Utah’s Initial Availability Report For The BYU Rivalry Game

SALT LAKE CITY — Rivalry week is here, and all eyes will be on Provo, as Utah prepares to take on BYU. That’s why the conference-mandated availability report—usually a sidebar—feels more vital than ever this week.

Three days before kickoff, teams must submit their player-availability lists, giving fans and media a first glimpse at who might or might not suit up.

Coach Kyle Whittingham addressed the topic in his Monday presser: “We came out the Arizona State game pretty healthy.”

Utah avoided any major setbacks, so healthy seems to be trending positively. As rivalries go, depth matters — and the ripple effect of even small injuries can tilt matchups in key areas.

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Utah’s Availability Report vs. BYU

The opening availability list for Saturday’s contest at LaVell Edwards Stadium reveals a pretty healthy report.

• Out: S Rabbit Evans, S Nate Ritchie, WR Daidren Zipperer, TE Hunter Andrews, DE Paul Fitzgerald, S Josh Sovereign, OL Isaiah Garcia

No Utah player appears on the “doubtful” or “questionable” list yet.

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One sub-story: Nate Ritchie, who was carted off during the West Virginia game, is officially ruled out for this matchup. Whittingham previously confirmed that while the injury is serious, it’s not season-ending.

Utah utilized Jackson Bennee, freshman Nate Tilmon, and cornerback Jermiah Caldwell to solidify depth at safety.

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BYU’s Availability Picture

The Cougars are pretty healthy but dealing with some attrition. Their initial report lists five players out, with another doubtful. Here is a rundown of BYU’s report:

• Out: WR Jojo Phillips, S Tommy Prassas, RB Sione Moa, CB Marcus McKenzie, LB Choe Bryant-Strother

• Doubtful: S Raider Damuni

• Probable: DT Anisi Purcell

After leaving the West Virginia game with an upper body injury, BYU linebacker Jack Kelly missed the Arizona game this past weekend. He is no longer included on the report, and all indications are that he will play.

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Raider Damuni suffered an injury against Arizona. The current expectation is that he is unlikely to play, barring drastic improvement. Damuni has been an impact defender for the Cougars this season alongside Tanner Wall and Faletau Satuala.

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

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