Brant Kuithe took a deep breath while a throng of media members huddled around him.
“Whoa, you guys are close,” he said, as the evening sun beat down on him.
It’s been a while since Kuithe has been at the center of the action.
But now the Utes redshirt senior tight end is entering a season 100% healthy for the first time since 2022. Kuithe was sidelined for nearly two years after he suffered an ACL and meniscus tear on Sept. 24, 2022, against Arizona State. Entering the 2023 season, Kuithe faced another setback when he developed a cyclops lesion on his then-repaired ligament, according to a former coach, which severely limited his mobility and required another knee scope.
Behind the scenes Kuithe anxiously struggled to get back on the field last season, working through his rehab and waiting for a moment when team doctors could clear him. That chance never came, and he had to watch his teammates compete from the sideline.
That’s why, when he took hits, caught passes and felt his cleats dig into the turf at the start of fall camp, Kuithe felt a sense of relief. Seemingly, the only surprise was the amount of media attention he received while backed against a cement wall adjacent to Utah’s practice field.
Things are starting to feel normal for him now, though.
“I learned a lot mentally and was able to finally get back physically,” Kuithe said. “The best part was kind of regaining the love of football again and the sense of eagerness to kind of get back out there, to make cuts, get hit, and kind of tough things out and just say, ‘Hey, I’m back. This is normal again.’”
Kuithe now enters the 2024 season ready to pick up where he left off in 2021, when he finished with a career-high 50 receptions, 611 receiving yards and six touchdown catches.
Brant Kuithe’s setback
In March, several weeks into Utah’s spring camp, Kuithe’s former Cinco Ranch High School head coach Don Clayton paid a visit to his former tight end while on a ski trip to the Wasatch Front.
While Clayton toured the facilities, he spoke to Kuithe about his rehab and excitement for the 2024 season. Kuithe’s old coach also learned the struggles that the tight end went through during the 2023 season. Clayton recently underwent a knee replacement, so the pair discussed their procedures and comebacks from each of their injuries.
It became very clear, Clayton said, that Kuithe is ready to go.
(Meg Oliphant | Special to The Tribune) Brant Kuithe of the Utah Utes participates in warmups before the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Rose Bowl Stadium on Jan. 2, 2023 in Pasadena, Calif.
“He’s very anxious for this year to unfold, believe me,” Clayton told The Salt Lake Tribune. “I don’t even think he lets it get in his mind that something could happen, right? I think he’s beyond that. That’s great. The power of his mind is very strong.
“That’s the kind of player he is. He’s an impact player, no doubt.”
Clayton has watched Kuithe throughout his career with the Utes. He sat in the stands when the tight end dragged Oregon defenders in Rice-Eccles Stadium for five receptions and 118 receiving yards in 2021. In that game, the Utes routed the then No. 3 Ducks 38-7, a precursor to the 2021 Pac-12 Championship win over Oregon later in the season.
According to Clayton, Kuithe was on track to play in 2023 but, once he started making significant progress with his rehab, he started dealing with discomfort with his knee. Ultimately, Kuithe then discovered he had the lesion in his knee, which set him back another 8-10 weeks from returning to Utah’s lineup.
Tight end’s NFL dreams
Kuithe’s decision to return to the Utes was rooted in his chances to land as a high pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. As the redshirt senior tight end surveyed his options and potential draft status, it became clear that he didn’t have enough tape to render a good enough selection.
So, he decided to join Utah seventh-year quarterback Cam Rising, who also missed the 2023 season due to a gruesome knee injury, for a last hurrah in the Utes’ first season in the Big 12.
“He could have come back last season,” Clayton said. “He’s got a desire to play the next level, no doubt about that, right? I do think he realized that he couldn’t get enough good videos to get the look and the confidence in people that ‘Hey, I’m ready to go to the next level,’ so I think that was a big part of it right there.”
Like Kuithe, Rising also had setbacks from the knee injury he suffered in the Rose Bowl vs. Penn State two years ago. The Utes seventh-year quarterback rehabbed alongside Kuithe last season after undergoing surgery from the same surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who’s worked on numerous NFL superstars.
Rising and Kuithe watched as Utah’s offense struggled under former backup quarterbacks Bryson Barnes and Nate Johnson, who have both since transferred elsewhere. Last season the Utes ranked second to last in the Pac-12 for total offense, scoring 23.2 points per game. Returning the Utah offense to its former standard and making the 12-team College Football Playoff is Kuithe and Rising’s ultimate goal.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Cameron Rising (7) and Devaughn Vele (17) celebrate a game-winning two-point conversion against USC, Oct. 15, 2022. Rising and Vele, along with tight end Brant Kuithe, announced they are returning for another season at Utah.
“They look at it as if they’re the old hands,” Clayton said. “Last year wasn’t a standard that they set here, it was below the standards that they’ve been accustomed to. … But I believe both of them have that mindset that they’re going to trust each other because they’ve been through all this.
“If Cam is looking for a receiver, it’s going to be Brant, and if Brant sees Cam in trouble, he’s going to find a way to be an outlet for him. I think that’s how they probably approach it. It’s not spoken, but I think that mutual respect they have for one another, and what they both mean to the team, means a lot.”
Looking toward Utah’s season-opener against Southern Utah, injuries should be a thing of the past for the Katy, Texas, native. He won’t shy away from any hits and his intensity won’t waver. That is the kind of mentality he hopes will carry over into success for the Utes and, ultimately, a good enough shot to land as an NFL draft pick.
On Monday, Kuithe, who was a three-time All-Pac 12 honoree, landed a nod for a preseason All-American honorable mention from the College Football Network. With both Kuithe and Rising back in the saddle, Utah believes the sky’s the limit ahead of its first season in the Big 12.
“I can kind of go out there and just run with my eyes closed and catch the ball,” Kuithe said. “It’s great. Just being able to be out there with (Cam) again, It’s just exciting.
“I have to take advantage of it.”