Spring Ball Preview: Utah Football’s Cornerback Room

Mar 18, 2025, 12:26 PM | Updated: 12:28 pm

Utah Insider

SALT LAKE CITY—Utah football’s spring ball starts in a couple of days, so we continue our position group preview with Sharrieff Shah’s cornerback group.

These five weeks of spring camp will allow Kyle Whittingham’s staff to integrate all the newcomers into Utah football’s culture.

The cornerback position is one of many storylines, with some established contributors but multiple roles up for grabs. Utah aims to fortify its defensive secondary in preparation for the upcoming season.

Utah’s Cornerback Room

Departures: Zemaiah Vaughn, Cameron Calhoun

Returners: Smith Snowden, Elijah “Scooby” Davis, Quimari Shemwell, Sammie Hunter, LaTristan Thompsoh

Newcomers: Donovan Saunders, Blake Cotton, Jeremiah Caldwell, Jason Stokes

Utah’s cornerback unit features a blend of established contributors, new arrivals, and developing talent. This combination presents both opportunity and uncertainty heading into the 2025 season. Spring camp will be essential in determining which players can rise to the challenge.

Smith Snowden taking the steps towards “elite”

Smith Snowden returns to Utah after a breakout 2024 season in which he showcased elite potential. Snowden’s fluid movement, disciplined footwork, and instinctive play allowed him to excel in one-on-one coverage. His ability to mirror receivers and break on passes quickly elevated him as a top defender in Utah’s secondary.

With more than a year of starter experience under his belt, Snowden will now be faced with the task of becoming a truly elite corner. Going from average to good is one thing, but going from good to elite is a totally different challenge.

To make that sort of leap, every little detail matters. Snowden has been ahead of the curve thanks to the training he’s received growing up. Now it’s a matter of fine-tuning the tiniest aspects of his game to elevate himself to that elite level, and the most encouraging thing about his potential is that Snowden has great work ethic and mindset to get there.

If Snowden can take that next step, Utah will have a dynamtie playmaker capable of matching up with elite receivers across the Big 12.

Transfer additions all have tremendous opportunity

To address roster turnover, Utah tapped into the transfer portal and brought in three key additions to bolster the cornerback room. With veteran depth gone, the team will rely on these newcomers to step up alongside Snowden and Elijah “Scooby” Davis.

At 6-foot-4, 187 pounds, Donovan Saunders has a tantalizing mix of physical and athletic qualities. Utah is well-known for cornerbacks of similar stature going back to Sean Smith, so this staff knows how to get the most out of him. After minimal playing time at Texas A&M this past season, Saunders is hoping to get back on the promising trajectory he was on prior to his transfer there.

Blake Cotton isn’t as big but at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, he’s not too far off either. Cotton comes to Utah with extensive playing experience at UC Davis. His adjustment to this level will be key but Cotton has a lot of promise. Cotton is a disruptive presence in the secondary that limited opponents to sub-50% completion percentage while in coverage.

Jeremiah Caldwell arrives with experience playing both safety and cornerback, giving him added versatility in Utah’s defensive schemes. At 6-foot-3, 172 pounds, he rounds out the trio of additions that significantly bolsters the size of the group.

For one of these players to emerge as a starter or rotational piece, they must quickly adapt to the defensive system and demonstrate consistency during spring camp. While Davis provides experience as a reliable option, Utah’s defense will be far more secure if one of these transfers asserts themselves as a dependable starting option this spring. One last name of interest is Armon Bean, who previously played at Mississippi State and Snow College, and perhaps could surprise this spring.

Utah’s intriguing youthful potential

Behind the experienced upperclassmen and transfer additions, Utah’s young cornerbacks provide intriguing upside. While they remain developmental players, spring practices will offer these young defenders the opportunity to show they can contribute in 2025.

Proving themselves capable of handling situational defensive assignments would be a major boost to Utah’s depth at the position. Even if their impact remains limited in 2025, establishing a foundation in spring camp will be key to their long-term growth.

With Quimari Shemwell, Nasir Stephens, Isaiah Brown, Sammie Hunter, LaTristan Thompson, and Jason Stokes as sophomore or freshmen, getting progress out of this group will really round out the depth here.

Shemwell played in 12 games this past season, mostly on special teams, and seems equipped to make the leap necessary to crack the rotation next fall. Spring practices will be vital towards achieving that.

Keys for the cornerback room

The development of Utah’s cornerback room is one of the most important storylines entering spring camp. Snowden’s path to becoming an elite-level defender will be pivotal, while the emergence of a reliable second starter—be it Davis or a transfer—will significantly impact Utah’s defensive stability.

With starting spots and depth roles yet to be defined, the group’s performance this spring will be critical to Utah’s defensive success.

Meanwhile, strides from Shemwell and other young corners would enhance the depth of the unit and provide optimism for the future. With so many roles yet to be determined, the cornerback room’s progress will be closely monitored throughout spring practices.

When does Utah football’s spring ball begin?

The Utes will open spring camp on Thursday, March 20, and the 22 Forever Game will cap spring practices on Saturday, April 19.

Utah has already gotten back to work in its offseason regimen. Whittingham and his staff will lead players through 15 practices over five weeks. Utah will split its time between the Spence and Cleone Eccles Football Center and Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Utah’s annual spring game on April 19 in Rice-Eccles Stadium will once again benefit the 22 Forever Memorial Scholarship, which honors the memories of Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe.

Each season, the scholarship is represented by a student-athlete in the football program who exemplifies the inspiring qualities that Ty and Aaron demonstrated. Tickets are available for purchase, and all proceeds go to the 22 Forever Memorial Scholarship.