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When Mark Atuaia was hired as Utah’s running backs coach last December, there was an inkling of what was to follow, but it wasn’t a sure thing yet.
“Truth be told, I love football. I could have done a whole bunch of other things, but at the end of the day, it was football that woke me up in the morning.”
— Utah RBs coach Mark Atuaia
In Atuaia, Utah was getting an experienced running backs coach with more than a decade of experience, coaching the position at BYU, Virginia and most recently, Washington State.
Immediately after the hire, Utah fans started to wonder if Washington State running back Wayshawn Parker might follow his coach to Salt Lake City, giving a boost to a running backs room that lost every scholarship player who carried the ball.
As a true freshman, Parker had 137 carries for 735 yards and four scores, including a 149-yard, two-touchdown performance against Utah State. When he hit the transfer portal, he was a hot commodity — 247Sports ranked him as the No. 3 transfer running back — and he had his share of offers, including offers from USC, Tennessee and Ole Miss, among others.
The relationship with Atuaia, along with a wide-open running backs room, helped sell Utah to him.
“It’s like a father-son type thing. I go to his house, just sit there and just chill with him. I got the bond with his children and his wife and it’s just a very good bond,” Parker said of Atuaia.
The gregarious Atuaia is known for his positive energy, active social media presence and “Freestyle Fridays” series that features him rapping. That energy translates to the practice field and beyond — he was one of the most vocal coaches during the media portion of the team’s…
Source link : https://www.deseret.com/sports/2025/03/27/utah-utes-football-bond-between-wayshawn-parker-and-mark-atuaia/
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Publish date : 2025-03-27 16:00:00
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