As the University of Utah Football program begins spring practices today, new faces will be donning a Utah uniform for the first time in both the quarterback and running back rooms, bringing a combination of talented youth and vast Power Five experience. Add in Utah’s already strong returners at those positions and the Utes are primed to have another strong season on the offensive side of the ball.
SPRING RUNNING BACK ROSTER
| 2 | Micah Bernard | R-Fr. | 5-11 | 200 | Long Beach, Calif. (Gahr HS) |
| 0 | Chris Curry | So. | 5-11 | 216 | Fort Myers, Fla. (LSU) |
| 39 | Joe Ludwig | Jr. | 6-1 | 230 | Poway, Calif. (Iowa) |
| 5 | TJ Pledger | Jr. | 5-9 | 193 | Pacoima, Calif. (OU) |
| 48 | Aaron Tapusoa | Sr. | 5-8 | 219 | Laie, Hawaii (Snow College) |
| 27 | Elvis Vakapuna | Fr. | 5-7 | 205 | Kahuku, Hawaii (Kahuku HS) |
| 24 | Charlie Vincent | R-Fr. | 5-10 | 195 | Salt Lake City, Utah (East HS) |
| 34 | Braedon Wissler | Fr. | 5-6 | 180 | South Jordan, Utah (Bingham HS) |
SPRING QUARTERBACK ROSTER
| 16 | Bryson Barnes | Fr. | 6-1 | 196 | Milford, Utah (Milford HS) |
| 12 | Charlie Brewer | Sr. | 6-1 | 210 | Austin, Texas (Baylor) |
| 8 | Peter Costelli | Fr. | 6-1 | 223 | Redondo Beach, Calif. (Mission Viejo HS) |
| 3 | Ja'Quinden Jackson | Fr. | 6-2 | 232 | Dallas, Texas (Texas) |
| 9 | Cooper Justice | Fr. | 6-6 | 235 | Tigard, Ore. (Lakeridge HS) |
| 7 | Cameron Rising | So. | 6-2 | 220 | Ventura, Calif. (Texas) |
RETURNING UTES
Redshirt freshman Micah Bernard is Utah’s only returning running back that saw action for the Utes in 2020, but Utah fans got to see glimpses of his versatility as a strong back that can also play in the slot with his solid hands.
For the quarterbacks, Cameron Rising won the starting job in 2020 after a standout fall camp, but suffered a season-ending injury in Utah’s season opener against USC. He was the No. 8 pro-style quarterback in the nation out of high school, earning a four-star rating.
NEWCOMER NOTES
Utah got hot on the recruiting trail this offseason, adding four Power Five transfers to the quarterback and running back rooms. Between quarterback Charlie Brewer (Baylor) and running backs Chris Curry (LSU) and TJ Pledger (Oklahoma), the trio has brought in 101 career games of Power Five football experience with Ja’Quinden Jackson out of Texas bringing his four-star rating with him to Salt Lake City this season.
QUICK HITS ON UTAH’S RB/QB SPRING DEPTH CHART
12 :: Charlie Brewer :: Quarterback :: 6-1, 210, Sr. :: Austin, Texas (Baylor)
Played in 44 career games at Baylor from 2017-20, starting 39 … ranks in the top-five at Baylor in career completions, completion percentage, passing yards, touchdown passes and passing efficiency … second player in Baylor history to go over 10,000 yards of total offense in a career … Big 12 Co-Offensive Freshman of the Year and Earl Campbell Trophy Award Winner in 2017 … 25 career 200-yard passing games, 10 300-yard games and two 400-yard games … three-star recruit out of Lake Travis HS as a two-time all-state selection.
8 :: Peter Costelli :: Quarterback :: 6-3, 223, Fr. :: Redondo Beach, Calif. (Mission Viejo HS)
Earned a four-star rating out of high school at Mission Viejo HS … rated the No. 10 dual quarterback in the country … Under Armour All-American and South Coast League Offensive Player of the Year as a junior … 1,992 passing yards (136-of-248) with 23 touchdowns as a junior, adding four rushing scores … played his sophom*ore season at Santa Margarita HS, earning second-team all-league … 2,292 passing yards and 20 touchdowns at Santa Margarita.
2 :: Micah Bernard :: Running Back :: 5-11, 200, R-Fr. :: Long Beach, Calif. (Gahr HS)
Played in all five games in 2020 … 20 carries for 76 yards (5.1 ypc), also grabbing four receptions for 25 yards (6.2 ypc) … career-high 26 rushing yards on three carries against Oregon State … redshirted in 2019, playing in four games … Area Offensive Player of the Year out of Gahr HS … two-time all-area as a versatile player … 716 rushing yards (9 TD) and 606 receiving yards (6 TD) as a senior in 2018 … 2,411 rushing yards (27 TD) with 10 100-yard games in 2017.
0 :: Chris Curry :: Running Back :: 5-11, 216, So. :: Fort Myers, Fla. (LSU)
Played in 27 games at LSU from 2018-20, starting in five … part of the College Football Championship winning LSU team in 2019 … 91 career carries for 336 yards … career-high 90 rushing yards on 16 carries (5.6 ypc) against Oklahoma in 2019 which included a career-long 20-yard rush … career-high 17 carries against Florida in 2020 … rated the No. 9 running back nationally coming out of Lehigh HS as a four-star recruit … 2,984 yards on 364 carries and 28 touchdowns in high school.
5 :: TJ Pledger :: Running Back :: 5-9, 193, Jr. :: Pacoima, Calif. (Oklahoma)
Played in 30 career games at the University of Oklahoma from 2018-20, starting five … 135 career carries for 695 yards (5.1 ypc) with six touchdowns at OU … earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week with his career-high 131 rushing yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns against Texas in 2020 … career-best 22 carries in back-to-back 100-yard rushing games in 2020 against Texas and TCU, racking up 122 against TCU … four-star recruit out of IMG Academy, rated the No. 5 running back nationally out of high school.
