Herriman • To get himself ready for games, Jaren Kump often finds himself watching videos of one of his favorite linemen: Garett Bolles, the Denver Broncos’ powerful rookie left tackle.
“I look up to him a lot,” Kump said.
Last weekend, however, Kump was simply eye to eye with Bolles as he chatted with the former Utes star during an official campus visit.
Bolles’ success is part of the reason Kump, a senior at Herriman and a standout offensive tackle himself, announced last weekend his decision to commit to play at the University of Utah.
“It’s taken a lot of discussion and prayer,” he said. “I just love the feeling up there. I love [Utah offensive line coach Jim Harding]. They just sent four linemen to the NFL. That’s impressive.”
Kump previously had committed to BYU in the summer of 2016, but he later reopened his recruitment.
“It was so hard. I grew up a diehard BYU fan,” he said.
Over the past 18 months, however, Kump had gravitated toward the U.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Herriman's David Fotu at practice Wednesday October 11, 2017. Fotu and Jaren Kump both have committed to the University of Utah's football program.
And after making his announcement on Twitter, the senior was surprised to see Tevita (David) Fotu, his Herriman teammate who also previously had committed to BYU, announce his own plan to play at Utah.
“I didn’t know he was going to do that this weekend,” Kump said. “… But it will be great to have a guy up there that I’m already close with.”
Now that the senior has made up his mind about where he will play next, Kump is free to shift his focus back to where he plays now.
“A state championship. That’s our goal,” he said this week after an evening of practice to prepare for an upcoming rivalry matchup with Riverton, which Herriman won 21-9. “We talk about it every day.”
After starting the season slowly, losing its first four games of the year, Herriman has started to turn around things. The Mustangs won four of their next five games, only narrowly losing to powerhouse East, to close the regular season.
They abandoned a pistol look on offense and went back under center, looking to run over opponents. That’s certainly easier to do with a line that features Kump (the 11th best prospect in the state this year, according to Scout.com) and guard Karter Shaw (No. 26 in the state) on an offensive line that also gets some help with Fotu blocking from the tight end spot.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Herriman's Jaren Kump at practice Wednesday October 11, 2017. Kump and David Fotu both have committed to the University of Utah's football program.
“Jaren is a freak of nature,” center Braxton Pearce said.
Kump knows there are parts of his game he still must sharpen as he prepares for the next level. And Mustangs coach Dustin Pearce believes the tackle will be able to add plenty of weight to his 6-foot-5 frame.
“He’s a lean 270 now,” coach Pearce said. “He’ll end up playing at probably 300 or 310 [pounds] and not have any fat on him. It’s freakish.”
The Herriman coach also credited Kump with maturing as a player this season as his understanding of the game grows.
“Jaren is just one of the most hyper, jittery guys I’ve ever met,” coach Pearce said. “You have to tell Jaren to settle down; he’s just a bounce-around happy dude.”
And after last weekend, Kump and the Utes certainly have something to be happy about.
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