Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 66-14vs Idaho | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 43-10vs Arkansas | 6 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Total | 9 | 6 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
#6
Nate Ritchie
Senior safety on Utah's 2026 roster.
6′2″ · 207 lb · Cedar Hills, UT · Lone Peak HS
CFB Index 15 · #517 of 537 safetiesMedium confidenceReturning to Utah for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
Recruiting
4★
S recruit
No. 347 nationally · Signed with Utah
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 safety on Utah's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Utah in 2020.
Nate Ritchie
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Five seasons at Utah, two different head coaches: Kyle Whittingham and Morgan Scalley. The receipt on tape: 6 tackles, 1 TFL against Arkansas, Week 2, 2026.
9 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 5 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
20204 games
- Signed with Utah4-star out of Lone Peak
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Utah
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2020–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Kyle Whittingham → Morgan Scalley. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2020Utah3-2HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-leaning
2023Utah8-5HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-heavy
2024Utah5-7HC: Kyle Whittingham · Balanced
2025Utah11-2HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-heavy
2026Utah2-0HC: Morgan Scalley · Run-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 4.5 TKL/g, 0.8 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.5 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Morgan Scalley
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 66–14
vs Idaho
3 TOT · 1 SOLO · 0 TFL
Dominant 52-point win at home against Idaho.
With D. Dampier — 176 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 93.5 · 31 rush yds (6 car) · B. Ficklin — 93 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 80.1 · 70 rush yds (8 car)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Utah
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · Utah
Returning around him
- 3 Utah players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -5 net (17 in / 22 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Utah · Last season: 11-2 (AP #15) · Talent rank #58 · 2026 recruiting class #27
DNA match
Player DNA
Box Safety
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Hunter Wohler’s 2021 season.
Matches Hunter on
PD rate
TFL rate
Tackle volume
Differs from Hunter on
Weight (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Owen Pewee's senior season at UTSA (2025).
83%match
Matches Owen on
Class year
Weight
PD rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Nate Ritchie
Background
2025: Started at safety in the first five games of the season. Totaled 25 tackles (3.5 TFL) and one pass breakup prior to an injury in the West Virginia game. Turned in career-bests with 13 tackles and 2.5 TFL against Texas Tech. First pass breakup of the season came against Texas Tech. Had a pai...
The secondary · Utah
- #23Jackson Bennee62 tackles · 2025
- #11Elijah Reed44 tackles · 2025
- #5James Chenault32 tackles · 2025
- #9Elijah Davis28 tackles · 2025
- #6Nate Ritchie20 tackles · 2025
20 more on the roster · Utah team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology