Utah
‘I love it here’: Cornerback Don Saunders knew he couldn’t rebuff Utah a second time
It’s been a winding road for cornerback Don Saunders to get to Utah, but he feels like he ended up in the right place.
Saunders, who transferred to Utah from Texas A&M this offseason, didn’t begin to play football until his senior year of high school, but was quick to pick up the sport, both mentally and physically, helping Cathedral Catholic High to a state championship in his lone high school season. FCS school Cal Poly was so impressed by his one year in San Diego that it offered him a scholarship, allowing him to further his education at a good school and progress in his football development as well.
“I had great coaches … They all took a chance on me and they never gave up on me, even though there was days where I was hard on myself and they picked me up when I was down,” Saunders said.
There were definitely some growing pains, especially since Saunders was still relatively new to the sport compared to his teammates, but thanks in part to his hard work and to the development of Cal Poly’s coaches, he blossomed in San Luis Obispo.
“It was really a family environment and I love being here. The guys embraced me, the coaches embraced me, faculty, staff, everybody.”
— Utah cornerback Don Saunders
In his second year at Cal Poly, 2023, Saunders led the team in interceptions, picking off opposing quarterbacks three times, and also had 11 pass breakups, earning Second Team All-Big Sky honors.
“Cal Poly was great to me. I had a lot of great coaches, a lot of great teammates, and it was a place where I had to grow a lot,” Saunders said.
“I had a lot of growing to do coming out of high school, only playing my senior year of high school, so just took it with a grain of salt and got better every day for the two years that I was there. And they made me better. It made me the player who I am today.”
After his success at Cal Poly, Saunders had a number of offers when he entered the transfer portal following the 2023 season — TCU, Washington, Texas A&M, and yes, Utah.
Saunders chose Texas A&M, setting off to Aggieland, but didn’t enjoy instant success. Sitting behind cornerbacks like Dezz Ricks, Brian Mayes and Jaydon Hill, Saunders’ playing time was limited. He played just 33 snaps across two games, in 2024, and when the time came for him to enter the transfer portal again, he remembered the impression Utah had made on him the first time.
“The first cycle was really what stood out to me. I came here, they embraced me, they loved me, and when it was the second time around, I couldn’t mess it up,” Saunders said.
There was a mutual need — Saunders needed a new team with more hopes of playing time, and Utah needed more cornerbacks after starter Zemaiah Vaughn graduated and promising freshman Cam Calhoun transferred to Alabama.
“It was really a family environment and I love being here. The guys embraced me, the coaches embraced me, faculty, staff, everybody. And I love it here,” Saunders said.
The Utes hit the transfer portal, picking up not just Saunders but UC Davis’s Blake Cotton and Garden City’s Jeremiah Caldwell, hoping to find someone that could be a starter alongside Smith Snowden and Scooby Davis at the position.
The common thread among all of the new additions is length. Saunders is 6-foot-4, Cotton is 6-foot-2 and Caldwell is 6-foot-3.
“It’s fun to have some longer corners. Not as fast as we’ve always been, but savvy … I love the length. They create problems at the line of scrimmage and man coverage. They’re disruptive in zone, they’re dropping in the correct areas and it’s just like playing basketball,” Utah cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah said.
“When you have a lot of long folks on the court, it’s hard to pass the ball, take certain angles on layups to the board. Same with respect to when you have a valuable asset, having long corners.
While the competition will extend into the fall, both Saunders and Cotton have stood out as capable. The two players have both had extensive run at the position and have both made plays in practice.
“Scooby Davis seems to have a really good hold on one of the outside spots. Smith Snowden’s got the nickel spot locked in right now, and so the battle is really for that corner opposite Scooby,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “And right now I’d say Blake Cotton is doing some good things as is Don Saunders.”
That competition is bringing out the best in both players — and the cornerbacks room as a whole.
“We got a lot of dogs. Everybody’s hungry and we got a pack of wolves, you feel me? This is a great group. And we come out here every day, we pray for each other, we battle hard, and it’s become the brotherhood,” Saunders said.
UTAH COUNTY, Utah — It’s one of many places in Utah’s great outdoors that inspires and leaves us in awe. But between its rocky cliffs and the crowds it attracts, Bridal Veil Falls can become dangerous, too.
Just this week, two search and rescue operations have been executed there.
With the sunny days and familiar sounds of summer upon us this Memorial Day weekend, that means adventure awaits for many.
Changes proposed by the Utah County Government
FOX 13 News
“To just be surrounded by mountains and outdoor recreation is just amazing,” said Nolan Belnap, who lives in Lindon.
School is out locally and with Monday off, places like Bridal Veil Falls become a magnet for visitors from around the country.
“Las Vegas, New York, she has family from Louisiana,” said Michael Desio, who visited the falls with his wife Patricia Friday evening.
As bikers, walkers and even strollers take to the Provo River Trail, this popular spot gets bottlenecked.
A narrow, makeshift bridge spans the base of the falls and causes congestion issues – county leaders have noticed.
“Our biggest problem is the conflict between bikers and walkers, especially at the base of the falls,” said Utah County Commissioner Skyler Beltran.
So, Commissioner Beltran says they’re seeking more local control through a land swap with the U.S. Forest Service that could allow them to make safety improvements.
“We proposed moving the bikers onto a bridge to the other side closer to the freeway,” Commission Beltran said.
He says that would make the closer viewing area pedestrian-only, while letting bicycle traffic go around and safely re-enter the pathway downriver.
Many also take the risk of climbing or going up user trails. Even locals like Patricia Desio from American Fork can’t help looking for the perfect angle for a photo.
“I don’t have my best hiking shoes but I wanted to get close to get a good shot,” she said.
So the changes may not just be limited to the base of the falls. Commissioner Beltran says they’re also looking at improvements for those visitors who are feeling a bit more adventurous.
“People get stuck and fall and have injuries there, so part of our plan is to make it more of an official trail,” said Commissioner Beltran, noting it would take visitors up to a viewing area at the middle of the falls.
The Desio’s say it would give them more comfort, as the ideas offer a chance to see something they’ve admired for years – closer and safer.
“We definitely like hiking so we would love to do something like that,” Michael said.
“I think it’s beautiful, it never gets old,” Patricia added.
Commissioner Beltran says there’s no current timeline for these improvements. They’re hopeful they could get to work as soon as this summer, but he notes it all hinges on the land deal.
The Farmington native made program history after advancing as an individual in the NCAA regionals.
(Stephen Brashear | AP) Utah’s Braxton Watts is pictured during an NCAA golf tournament on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in Seattle.
The Captain is headed to California.
Ute golfer Braxton Watts is set to represent the University of Utah in the 2025 men’s NCAA Championships this week in Carlsbad, Calif.
With his berth this season, the Farmington native is now the fourth Utah golfer in program history to compete as an individual in the NCAA Championships three times. Utah alums Dustin Pimm, Kyler Dunkle and Tristan Mandur are the only others to achieve the feat.
The Utes fell short in their Bremerton, Wash., regional last week. But Watts’ first-place finish at Gold Mountain Golf Course earned him a spot in the championships.
“This team has a lot of heart, and they don’t know how to quit,” Utah golf head coach Garrett Clegg said. “We gave it everything to try to advance [as a team] but we just couldn’t get it done. I’m so happy for Braxton. He played incredible golf this week and it’s great that he will finish his season at the NCAA championships. It’s really incredible what the team did during this season, they’re truly a special group.”
Watts, also known as “The Captain,” debuted in the NCAA Championships during the 2022 season while the Utes placed fifth at the Norman regional. Last season, following Utah’s fourth-place finish in the Austin regional, Watts advanced again to the championship round for the second time in his career.
Despite the Utes not making the cut last season, Watts continued on to the fourth round in the championships and finished tied for 27th on the individual leaderboard.
This year, the Ute senior had to tally the best score of any non-individual in the 2025 NCAA regionals to advance to the championships.
He went even on day one of the event. On the second day, he stormed back with a 6-under 67 to keep the Utes within a pair of strokes of fifth place. Watts’ dominance continued the next day. He opened his final round with back-to-back birdies. On the back nine, the senior played bogey-free golf and added four more birdies to climb into first place.
Heading into the championships, Watts ranks as the fifth-seeded individual golfer of the tournament, where he’ll be grouped with the other five golfers who posted the best individual score at their respective regionals and have a non-advancing team.
How to watch
Dates: May 23-28
Where: Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
Watch: Golf Channel (May 26-28)
Live Scoring: Scoreboard
Team seeding (NCAA ranking)
1. Auburn (1)
2. Oklahoma State (2)
3. Ole Miss (3)
4. Texas (4)
5. Arizona State (5)
6. Oklahoma (6)
7. Florida (7)
8. Florida State (9)
9. Virginia (10)
10. Texas A&M (11)
11. Illinois (12)
12. UCLA (14)
13. Vanderbilt (16)
14. BYU (19)
15. South Carolina (20)
16. Pepperdine (21)
17. Georgia (22)
18. Tennessee (23)
19. Texas Tech (24)
20. Georgia Tech (26)
21. South Florida (27)
22. Colorado (29)
23. UNLV (31)
24. Purdue (36)
25. San Diego (39)
26. Wake Forest (40)
27. New Mexico (42)
28. Troy (46)
29. California (49)
30. Augusta (93)
Individual seeding
1. Jacob Modleski, Notre Dame
2. Hunter Thomson, Michigan
3. Bryan Kim, Duke
4. Claes Borregaard, Kennesaw State
5. Braxton Watts, Utah
6. Sakke Siltal, Texas State
The Utah Jazz have four selections, 5, 21, 43, and 53, in the June 25th NBA Draft. Because of this, they’ll be able to cast a wide net of players that they could select to add to their team next season.
That has led to an exciting and busy time for fans as we wade through the waters and search for who the team could select. Next up on our list is Liam McNeeley, the forward from Connecticut who could surprisingly be available at 21.
Stats: 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.2 blocks, 38.1% FG, 31.7% 3P, 86.6% FT
Draft Range: Middle to late first round
A year ago, I pleaded for the Jazz to go up and get a different UConn Husky in Stephon Castle. 12 months later, the Jazz could have a different player from Dan Hurley’s team fall right into their laps with their second pick in the first round.
McNeeley is a big wing standing at 6’8 and 215 pounds. Your opinion of him likely comes down to how you view his shot. Billed as an elite shooter, McNeeley shot under 32% from deep on the year despite his reputation. On top of that, his athletic limitations led to struggles within the arc as well.
I do believe in McNeeley as a shooter. His form is picturesque, he has a quick release, he shot nearly 87% from the charity stripe, and his reputation as a knock-down shooter all give me confidence in him becoming a spacing weapon at the next level.
While the shot is the main draw to McNeeley, he’s more than just a shooter. He’s a smart passer with the upside to operate as a high feel connector or secondary playmaker as he develops. While I don’t see him turning into a high-usage guy, he’s intelligent and makes winning plays for his team offensively.
McNeeley is also a solid rebounder for a wing. Because of his above-average rebounding and size, I wonder if McNeeley will be at his best as a floor-spacing power forward at the next level. Some of the higher-end outcomes I can see for McNeeley would be Nets forward Cam Johnson and former Jazzman Bojan Bogdanovic.
Both Johnson and Bogdanovic make their money as floor spacers. They’re the same height as McNeeley, have similar athletic limitations, and are not heralded for their defense.
Speaking of defense, I wouldn’t say it’s a strength for McNeeley. His steal and block numbers in college were startlingly low. He doesn’t possess the foot speed to stay in front of drivers, and, while he is tall, his 6’8 wingspan isn’t impacting many plays.
Overall, if McNeeley is available at 21, he could certainly be in play for the Jazz. A projectable shooter, McNeeley will need to become more reliable and consistent from deep, but NBA guards should manufacture easier looks for him. If he does enough elsewhere, he could carve out a long NBA career.
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