Jaren Kump

Jaren Kump, who has four sisters, grew up south of Salt Lake City with his parents (Russell and Tricia). He married his wife (Sydney) in May 2021. He was a basketball, track and football standout at Herriman High School, where he earned first-team all-state honors as a senior left tackle in 2017. He also won state championships in the shot put (61 feet, 5 inches) and discus (169-9). A three-star recruit in the 2018 class, he originally committed to BYU before flipping to Utah. He postponed enrolling, however, to serve a two-year mission in Brazil (he is fluent in Portuguese) for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He returned to the team in 2020 and started a combined 41 games over the past six seasons, logging at least one start at each of the five offensive line positions. He is pursuing a master’s degree in health and kinesiology and wants to go into the field of football strength and conditioning after his playing days. A broad, athletic-looking blocker, Kump has adequate foot quickness with above-average strength, which shows when he fits in the run game. His slide adjustments are on-time to cut off gap quickness, and he effortlessly picks up stunts and delayed pressures (his offensive line coach Jim Harding, now at Michigan, says he had the “highest football IQ” of any player he coached at Utah). He is a mature, team captain — but also older than ideal. Overall, Kump is still finding his consistency, but his leg drive in the run game and efficiency in pass protection will help his transition to the pro level. He projects best at center, although his versatile experience doesn’t hurt. 326 Back to table of contents -- 330 of 629 --