Devaughn Vele believes Utah has the 'same juice' to repeat as Pac-12 Champions

After a breakout 2021 season, wide receiver Devaughn Vele is hoping to take his game to the next level and feels Utah has the 'same juice' to repeat as Pac-12 Champions.

Sophomore wide receiver Devaughn Vele is increasingly making his mark on this Utah team which is beginning to lean heavily on its younger talent moving into the 2022 season. Last year, Vele made 23 receptions for 389 yards and one touchdown during the 2021 season. Making seven starts and seeing action in all 14 games, Vele feels that he’s settling into the team and starting to make a name for himself.

“I think it was big strides for me, putting my name out there and just making the plays I needed to make, be a contributor to the team,” Vele said, “I think it was my first time actually really getting comfortable out on the field, getting comfortable with my play style and especially with the offense. It's different just practicing and running the plays every day. It's another thing playing under the lights on Saturday. I think it was a big stepping stone for me to progress as a player and progress as a contributor to the team.”

As a freshman, Vele was part of the team that played in the 2019 Pac-12 Championship but to no avail. However, with a shift in team mentality and with a point to prove going into the 2021 championship game, the hard work finally paid off.

“Losing [the 2019 Pac-12 Championship] was definitely a hard thing to swallow. I could tell the vibe of the team was definitely kind of down, and it was just one of those things that I thought to myself, you know, we got to finish the mission… we've been there. Now, all we have to do is finish it…. Last year was definitely the time we all were talking about it since the preseason… we really believe that that was the team to win it. And even though we started off slow, we still believed in ourselves. We kept working, we kept doing what we had to do… It was basically a sweet victory… It's knowing all that hard work we put in finally paid off,” Vele said.

A Pac-12 Championship punched Utah’s ticket to the prestigious Rose Bowl, the first in program history. Vele was one of many California natives on the team who grew up watching his home bowl game. While the outcome of the game is widely known with Utah falling just short at the final hurdle, it has proved that the team can attain a New Year’s bowl game appearance and quite possibly a win in the future.

“I always grew up watching the Rose Bowl. It was always one of my favorites… to be a part of it, it's like a dream come true… It was like a bittersweet moment. It was awesome being there, but it wasn't the outcome we wanted. But,... that's why we're working so hard this year because we want to get back there and win everything and a PAC-12 Championship again, and then win the Rose Bowl,” Vele said.

Despite the Rose Bowl loss, Utah proved that they are a force to be reckoned with not only in the Pac-12 but as contenders against Big Ten and SEC teams. Vele puts Utah's recent legacy down to the culture fostered by coaches and players alike.

“Utah's not one of those schools that when everybody sees that you go to Utah, they're like, ‘Oh my gosh, that's Utah,’” Vele explained, “they think about that when they think of, like Notre Dame, Alabama, Ohio State, you know, but us going toe-to-toe with Ohio State, one of the best offenses, it goes to show that what we do here isn't just for all talk… We really come here to grind and we develop our players…. It's a process and that's why we always talk about the University of Utah. It's trusting the process. That's what the culture of Utah is.”

Now that Vele is finding his footing in the team, he’s looking to improve his game in spring camp. With the help of returning QB Cam Rising, Vele knows he can refine the small things to boost his confidence and add a bit of creativity and flair to his game allowing him to become a big playmaker this coming season.

“There's always something you can fix,” Vele said, “as good as I think I did, there's a lot of things I can fix. I want to be a bigger contributor. I want to be one of those playmakers you can always look to on those big plays when we need a big play… This spring goal has been really teaching me how to be comfortable with how I play. But not only that, being comfortable with Cam and comfortable with the offense to where I can start adding a little bit of creativity with my route running or how I run things and being a little savvy with my route running and just refining the little things, you know, getting a little bit faster, getting a little precise on my route running, high pointing the ball, you know, little things like that, just being an all-around playmaker.”

Returning starter Cam Rising made a strong impression on his team in the last year and is continuing to show attributes of a true leader throughout spring camp. Rising’s leadership isn’t limited to the gridiron but extends throughout the campus.

“[Cam’s] greatest attribute is always being a great leader,” Vele said, “Cam's always the guy that when he sees you in the hallway, he'll, with a big smile on his face, he asks, ‘How you doing?’... He's a very smart man when it comes to football. He knows everything. He can read defenses and if he sees something, He'll come talk to you about it. It’'s like, ‘Hey, I saw how you run the route like this. But when the defense is running this kind of coverage, I think this is a better thing you should do.’ Little things like that. Just to help every player. So that's one thing I love about Cam and one thing I love is that you can be open with him. You can always talk about what you see and what he thinks would be good and then just fixing things from there.”

With the departure of some big names like Britain Covey, TJ Pledger, Nephi Sewell, and Mika Tafua, the Utah team seems to be a sea of fresh faces. While the experience of the graduating players helped them succeed last season, it seems that these players are ancillary to the true nucleus of the Utah football program.

“I think we can repeat the same thing we did last year. We got a lot of younger guys, not as many veterans as we had last year. But that doesn't mean we don't have the same juice, the same energy that we can bring. We have the same coaching staff… we've got Scalley at defensive coordinator, and Coach Lud[wig] at OC. I really believe we have all the pieces we need. It's just refining it, finding the guys who are dogs, and then just putting everything together,” Vele said.

The Utes will show off their developing talent at the spring game on Saturday, April 23.

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