Utah Utes Football: RB Room Discussion

Highlighting the RB room for the Utah Utes football team in 2024.

Utah Utes RB Depth Chart

Micah Bernard

Micah Bernard was a 3⭐️ in the composites with an overall rating of 84.77 for On3. He is 6’0”, and 201 pounds. Bernard was part of the 2019 Utah Utes football recruiting class.

Micah Bernard redshirted in 2019. In 2020, he saw limited action and was more of a depth piece. In 2021, Bernard played in all 14 games. He started five games at running back and one game at cornerback. He would rush for 523 yards on 87 carries and 2 touchdowns while adding 26 catches for 251 yards and an additional 2 touchdowns.

In 2022, Bernard was the 1B in the rotation and rushed for 533 yards on 106 carries with 4 touchdowns. He caught 34 passes for 314 yards and a touchdowns and saw action as a returner. In 2023, he was named the starter but missed the season due to injury.

Bernard has one year of eligibility left. He recently returned in their bowl game loss to Northwestern, so he should be ready to go for spring camp in 2024. Cam Rising with Bernard as the lead back will be fun to watch in 2024.

Jaylon Glover

Jaylon Glover was a 3⭐️ in the composites with an overall rating of 88.32 for On3. He is 5”8” and weighs 205 pounds. Glover was part of 2022 Utah Utes football recruiting class.

Glover saw action as a True Freshman in 2022. He played in nine games and was a starter in two of them, rushing for 360 yards on 78 carries with 4 touchdowns.

In 2023, Glover sat third on the depth chart. But due to injuries at the position, he played in all 12 games and rushed for 513 yards on 121 carries and added 2 touchdowns. Glover projects to be in a battle for the 1B in this backfield for 2024.

Jaylon Glover has two years of eligibility remaining. He’s been efficient every time he touches the ball, and he’s a bowling ball on the field. It should be an interesting clash between him and our next running back.

Anthony Woods

Anthony Woods was a 3⭐️ in the composites with an overall rating of 89.30 for On3. He is 5’10” and weighs 175 pounds. Anthony Woods was part of 2022 Utah Utes football recruiting class and initially committed to Idaho before transferring to Utah for the upcoming 2024 season.

Woods saw immediate action as a True Freshman with Idaho. He gained 872 yards on 154 carries and added 3 touchdowns. This past season he rushed for 1,131 yards on 207 carries and added 16 touchdowns and added 15 receptions.

Woods now moves up to the Power 4, and we always to have to take that into consideration. We’ve seen players who have made a similar move, have a hard time finding the same kind of success. We’ll have to see how Woods handles the step up in competition. Woods will have two years of eligibility remaining.

John Randle Jr

John Randle Jr was a 3⭐️ in the composites with an overall rating of 90.00 for On3. He is 6’0” and weighs 176 pounds. John Randle was part of 2022 Utah Utes football recruiting class.

John Randle attended Heights High in Kansas. As a Senior,  Randle ran for 1,227 yards on 118 carries with 15 touchdowns. He was also a track athlete. 

As a True Freshman, Randle saw action in one game for the Utes in 2023. He has four years of eligibility left and will need to add an additional 10-15lbs to be able to withstand the punishment at the position.

John Randle projects as another year away from making a big impact due to his frame and build, but if he can put on that weight, he is someone I would love to see get some playing time. Randle is an electric runner and very toolsy as a runner. 185lbs is the threshold we want to see when they report for spring camp.

Michael Mitchell

Michael Mitchell was a 3⭐️ in the composites with an overall rating of 88.57 for On3. He is 6’0” and weighs 202 pounds. Mitchell was part of 2023 Utah Utes football recruiting class.

Michael Mitchell attended Middleburg High in Florida. He  finished his high school career with 2,002 rushing yards on 240 carries with 22 touchdowns and saw action as a returner. Mitchell was a dual sport athlete, competing in track and field as well. Mitchell did not see any action in 2023.

Michael Mitchell has four years of eligibility remaining. With Mitchell’s background and build, he is someone that could be special if he can find his footing within the program. He brings good size and speed to the position. If he can gain the coaching staff’s trust and carve out a small role, he might be a name to watch for 2025.

Dijon Stanley

Dijon Stanley was a 4⭐️ in the composites with an overall rating of 89.30 for On3. He is 6’0” and weighs 170 pounds. Stanley was part of 2023 recruiting class.

Dijon Stanley attended Granada Hills High. As a Senior, he ran for 2,7,56 yards on 234 carries with 33 touchdowns. Stanley saw immediate action as a True Freshman. He appeared in nine games and helped contribute on special teams as a returner, and saw some action in the backfield due to the injuries that piled up. Stanley will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Charlie Vincent

Charlie Vincent was an unranked prospect and walked onto Utah. He is 5’10” and weighs 200 pounds. Vincent was part of the 2019 class.

Charlie Vincent has primarily been a special teams player, who made a start in each of the past two seasons. He has one year of eligibility remaining. Vincent is one of those blue collar glue players that you need on any team.

Hunter Andrews

Hunter Andrews was a 3⭐️ in the composites with an overall rating of 88.21 for On3. He is 6’2” and weighs 215 pounds. Andrews is part of the incoming 2024 recruiting class.

Hunter Andrews attended Magnolia High in Texas. In his final season as a Senior, he rushed for 1,244 yards on 137 carries with 5 touchdowns. He added an additional 15 receptions for 128 yards and 3 touchdowns.

As a True Freshman, he won’t be expected to contribute much. This will allow him to get acquainted with the strength and conditioning program and start to get noticed in 2025 and 2026.

Running Back Battle

Micah Bernard should be the lead back for the Utah Utes this season. He is fully healthy and ready to go for 2024. The intriguing battle will be who takes over the 1B role to spell Bernard.

Jaylon Glover has been the RB3 the past two seasons, and has shown his worth when called upon. He’s a homegrown talent and has every right to that role at the start of spring ball. The only person in his way is newcomer Anthony Woods, the Idaho transfer.

Anytime a running back rushes for over 1,100 yards, it is noteworthy. Yes, Woods is stepping up in competition, but with his NIL valuation being over six figures, you have to think he will be in line to compete and have a chance to take that job by the end of fall camp. That’s the battle to watch and see how it unfolds. Personally, I want to see how Woods does against better competition. We’ve seen in the past that these ‘transfer up’ running backs often will have mixed results. For now, I’ll have Glover as the leader in the 1B role but don’t count out Woods.

The fourth spot in the rotation will come down to the young players and who takes the next step. John Randle Jr came in a little light-framed, and hasn’t put on the necessary weight. Hopefully by spring camp, we’ll see him pushing 185 pounds. The talent is there, but he needs to bulk up to be a consistent contributor.

Michael Mitchell was a redshirt this past season and has a very good High School career. It will be interesting to see how he develops in year two – and if he can make waves on the depth chart.

The True Freshman, Hunter Andrews, likely won’t see much playing time in 2024, but will be a name to monitor in 2025.

Overall, the battle for the 1B spot and the 4th spot between the two Redshirt Freshmen will be interesting to watch. Utah has a young group coming back and someone needs to step up.

Positional Outlook

This is perhaps my favorite position on the entire Utes team. We know Utah has never had a surplus of strength at the wide receiver, and they usually target a dual threat quarterback. The running back position is where we find gems for this team.

Jaylon Glover is the obvious ‘next man up’, but I really want to see how Anthony Woods does at his new home. I also want to see if John Randle Jr can add the necessary weight to have a small role this year to set himself up for a bigger 2025 season. We love to see young players develop and grow. The spring camp will be fun to watch as the running backs are the position to watch for this team.