2024 Spring Preview: Secondary

Utah Utes vs. Colorado Buffaloes at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, UT on Saturday, November 25, 2023.
Keller Nienau/Utah Athletics

Photo by: Keller Nienau/Utah Athletics

2/23/2024 12:30 PM | Football

The days continue to count down toward the 2024 season for the Utah Football program as the Utes inch closer and closer to August 29, when the Utes host Southern Utah inside Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Spring practice will begin in March, and UtahUtes.com continues to break down the roster at each position. Next up is the secondary, which will head into 2024 with a blend of veteran experience and newcomers who will battle to earn time on the field.

SPRING CORNERBACK ROSTER
CJ Blocker (6-0, 175, Fr. | Houston, Texas)
Cameron Calhoun (6-0, 173, R-Fr. | Cincinnati, Ohio)*
Elijah Davis (6-1, 175, R-So. | Winter Haven, Fla.)
Nick Howe (5-11, 176, So. | North Salt Lake, Utah)
Sammie Hunter (5-11, 178, Fr. | Rock Hill, S.C.)*
Kenan Johnson (6-0, 180, Sr. | Minneola, Fla.)*
Tao Johnson (6-1, 192, R-So. | Idaho Falls, Idaho)
Quimari Shemwell (5-11, 160, Fr. | Los Angeles, Calif.)*
Smith Snowden (5-10, 180, So. | Lehi, Utah)
LaTristan "Money" Thompson (5-10, 170, Fr. | Mount Pleasant, Texas)
Xane Uipi (6-0, 182, Fr. | Millcreek, Utah)
Zemaiah Vaughn (6-2, 185, Sr. | Beaumont, Texas)
*Notes 2024 Newcomer

SPRING SAFETY ROSTER
Briton Allen (6-0, 190, Sr. | Orlando, Fla.)
Jackson Bennee (6-2, 175, Fr. | Holladay, Utah)*
Jeilani Davis (6-1, 190, Fr. | Inglewood, Calif.)*
Ben Durham (6-0, 200, Fr. | Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)
Rabbit Evans (6-1, 192, Jr. | Jacksonville, Fla.)*
Alaka'i Gilman (5-10, 194, Sr. | Laie, Hawaii)*
Johnathan Hall (6-0, 217, So. | Katy, Texas)
Brock Nowatzke (6-0, 199, R-Fr. | Santa Clara, Utah)
Nate Ritchie (6-2, 205, So. | Cedar Hills, Utah)
*Notes 2024 Newcomer

RETURNING UTES
The Utes will be replacing both of their starting safeties as All-Americans Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki elected to pursue the NFL following the 2023 regular season.

Johnathan Hall and Nate Ritchie stepped into the starting safety spots for the Las Vegas Bowl, with Ritchie earning three starts last year among his 12 total games played. Briton Allen rounds out the returning game experience at safety after seeing time both on defense and special teams last year.

Former walk-on turned Pac-12 All-Conference cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn is back for his senior season, defending a team-leading seven passes (6 PBU, 1 INT) last year. He finished 2023 on a high note with a 5.7-tackle average during the final four games. Vaughn owns 44 games played in his previous four seasons, including 24 starts.

Converted wide receiver Tao Johnson transitioned to nickel back ahead of the 2023 season, going on to play in all 13 games with 12 starts. He earned 7.0 third-down stops in his first season on defense and ranked second on the team with five pass breakups.

Smith Snowden earned time in 11 games as a freshman in '23, after the Utah native arrived on campus as a four-star recruit out of Skyridge HS. Elijah Davis also brings back experience to the cornerback room with 15 total games played as a Ute.

NEWCOMER NOTES
Utah added a pair of Power Conference transfer corners to Sharrieff Shah's position group in Cameron Calhoun (Michigan) and Kenan Johnson (Georgia Tech). Johnson arrives in Salt Lake City after spending 2019-23 in the ACC at Georgia Tech, while Calhoun was with the Wolverines for his true freshman season in 2023. Both were three-star recruits out of high school.

Fellow three-stars and true freshmen Sammie Hunter and Quimari Shemwell bring additional depth to the room and are primed to battle for time. Hunter starred at Chandler HS in Arizona, where he was listed as the No. 19 player in the state and anchored the state's No. 2-ranked secondary.

At safety, the Utes welcome a Pac-12 All-Conference pick in Stanford transfer Alaka'i Gilman. He appeared in 32 games with the Cardinal (13 starts) from 2020-23, capped off with 50 tackles, one interception and three pass breakups in his final season. Gilman was a four-star recruit out of Punahou School in Hawaii.

Also arriving on campus is true freshman Jeilani Davis and junior Rabbit Evans. Davis was ranked by SBLive as one of the nation's top-20 high school defensive backs in 2023, while Evans looks to make an impact as the No. 6 JUCO safety a year ago as ranked by 247Sports.

FOLLOW UTAH FOOTBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
To get an inside look at the Utah Football program during its journey through the 2024 season, follow the Utes on social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok) along with visiting www.UtahUtes.com.

UTAH 360 APP
Fans can download the Utah 360 App, powered by the Crimson Collective, for inside access, game highlights, exclusive player interviews and more. The app is free on the App Store or Google Play with all content available on your desktop as well at utah.ftwin360.com.