Van Fillinger was ready for his 2023 football season at the University of Utah to end after just three games.

The four-star recruit from Corner Canyon High School broke his lower tibia in 2022. And as he returned to the field in the fall of 2023, Fillinger — a Utah football player from 2020-24 — said his ankle was still “just destroyed.”

“I went to the doctor again, and he said I should be out for at least six weeks, fully rested,” Fillinger recalled.

His position coach, Fillinger said, agreed to let him redshirt, preserving a season of eligibility while he recovered.

Three weeks later, Utah edge rusher Logan Fano went down with an ACL tear. Fillinger, a defensive end, said his position coach approached him again.

“Coach [Lewis Powell] came into rehab one day and he said, ‘Hey, Van, coach [Kyle] Whittingham is not going to let you redshirt,’” Fillinger said. “I’m thinking, ‘What the hell? I’ve already been out three games.’”

Fillinger said he then asked what would happen if he didn’t comply. “He said that I’ll be kicked off the team if I don’t play,” Fillinger said.

Fillinger believed he had no other choice but to suit up.

The Salt Lake Tribune spoke with six former Utah players about how the Utes handled injuries between 2020-24. They described similar concerns about how their injuries were diagnosed and said they felt pressured by coaches to return before they were ready.

In those five years, the Utes won two Pac-12 championships, resulting in back-to-back Rose Bowl appearances.

In a joint statement to The Tribune, Utah Athletics and University of Utah Health said the health and well-being of student-athletes is a “top priority” and that return-to-play decisions are made through a collaborative process between physicians, athletic trainers and the student-athlete.

“The University of Utah Department of Athletics follows all University and national guidelines to ensure student success and safety,” the statement said. “We routinely evaluate our processes and welcome the opportunity to make adjustments if we determine our policies are not meeting expectations.

“If any student-athlete believes they are not being treated fairly, or that their injuries are not being taken seriously, we encourage them to speak up so that we can listen, address concerns, and ensure every student-athlete receives the care and support they deserve.”

The Tribune reached out to Whittingham through a University of Michigan spokesperson. The spokesperson referred questions about his time at Utah to the Utes’ training and medical staff.

“Coach Whittingham or his coaching staff did not make medical decisions [at Utah]. He followed the lead of the medical team,” the Michigan spokesperson said.

When asked to comment, Utah head coach Morgan Scalley referred The Tribune to the athletic department’s statements.

‘I wanted to do my best to get back’

Fillinger said he first injured his right leg in 2022, during a practice ahead of Utah’s game against Washington State.

He recalled feeling his ankle “snap” and said he was initially diagnosed with a sprain.

“I tried to walk off the field, and I couldn’t, and I’ve sprained my ankle a million times,” he said. “I’ve never not been able to walk afterward before. Two of my teammates had to help me off the field.”

Fillinger wore a protective boot through the rest of the week, taking what he called “mental reps” to prepare for the game. “We still hadn’t gotten an X-ray or anything. I wasn’t able to sleep because the pain was so bad,” Fillinger said.

He ultimately got the X-ray at the end of the week, he said. It revealed a fractured tibia, ending his season.

“It felt like they were handling it pretty lackadaisically. I should have gotten an X-ray that night because of the pain that I was in,” he said.

In a statement to The Tribune, Utah Health said imaging, such as X-rays and MRIs, is ordered by the team physicians based on student-athletes’ “presenting clinical findings.”

Utah Health added that requested imaging is typically performed unless there is a specific reason that it is not recommended.

Former Utah receiver Mycah Pittman described a similar experience after injuring his ankle in fall camp in 2024.

“My ankle got caught under the defender, and then they rushed me to the doctors because of the way it looked,” Pittman said.

Pittman said a team doctor took an X-ray and diagnosed him with an ankle sprain.

“I didn’t get an MRI,” he said. “They took me to the team doctor, and he looked at my swelling and just told me I had a lateral sprain.

“I wanted to do my best to get back as fast as possible.”

More than a month later, when his ankle didn’t improve, Pittman said he sought an evaluation from an outside ankle specialist at his father’s urging. An MRI found a partially torn Achilles and a high ankle sprain, Pittman said.

His father, Michael Pittman, a former NFL receiver, questioned the Utah medical staff’s process.

“I don’t think they handled it the best way possible for my son to have the best outcome,” he said. “I feel that they did what they thought was better for the team’s outcome instead of my son’s long-term health.”

Another former Utah player, who played with the team from 2019-24, said he also questioned how his injuries were handled.

The Tribune granted the player anonymity because he said he feared retaliation.

The player said he repeatedly asked for an MRI for what he called a “nagging” foot injury.

“I was telling the trainers something’s wrong, like this is not supposed to happen,” he said. “I couldn’t run. It hurt to walk and to cut. It hurts to do everything. Nothing was being done about it.”

Weeks later, he said he hurt his right knee and was told the pain stemmed from a tight iliotibial band — a thick strap of connective tissue running from the hip to the knee. An MRI eventually revealed a partially torn meniscus, the player said.

The player said his experiences with the medical staff contributed to his decision to enter the transfer portal after the season.

He ultimately returned to Utah because he said concerns about his injured foot impacted his opportunities elsewhere.

“I couldn’t leave because of my injuries that weren’t taken care of,” the player said. “I loved Utah. It was great to come back and whatnot, but I’m just like, that’s actually f---ed.”

‘The pressure to play was definitely there’

Several former Utah players told The Tribune they believed the program’s culture encouraged athletes to return as quickly as possible, even when they didn’t feel physically ready.

While practicing on his injured leg, Pittman said he told coaches he couldn’t cut upfield or run certain routes, and that his pain was worsening.

After seeking to redshirt, Pittman said he met with Whittingham, who later confirmed to the media that Pittman had left the program.

“The pressure to play was definitely there,” Pittman said. “If you aren’t able to go, it is kind of frowned upon, obviously, because coaches want to win football games.

“That’s just kind of how it is there. It’s very old school. You’d have to be seriously injured before you miss a couple games.”

University of Utah Health said in a statement that team physicians, athletic trainers and student-athletes make final decisions on a player’s availability to participate in practice, workouts or competition.

Former running back Jaylon Glover described what he viewed as a disconnect between Utah’s coaching and medical staff.

“I feel like a lot of the times the training staff would be on one page, but the coaching staff was on another because it was all about, ‘We need him back.’”

Former tight end Miki Suguturaga said he suffered an ankle injury early in his career that he didn’t want to practice on.

“They had rehab deadlines to meet for injuries,” Suguturaga said. “Whatever deadline they put on you was what it was supposed to be. They were kind of unrealistic guidelines that they thought you should be back by, and if you’re not feeling right, they still just kind of pushed you to get back as soon as possible.”

Fillinger said he believes that’s what happened during the 2023 season.

In audio obtained by The Tribune from a Sept. 25, 2023, doctor appointment attended by Fillinger, his mother Janel Fillinger, and a Utah physician, the doctor discussed a recovery timeline of at least six weeks for his injured ankle. Less than three weeks later, Fillinger returned to the field.

A Utah Athletics spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on the audio recording.

Fillinger appeared in 11 games that season and finished with five sacks. Fillinger said playing through the injury cost him the chance to preserve a season of eligibility through a medical redshirt. He said he also faced delays getting a second ankle surgery.

“Not only did I play the rest of the season on this ankle that I still needed another surgery on, but I had to wait an extra two months after the season because of complications with the surgeon,” Fillinger said.

“I could have gotten the year back, and I could have gotten back to football faster if they just let me do what I thought was best for me initially.”

‘Kind of heartbreaking’

Tevita Fotu, a defensive lineman from 2021-24, arrived at Utah expecting “sunshine and rainbows.”

The Herriman native tore his left MCL during his redshirt freshman season with the Utes. Fotu said he was told by his position coach that “the head man” wanted him to “push through and figure out a way to practice.”

“They’d threaten to put someone else in front of me,” Fotu said. “They’d even threaten to take away my scholarship. It was kind of heartbreaking. I thought these guys would care about me.”

Fotu said similar conversations occurred in 2024 after he injured the MCL in his right knee. Although he said a doctor cleared him to miss several weeks, he recalled being told by his position coach that, “The head guy’s telling me we need you out there as soon as possible.”

“I was like, ‘I’m already signed off by the doctor to take a couple weeks off. I can’t just put on my shoulder pads and helmet and think God is gonna protect my body throughout this whole season,’” Fotu said.

When Fotu sat out practices, he said he was told he would not travel to Utah’s game against Houston unless he returned to the field.

He ultimately agreed to play, finishing the Houston game with five tackles.

Fotu said he had considered transferring following his junior season, but said coaches offered him NIL money to stay. Money, he said, he never saw.

“I’d yell at the coaches, saying, ‘Where’s my money at, man? You guys lied to me. You guys just brought me back just to be a practice dummy,’” Fotu said.

Through a spokesperson, Utah Athletics said it was unaware of Fotu’s claim and will look into the situation.

Robert Blechen, former general manager of Utah football, said that he never personally had an NIL meeting with Fotu.

The spokesperson added that the U. has a formal process for athletes to report concerns and routinely reviews policies to determine if changes are needed.

Looking back, Fotu said he wishes he’d trusted his own judgment.

“I think anybody would go out there and do anything if their job is on the line. … I should have really listened to myself. I really think things would be way different than what they are now.”