlan and Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said in a letter. “The racist language used by coach Scalley is inexcusable and harmful to all, particularly to those communities identified in the report.”

As a result of the investigation, Utah will keep Scalley, but will cut his salary in half (scheduled to be $1.1 million this season) in addition to rescinding his head coach-in-waiting status.

Before this, Scalley was viewed as the heir apparent to Whittingham’s head coaching job when he retires, was named a 2019 Broyles Award finalist after leading the Utes to a No. 2 national ranking in total defense last season.

 

 

Utah star, New York Giants’ first-round pick Lee Grosscup dead at 83

Lee Grosscup, who finished 10th in the Heisman voting in 1957, died at the age of 83.

Lee Grosscup went from the University of Utah to become the 10th overall pick in the 1959 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. The quarterback who finished 10th in the Heisman voting in 1957 died Monday.

John Herrera, a long-time senior executive for the Raiders and a close friend, said Grosscup, who became a radio announcer for Cal, died at Bay View Rehabilitation Center in Alameda (Ca) while recuperating from hip surgery.

“I talked to him yesterday [Sunday], and he was fired up about coming home on Monday [June 8],” Herrera said.

Grosscup, a Santa Monica, Calif. native, began his college career at the University of Washington in 1955. After transferring to Santa Monica College in 1956, Grosscup played the 1957 and 1958 seasons at Utah.

In 1957, Grossman finished 10th in Heisman Trophy voting after completing 69% of his passes for 1,398 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Grosscup played in three games over his first three years with the Giants. His contract was purchased by the Minnesota Vikings but was cut. He had stints in the AFL and the Canadian Football League before retiring and joining the broadcasting side of the game.

He started four games for the New York Titans — now the Jets — in 1962 and won one, throwing for 855 yards with eight TD passes and eight picks.

Grosscup got his first broadcasting assignment in 1966, working AFL games for NBC. A year later, he began a 21-season run calling college football for ABC, working with announcers like Keith Jackson and Al Michaels.

He became an announcer for Cal in 1986 as an analyst. Grosscup worked on the Golden Bears’ postgame show after the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl.