Utah Utes center center Koli Faaiu plans to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

The Utah Utes are making the move from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 in 2024 and plan on bringing their imposing, hard-nosed style of play to the conference. Unfortunately, when it comes to the battle inside the trenches, they will be waging that war without one of their starters from the 2023 season, center Koli Faaiu.

According to ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel, Faaiu Plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal. The junior center started in eight of Utah’s 13 games last season.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

Faaiu played high school football at North Creek High School in Bothell, WA. He would be listed as a three-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class with a grade of 84, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Hayes was the nation’s No. 954 recruit, ranked 50 among interior offensive linemen, and was the No. 13-best player to come out of the state of Washington in his class.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Utah’s 2024 outlook

With Utah heading to the Big 12, the Utes should anticipate having a target on their back, given their success in the Pac-12 over the past few seasons. All things considered, Utah finishing the 2023 campaign with an 8-5 record was a bit of a down year for them. In the two seasons prior, the Utes eclipsed the ten-win mark and were winners of the Pac-12 title, beating Oregon in 2021 and USC in 2022.

A large part of Utah’s struggles last season were due to the fact that star quarterback Cam Rising needed extra time to recover from his season-ending injury from last year. With Rising out, Utah struggled on offense for much of the season, trying to find some rhythm and stability.

With the Utes super senior quarterback set to reclaim his starting role in 2024, his return could catapult the program into being contenders for the Big 12 conference title in their inaugural season. And not just that; should Rising and Utah reclaim their form from seasons prior, they’ll likely be a showing for this season’s College Football Playoff field, which expands to 12 teams this year.