We’re now 87 days away from kickoff and today we take a look at a raw but enormously talented athlete, tight end Thomas Yassmin. A native of South Wales, Australia, Yassmin was initially a standout rugby player, so despite being three years into the Utes program, he’s still relatively new to football.
Thanks to the one year eligibility exception for all D-1 athletes, Yassmin will be a sophomore in 2021, awarding him yet another year to get his feet under him. Right now, he’s a clear no. 4 option on the depth chart, but tight end is arguably Utah’s most stacked position.
Led by All-America candidate Brant Kuithe, tight ends will be used frequently in 2021. Therefore, a golden opportunity could await Yassmin at one point in the season.
UteNation take
Although it was talked about much in the spring, the tight end position was hit with some nagging injuries. Come fall camp though, none are expected to be lingering worries. For the last two years we’ve heard that the game is beginning to click for Yassmin, although we have yet to see results. He played in all five games—four of those seeing snaps on offense— in 2020 with 0 catches.
The 6-foot-5 and 252 pound athletic freak is behind three juniors, so playing time will not be easy to come by. The most likely way Yassmin’s name is called during meaningful minutes in 2021 is if injuries occur or the staff finally hits the point of a position switch to get his athleticism on the field.
Despite this reality, word is that Yassmin has made great strides in the offseason. The position is just that deep.
Alex remembers Yassmin’s recruitment
Lewis Powell and Morgan Scalley did what Utah coaches do best, scout talent that other teams might not pay full attention to. This time, it was a little more unique as Yassmin was a high school rugby player who had never played football. Despite never playing football, numerous P5 teams entered the picture after his Utah offer went public. UCLA was one to offer him soon after his Utes visit and even sent him an NLI. They nearly had him convinced to wait a week and trip there, but the Utah staff did a great job closing the deal.