Without being critical of junior cornerback Jaylon Johnson’s choice to skip the Alamo Bowl and prepare for the NFL draft, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham appreciates how all of the team’s healthy seniors intend to play against Texas on New Year’s Eve in San Antonio.
The Utes’ falling below the New Year’s Six level by losing to Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game created the possibility that multiple players would follow a college football trend by shutting down their Utah careers. All-Pac-12 safety Julian Blackmon has been ruled out with a knee injury; otherwise, all of the seniors will play.