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Utah football loses a star defensive player for the rest of the season

John Henry Daley has been Utah’s sack leader.

Utah defensive end John Henry Daley, left, sacks Wyoming quarterback Kaden Anderson, right, during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in Laramie, Wyo. (AP Photo/Matthew Idler)

Utah defensive end John Henry Daley exited the Utes’ contest versus Kansas State after suffering what appeared to be a noncontact injury in the first quarter on Saturday afternoon.

On Monday, Kyle Whittingham confirmed the star pass rusher will be out for the season with a lower-leg injury.

“John Henry Daley is long term and unfortunately it’s a season-ending injury,” Whittingham said. “We feel bad for him. He was having a monster game.

“... It’s just tough to see that happened to John Henry. That’s why I say it all the time — that’s the worst part of college football is all the injuries and seeing these guys go down.”

Daley was running in the open field when he suffered the injury and grabbed his left leg. The star pass rusher was then helped off the field by a pair of Utah defenders, unable to put weight on his left leg.

The Alpine native was later helped off the field and into the locker room. In the second half, the defensive lineman was seen wearing a walking boot.

Daley ended his day with two sacks and four tackles. With his season over, he’ll finish 2025 with 11.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss.