The biggest Utah Utes football problem appears to be at running back

The Utah Utes football team is busy prepping for its first game of the 2024 season. They just found out that they’re starting their first campaign in the Big 12 ranked No. 12 in the AP Preseason Poll.

Cam Rising is back for what seems like his 17th season in Salt Lake City. Kyle Whittingham has the best Utah quarterback at his disposal in quite some time. Excitement is high on campus. But there some questions about this team.

Right at the top of the list of those questions is, “who will be the featured back for the Utah Utes football team?” It appears that the answer isn’t coming anytime soon. Whittingham told the assembled media earlier this week that he’s not closer to choosing an RB1 than he was this spring.

Utah Utes football still on the lookout for starting running back

Whittingham said no one has emerged as the starter. Though there are some groups of backs that are competing for the job. Some backs who are the front runners and another are more of the “long shot” variety.

 Micah Bernard, Jaylon Glover, and Mike Mitchell are reportedly among the guys getting near the pole position for the starting job. Hunter Andrews, Charlie Vincent, and Dijon Stanley.

Among that first group, Glover had the most yards in 2023. He ran for 562 yards and 2 touchdowns. He averaged 4.1 yards per game and was the Utah’s second-leading rusher last season.

The most intriguing name in that group is Mike Mitchell. The former 3-star running back out of Middleburg, Florida didn’t have a carry last year. But it looks like he’s fighting his way into playing time in 2024.

Utah Utes football doesn't have long to figure it out

The good news is that Whittingham’s squad has a warmup game against Southern Utah to try and figure out who is going to be the featured back. The bad news is that their second game of the season comes against the Baylor Bears.

The Big 12 is coming fast and the Utah Utes football team better be ready. At running back, they aren’t anywhere near there just yet. Hopefully that changes soon.