Utah Utes Football

Utah cornerback Jaylon Johnson will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum after the combine and is expected to miss five months.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported Dr. Peter Millett recommended Johnson undergo the procedure, and he will have the repair March 4. Johnson is expected to fully participate in the combine. 

A potential first-round pick, Johnson originally suffered the injury in September but played nearly the entire season through pain. 

"He wanted to play for his team last season and not let them down," agent Doug Hendrickson said. "The guy's tough as nails for fighting through that the whole year, and he wanted to compete at the combine at the highest level."

Johnson recorded 36 tackles and two interceptions in 2019, earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors for the second straight season.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has him as the ninth-best cornerback in this class, while CBS Sports has him 10th at his position. B/R's Matt Miller had him going 32nd to the Kansas City Chiefs in his latest mock draft.

It's possible that knowing he was playing through a torn labrum last season will actually improve his stock; some had expected him to reach All-American status as a junior after a brilliant sophomore campaign.

Even if he winds up being a Day 2 selection, Johnson should still have no issue being ready for Week 1 of his rookie season. A five-month window gets him back to full health by the beginning of August. That should have him nearing clearance or cleared by the beginning of training camp.

Former University of Utah wide receiver Terrell Perriman is reportedly facing charges of eight felonies after prosecutors said he raped a 17-year-old girl and two other women.

Jessica Miller of the Salt Lake Tribune reported the news, noting the eight felony charges are three counts of rape, two charges of forcible sodomy, a count of forcible sexual abuse and aggravated kidnapping.

Perriman was suspended by the Utes after he was charged with raping a 17-year-old girl and dismissed from the team Friday following accusations that he raped two other women. 

One of the rapes allegedly occurred three days before he raped the 17-year-old, whom he met on Instagram.

"Today, we were made aware of additional charges that led to our decision to dismiss him," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said in a statement Friday. "Because of the ongoing legal process, and with Terrell no longer a part of our program, we will have no further comments regarding the situation."

Perriman's attorney, David Drake, argued the teenage girl made the allegations because the wide receiver was not dating her exclusively. Drake is reportedly expected to argue for the $750,000 bail to be lowered when Perriman appears in court again on March 2.

Perriman, who is at the Salt Lake County jail, appeared in two games for the Utes during the 2019 season. 

Former South Carolina Gamecocks starting quarterback Jake Bentley is headed to the Pac-12. 

On Monday, Bentley announced he is transferring to Utah after four seasons with the SEC program:

Bentley arrived at South Carolina in 2016 as a 4-star prospect, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and was the team's primary quarterback before this season. He played 33 games from 2016 through 2018 but appeared in just one in the 2019 campaign because he suffered a season-ending foot injury in the opener against North Carolina.

This comes after Bentley wrote a long message thanking head coach Will Muschamp, his teammates and the coaching staff while announcing he planned on transferring for his final year of eligibility after graduating South Carolina on Dec. 16:

Bentley became the Gamecocks' starter for the final seven games of his freshman season and threw for 1,420 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions. He was named a team captain as a sophomore and remained in such a position for the rest of his South Carolina career.

He threw for 2,794 yards, 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions as a sophomore and 3,171 yards, 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions as a junior. He also led the Gamecocks to bowl games all three years and was named the MVP of the Outback Bowl victory over Michigan on Jan. 1, 2018.

Freshman Ryan Hilinski started for South Carolina the rest of this season after Bentley suffered the injury.

Bentley now heads to a formidable Utah team that finished 11-2 and reached the Pac-12 Championship Game this season. However, star quarterback Tyler Huntley is a senior, which means the transfer figures to compete with Jason Shelley for the starting job next season.

Shelley took over for the Utes during the 2018 season when Huntley suffered an injury.