After two years on the sidelines, the breakout defensive back is turning heads. Discover how a personal connection with Sharrieff Shah put the Utes ahead in his recruitment.
Kinley Victorian had to wait a long time to play football again.
681 days, to be exact.
Now back on the field in his first season at Crean Lutheran, the 2028 defensive back is making up for lost time, and Utah is one of the programs that has taken notice.
For Victorian, those nearly two years away from football were not easy. But looking back, he believes the time away changed him.
“The time away was a lot, something I hope nobody should have to go through,” Victorian told me. “But it just made me mentally strong and gave me the chance to work on the things I needed to work on to get where I am today. I just had to make something out of what I had.”
That mindset has paid off.
Utah jumped into his recruitment during spring ball heading into his sophomore season, and the offer came after a conversation with Sharrieff Shah that was about much more than football.
“Going into spring ball into my sophomore year, I talked to Coach Sharrieff,” Victorian said. “We were having a personal conversation about my family and what I wanted to do with football. He told me he saw something in me and he rocked with me.”
For someone who had spent so much time away from the game, hearing that from Utah carried some extra weight.
“The offer motivated me and showed me good things come when you put your head down and work,” he said.
That relationship has continued to grow since the offer.
Victorian said Shah, Coach Prince and the rest of Utah’s staff have stayed consistent, making the recruitment feel more personal than just checking in about football.
“My relationship has been very good and active,” Victorian said. “Coach Prince, Sharrieff and all the other coaches have shown nothing but love with the notes before each game. Just a real relationship.”
That matters, but Utah also has something else working in its favor here-- development.
The Utes have built a reputation for developing defensive backs. For a young player who still has plenty of football ahead of him, Victorian is paying attention to that track record.
“That’s a place I can get developed and go up against some great talent while doing it,” Victorian said. “Many have come out and went to the league, and seeing that lets me know I have a chance too.”
Now Utah gets the chance to show him the program in person.
Victorian told me he has a game-day visit scheduled for Oct. 10, when Utah hosts Kansas at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
“I want to see the atmosphere and the energy,” Victorian said. “The culture and the coaches.”
That visit should be an important next step.
Utah has already made the early impression. Shah believed in Victorian early, the staff has stayed consistent since the offer, and he clearly values the development piece.
And heading into his first trip to Salt Lake City, the Utes are already sitting in a good spot.
“Utah is definitely up there,” Victorian said. “The coaches have done a great job showing nothing but love and showing that they see something in me where I can be great, and I hope that just keeps going.”
For Victorian, this season is already about more than recruiting.
After 681 days away, he finally has football back.
Now he gets the chance to show everyone what he spent all that time working toward.
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