Utah Football Elects Captains, Leadership Council For 2023 Season
Aug 16, 2023, 10:35 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah football announced their team captains and leadership council for the 2023 season nearly two-weeks out from hosting Florida at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Starting quarterback Cam Rising and tight end Brant Kuithe got the nod for captains on the offensive side of the ball while safety Cole Bishop and linebacker Karene Reid earned the honors on the defensive side.
Those four also comprise Utah’s leadership council along with offensive lineman Keaton Bills and Sataoa Laumea, running back Ja’Quinden Jackson, receiver Devaughn Vele, defensive linemen Junior Tafuna and Connor O’Toole, defensive back Sioni Vaki and linebacker Lander Barton.
Presenting our Captains & Leadership Council 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Ifa6jdV4R3
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) August 16, 2023
Utah Football’s Leadership Culture
Utah football’s captains and 12-member leadership council are voted on by the team and have for years helped make decisions regarding the Utes from uniform combos for games all the way up to input on how to handle disciplinary situations.
Rising is entering his third straight year as a team captain after taking over the QB1 spot three games into the 2021 football season. Kuithe has been with Utah football since 2018 and has been an integral part of the offense’s recent rise.
Both Rising and Kuithe are coming off of ACL injuries that have fans on edge as to whether they will be starting when the Utes host the Gators in two weeks.
Bishop and Reid are in their first years as team captains and have traveled different paths to get there. Bishop is coming off his first (and ironically) only trip to Pac-12 Media Day just a few weeks ago, while Reid has climbed the ladder from being a walk-on in 2021 to a scholarship athlete.
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on X, Instagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports
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