Utah’s pass game is highly tight end focused, with Brant Kuithe and Dalton Kincaid offering coordinator Andy Ludwig and quarterback Cameron Rising two of the very best at their position in all of college football. The Utes feature the tight end in multiple ways.

But there’s plenty of room for receivers to step forward, and Devaughn Vele certainly did that this year. When Kuithe went down with a season-ending injury in Week 4, Vele logged at least five receptions six times over a seven-game span. He has 50 receptions on the year. With three in the Utes’ bowl game, he’d set a high-water mark for receivers over the last four seasons.

As Utah prepares for the Rose Bowl, Vele is spending some time thinking about his future. He told reporters on Tuesday he’s now leaning toward returning to Salt Lake City for the 2023 campaign, a change-up from previous comments he’d made regarding his next move.

Vele said he hasn’t fully decided whether to stay or enter the NFL Draft, but he intends to announce his decision before the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2, according to KSL’s Josh Furlong.

Vele will take into account what his teammates do before making his decision one way or another.

Of course, any decisions about potential returns from pass-catchers will be influenced by the looming decision from the guy throwing those passes. Rising said after the win over Stanford he believed he’d played his final home game at Rice-Eccles Stadium. But there has been no definitive declaration one way or the other from Rising, who could return in 2023 for his third year as a starter.