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The University of Utah Athletics
JaTravis Broughton and his Utah teammates celebrate after winning an instant classic over USC on Oct. 21, 2023.
Photo by: Hunter Dyke/Utah Athletics
The Journey for JT
11/24/2023 2:00 PM | Football
Looking at JaTravis Broughton’s road from Oklahoma high school champion, to Utah starting corner
It's not every season that you see an Oklahoma native donning the Utah Red on the turf of Rice-Eccles Stadium. Not unheard of, but it's also not a yearly occurrence.
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Nevertheless, there's plenty of Utes fans in Tulsa, Oklahoma—cornerback JaTravis Broughton has made sure of it in his hometown. And while Broughton was a state champion at Union High School in both football and track, his football recruiting process took longer than expected to gain steam.
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When the University of Utah came onto JT's radar, there was something that intrigued him about the Utes.
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Family.
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"The reason I chose Utah was because it was so family-based," Broughton said. "I also liked the scheme they ran. I have all positives to say about that process."
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A drive here from Tulsa starts by trekking North into Kansas, then following Interstate 70 into Denver. Head North again and jump on Interstate 80 when you enter Wyoming. Then, after several hours on I-80, you'll come down Parleys Canyon, get onto Foothill Drive for a few minutes and pull into Rice-Eccles Stadium.
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All told, it takes about 18 hours, over 1,200 miles and gives you roughly a 3,500-foot elevation gain.
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"We don't get a lot of kids out of Tulsa or out of Oklahoma," Utah cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah said this week. "That's a big jump for a young man to be mature enough to say 'this is what I like, here are the reasons why I like them, and I'm going to come.'
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Shah continued, "Talking to JaTravis, learning more about him and getting to know his family, you started to see a very complete picture that JaTravis could be a guy that could blossom in our program. He was cut from the right cloth."
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Acclimating from high school to college football is no small feat and takes time. But Broughton had a heck of a returning secondary to mentor him when he arrived for his first Fall camp in 2019.
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Jaylon Johnson was back from the 2018 Utah team that won the Pac-12 South. Terrell Burgess, Julian Blackmon, Tareke Lewis—all back. And each had something different to teach No. 4 as Broughton settled into life as a Ute—be it film study, ball skills or putting in extra work on the practice field.
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"They helped me become a technician, watching how hard they worked and how determined they were," Broughton said. "Cornerback is not an easy position to play. It's right behind quarterback to me (in terms of difficulty). Watching their work ethic, it put something in me. I knew I could be great, just like them."
Â
It didn't take long for that work ethic to show up in Broughton.
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Often in the Utah cornerbacks' room, there's some type of competition going on in the spirit of good fun. As Broughton's first Fall camp wound to a close, a new competition had started: which corner would make the first interception of the season?
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Fast forward to Week 3 against Idaho State. It was the fourth quarter and the visiting Bengals had the ball near midfield. A pass over the middle was tipped at the line of scrimmage. Broughton had a perfect read on it, and as the ball came down he sprinted forward to make his first career pick.
Â
The upperclassmen cornerbacks shook their heads that someone else had come out on top in the contest. But at the same time, they were overjoyed that a true freshman pulled it off.
Â
JaTravis Broughton had made his introduction. He appeared in all 14 games his true freshman season, mostly on special teams but with some time on defense. The Utes reached the Pac-12 Championship Game for a second straight year and later played in the Alamo Bowl.
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His role expanded in the pandemic-altered 2020 season, starting all five games and capping the year with Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention. He made 26 tackles, placing second in the Utah secondary.
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Looking to carry that momentum into 2021, Broughton made a pair of tackles and broke up a pass in the season opener vs. Weber State. A week later at BYU, he earned seven stops and had another PBU, but suffered an injury and missed the rest of the season.
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As the '21 season went on, the Utes were also continuing to mourn the tragic losses of teammates Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe.
Â
"I was devastated," said Broughton. "But it was bigger than me that season. It was important just being able to coach my brothers and help them on the sideline, help them win the Pac-12 Championship and make history."
Â
As is the case for many great athletes, the rehab process presented its share of challenges. Broughton stayed the course with the support of his teammates, coaches and family, making his return for the 2022 season opener at Florida.
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"It was a blessing being able to work back to what you know best," he said. "Having people depending on you and the team depending on you, it was a great feeling."
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Utah lost a heartbreaker to the Gators to begin 2022. But it didn't deter the team from winning a second straight Pac-12 Championship and returning to the Rose Bowl. This time, JaTravis Broughton was right in the middle of it all.
Â
He played in every game, making 11 starts along the way with 46 tackles. He made his first career sack in the win over Arizona and capped off the year with five stops in the Rose Bowl against Penn State.
Â
Everyone in the program—players, coaches, support staff—saw Broughton's perseverance pay off in returning to the field.
Â
"We watched him struggle, push, go through all the hundreds of hours of rehab," said Shah. "(It was rewarding) to see him excel again, tackle again, run the way he always envisioned he could. To use his arm and shoulder in a beneficial manner that allowed his team to be put in position to win the Pac-12 Championship. It was a storybook ending to a very difficult beginning that you dream of and pray for. And God gave it to him."
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Broughton has again been a go-to corner this season, alongside Zemaiah Vaughn and helping the Utes secure what will be their 10th straight winning season. In 10 starts, he has made 31 tackles—eight coming in front of a Rice-Eccles Stadium record crowd that watched Utah take down Florida in this year's opener.
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As his fifth season in the program winds down, he is in a similar position as Jaylon Johnson and crew were in when Broughton arrived on campus. It is now JT's turn to mentor the young guys; the likes of Smith Snowden, CJ Blocker and others, even fellow Oklahoman Jocelyn Malaska.
Â
Shah summed it up, "You are going to be held accountable for your 20 square feet in this program, so that someday, somebody else can stand on those 20 square feet with you. And I've seen JaTravis evolve in that manner."
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Nevertheless, there's plenty of Utes fans in Tulsa, Oklahoma—cornerback JaTravis Broughton has made sure of it in his hometown. And while Broughton was a state champion at Union High School in both football and track, his football recruiting process took longer than expected to gain steam.
Â
When the University of Utah came onto JT's radar, there was something that intrigued him about the Utes.
Â
Family.
Â
"The reason I chose Utah was because it was so family-based," Broughton said. "I also liked the scheme they ran. I have all positives to say about that process."
Â
A drive here from Tulsa starts by trekking North into Kansas, then following Interstate 70 into Denver. Head North again and jump on Interstate 80 when you enter Wyoming. Then, after several hours on I-80, you'll come down Parleys Canyon, get onto Foothill Drive for a few minutes and pull into Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Â
All told, it takes about 18 hours, over 1,200 miles and gives you roughly a 3,500-foot elevation gain.
Â
"We don't get a lot of kids out of Tulsa or out of Oklahoma," Utah cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah said this week. "That's a big jump for a young man to be mature enough to say 'this is what I like, here are the reasons why I like them, and I'm going to come.'
Â
Shah continued, "Talking to JaTravis, learning more about him and getting to know his family, you started to see a very complete picture that JaTravis could be a guy that could blossom in our program. He was cut from the right cloth."
Â
Â
Acclimating from high school to college football is no small feat and takes time. But Broughton had a heck of a returning secondary to mentor him when he arrived for his first Fall camp in 2019.
Â
Jaylon Johnson was back from the 2018 Utah team that won the Pac-12 South. Terrell Burgess, Julian Blackmon, Tareke Lewis—all back. And each had something different to teach No. 4 as Broughton settled into life as a Ute—be it film study, ball skills or putting in extra work on the practice field.
Â
"They helped me become a technician, watching how hard they worked and how determined they were," Broughton said. "Cornerback is not an easy position to play. It's right behind quarterback to me (in terms of difficulty). Watching their work ethic, it put something in me. I knew I could be great, just like them."
Â
It didn't take long for that work ethic to show up in Broughton.
Â
Often in the Utah cornerbacks' room, there's some type of competition going on in the spirit of good fun. As Broughton's first Fall camp wound to a close, a new competition had started: which corner would make the first interception of the season?
Â
Fast forward to Week 3 against Idaho State. It was the fourth quarter and the visiting Bengals had the ball near midfield. A pass over the middle was tipped at the line of scrimmage. Broughton had a perfect read on it, and as the ball came down he sprinted forward to make his first career pick.
Â
The upperclassmen cornerbacks shook their heads that someone else had come out on top in the contest. But at the same time, they were overjoyed that a true freshman pulled it off.
Â
JaTravis Broughton had made his introduction. He appeared in all 14 games his true freshman season, mostly on special teams but with some time on defense. The Utes reached the Pac-12 Championship Game for a second straight year and later played in the Alamo Bowl.
Â
His role expanded in the pandemic-altered 2020 season, starting all five games and capping the year with Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention. He made 26 tackles, placing second in the Utah secondary.
Â
Looking to carry that momentum into 2021, Broughton made a pair of tackles and broke up a pass in the season opener vs. Weber State. A week later at BYU, he earned seven stops and had another PBU, but suffered an injury and missed the rest of the season.
Â
As the '21 season went on, the Utes were also continuing to mourn the tragic losses of teammates Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe.
Â
"I was devastated," said Broughton. "But it was bigger than me that season. It was important just being able to coach my brothers and help them on the sideline, help them win the Pac-12 Championship and make history."
Â
As is the case for many great athletes, the rehab process presented its share of challenges. Broughton stayed the course with the support of his teammates, coaches and family, making his return for the 2022 season opener at Florida.
Â
"It was a blessing being able to work back to what you know best," he said. "Having people depending on you and the team depending on you, it was a great feeling."
Â
Â
Utah lost a heartbreaker to the Gators to begin 2022. But it didn't deter the team from winning a second straight Pac-12 Championship and returning to the Rose Bowl. This time, JaTravis Broughton was right in the middle of it all.
Â
He played in every game, making 11 starts along the way with 46 tackles. He made his first career sack in the win over Arizona and capped off the year with five stops in the Rose Bowl against Penn State.
Â
Everyone in the program—players, coaches, support staff—saw Broughton's perseverance pay off in returning to the field.
Â
"We watched him struggle, push, go through all the hundreds of hours of rehab," said Shah. "(It was rewarding) to see him excel again, tackle again, run the way he always envisioned he could. To use his arm and shoulder in a beneficial manner that allowed his team to be put in position to win the Pac-12 Championship. It was a storybook ending to a very difficult beginning that you dream of and pray for. And God gave it to him."
Â
Â
Broughton has again been a go-to corner this season, alongside Zemaiah Vaughn and helping the Utes secure what will be their 10th straight winning season. In 10 starts, he has made 31 tackles—eight coming in front of a Rice-Eccles Stadium record crowd that watched Utah take down Florida in this year's opener.
Â
As his fifth season in the program winds down, he is in a similar position as Jaylon Johnson and crew were in when Broughton arrived on campus. It is now JT's turn to mentor the young guys; the likes of Smith Snowden, CJ Blocker and others, even fellow Oklahoman Jocelyn Malaska.
Â
Shah summed it up, "You are going to be held accountable for your 20 square feet in this program, so that someday, somebody else can stand on those 20 square feet with you. And I've seen JaTravis evolve in that manner."
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Players Mentioned
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