Utah football head coach Kyle Whittingham has announced that senior LB Levani Damuni suffered a significant lower leg injury during spring practice.
According to Whittingham, it is likely that Damuni will miss a considerable portion of the upcoming 2024 season due to this injury. This news comes amidst the team’s progress in spring training and raises concerns about Damuni’s availability for the upcoming season.
The Utah football team has completed 10 practices as part of their spring schedule, and overall, the Utes have been fortunate in terms of injuries. Quarterback Cam Rising and tight end Brant Kuithe, who missed the entire 2023 season due to injuries, are still working on shaking off the rust.
However, there is one exception to the positive health report. Senior linebacker Levani Damuni suffered a lower leg injury that Coach Kyle Whittingham believes will likely keep him out for a significant portion of the upcoming 2024 season. Whittingham acknowledged that there have been other players who have missed chunks of practices or undergone surgeries, but expressed hope that these ailments won’t impact the team when fall arrives.
Damuni, a Utah native who transferred from Stanford in 2023, played in every game last season and started in seven. He led the team with 87 tackles.
On a brighter note, Cam Rising has been present for all of Utah’s spring practices. Whittingham described seeing him on the field as “surreal” and noted that he brings swagger to the offense—a quality they were lacking last year. Rising has looked mobile and smooth during practices thus far, and he stated last month that he feels close to being fully healthy.
Whittingham highlighted Rising’s improved arm strength as one of his notable improvements this spring but emphasized that he has polished up his overall game throughout the ten practices.
Rising himself confirmed that his arm feels really good this spring after putting in work since his knee injury last year. He focused on improving his rotation and planting abilities to ensure optimal performance.
During Tuesday’s practice session witnessed by the media, freshman running back Mike Mitchell and senior linebacker Josh Calvert had an altercation after a red zone sequence—an incident Whittingham said would have resulted in an ejection if it were a real game. However, Whittingham viewed it as a positive display of competitiveness for the Utes as long as they learn from it without letting it get out of hand.
Rising also welcomed this level of intensity during practice sessions near the goal line when players are running at full speed, emphasizing how it fosters competitiveness.”