Utah Football 2020 End Of Season Awards
Dec 27, 2020, 3:49 PM | Updated: 7:28 pm
Ty Jordan #22 of the Utah Utes rushes for a touchdown while being chased by Justus Rogers #37, Hunter Escorcia #31, and Armani Marsh #8 of the Washington State Cougars during their game December 19, 2020 at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Despite playing just five games this season, many Utah football players made great plays and had a great season.
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The Utes ended the season with a 3-2 record and finished with a three-game winning streak.
The Crimson Corner handed out seven awards from this season, three on offense, three on defense and one on special teams.
Utah Offensive MVP, Freshman & Breakout Performer
Running back Ty Jordan won the Offensive MVP, Freshman of the Year and the Offensive Breakout Performer of the Year. It was very easy to pick the offensive awards this season. This is a little more painful for fans because Jordan passed away from an apparent accidental gun shot wound in Texas on Christmas night.
The future was so bright for Jordan as he worked his way through a four running back rotation coming out of training camp and became the lead back after the Utes’ second game of the season.
The Mesquite, Texas native ran the ball 83 times for 597 yards and 6 touchdowns, averaging 7.2 yards per carry and 119.4 yards per game. He also caught 11 passes for 126 yards.
Jordan was named a Crimson Corner standout performer two times and was listed among the top 5 standout performers by the Crimson Corner in all but the Oregon State game this season. The Crimson Corner started the three standout performer graphics after the Oregon State game. He was also named Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, second team All-Pac-12 and the Associated Press Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year.
He will be missed.
Third #CrimsonCorner standout in Utah's big win over Colorado.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ty Jordan (@_ylfotyt)
The true freshman racked up back-to-back 100+ yard performances.#GoUtes @kslsports pic.twitter.com/yvD2I14Tem
— Trevor Allen (@TrevorASports) December 12, 2020
Utes Defensive MVP
Devin Lloyd lived up to the expectations this season as the leader of Utah’s defense and earned the Crimson Corner Utah Defensive MVP award. He led the Utes with 48 tackles, also had a team-high 10 tackles for loss to go with his two sacks, one quarterback hit and a forced fumble.
The star linebacker was a force every single week. He was named first team All-Pac-12 and was apart of the three Crimson Corner standout performers once against Oregon State.
Now the big decision is whether or not Lloyd will return for his “super junior” year or go to the NFL.
Day after each @Utah_Football game, the #CrimsonCorner will name the top three performers. Here is No. 1 from Saturday's win.
⭐️LB Devin Lloyd (@DevinLloyd_)#GoUtes @kslsports
📸: @utahathletics pic.twitter.com/mdIttwB93J
— Trevor Allen (@TrevorASports) December 6, 2020
Utah Defensive Freshman Of The Year
The highest rated recruit in Utah football history Clark Phillips III lived up to the hype in his first season with the Utes. The four-star stud cornerback had 25 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, one fumble recovery and kept Utah’s pick-six streak alive with a house call in the final three minutes of the season finale against Washington State.
Entering that game, Utah went 16 consecutive seasons with at least one interception returned for a touchdown. Phillips made it 17 seasons with a pick-six in the finale. Phillips was named a top three standout once and was listed among the top 5 weekly standouts by the Crimson Corner in four games in 2020.
The five games that Phillips started in this season, playing either outside corner or nickel, will be huge moving forward as he prepares for a full Pac-12 football season in 2021.
How about the freshman on his birthday!?!?
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Clark Phillips III (@ClarkPhillips21)
CPIII has a bright future at Utah.#GoUtes #CrimsonCorner @kslsports
📸: @utahathletics pic.twitter.com/XJgQIqs1vI
— Trevor Allen (@TrevorASports) December 20, 2020
Utes Defensive Breakout Performer
Nephi Sewell made the move from safety in 2019 to linebacker in 2020 and it was a tremendous move. Sewell was named the Crimson Corner Defensive Breakout Performer of the Year. He recorded the second most tackles on the team with 40, along with 6 tackles for loss, 2 pass breakups, two interceptions, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. Sewell returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the season opener against USC.
The junior was listed on the top five standout performers twice, while also being named All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention.
The second #CrimsonCorner standout for Utah.
⭐️⭐️ Nephi Sewell (@jungleboii02)
The Utah LB filled up the stat sheet in the win over Colorado.#GoUtes @kslsports pic.twitter.com/Zj3ARGconO
— Trevor Allen (@TrevorASports) December 12, 2020
Utah Special Teams Co-MVP’s
Both Jadon Redding and Britain Covey were named first team All-Pac-12 for their special teams duties and they are the Crimson Corner Special Teams Co-MVP’s of the 2020 season.
Redding made all 8 of his field goals (2-2 from 20-29, 3-3 from 30-39 and 3-3 from 40-49). He also made 17 extra points. The sophomore is one of five kickers in the country to make all of their field goal attempts and is one of two kickers to make all of his field goals and extra points, joining Alabama’s Will Reichard.
In four games this season, Covey had 129 punt return yards and 113 kick return years. He returned a punt for a touchdown against Oregon State.
Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.
