Crimson Corner Podcast

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah football will be holding their annual "Ute Proud" game against Cal on Saturday, October 14, 2023. Just in time, Crimson Corner host Michelle Bodkin sat down with Ute Tribe member Cameron Cuch to discuss the relationship between the University of Utah and Ute Tribe. 

The pair discusses the rich Ute Tribe history, the evolution of the relationship between the university and tribe, the halftime performance, how the relationship between the Utes and Utah can continue to grow, and much more. 

On this very special edition of the Crimson Corner host Michelle Bodkin invites former Utah football players Lauvale Sape and Kawika Casco along with Sape's wife Sarah to talk about the devastation from the Maui fire and what they are doing to help.

The Sapes are using their Sape Foundation to help raise funds for the island of Maui where they and Casco are from. Casco who works for the Maui Fire Department describes his experience trying to save lives as he watched his home burn up.

All three give a heartfelt plea to help them raise funds that will be used for recovery in Maui as well as a big thank you to their Utah Athletics Ohana. Make sure to look for Lauvale, Sarah and Kawika at Thursday's opener against Florida during the first quarter for more information.

Crimson Corner returns with the first student-athlete host Michelle Bodkin ever got to know well and ultimately led her to covering sports in Utah safety Robert "RoJo" Johnson. Michelle and Johnson take a trip down memory lane to their criminology class in 2009 shortly after the Utes' Sugar Bowl victory.

The duo discusses the 2008 BCS Busters' upcoming induction into the Crimson Club Hall of Fame, how that team has remained close nearly 15 years later, and what it means knowing their success helped launch Utah's football's tremendous growth over the past 13 seasons in the Pac-12. 

RoJo and Michelle then turn to the current state of affairs in college football discussing NIL, how Utah is managing it thus far, and why the coaching stability that head coach Kyle Whittingham has provided has allowed the program to flourish. Finally, the two get into what Johnson has been up lately including a new job at the University of Utah, running youth football camps, and talking about social health with other former Utes David Kozlowski and Kenneth Scott.

Crimson Corner resumes with host and KSL Sports Utes Insider Michelle Bodkin welcoming in former Utah football star and defensive coordinator Steve F. Hallsey. 

Hallsey played for the Utes in the mid-70's before being named linebackers coach and defensive coordinator immediately after graduating. He discusses the challenges he faced as a young coordinator, the similarities between himself and Brian Johnson, how former BYU and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young shaped his career trajectory and much more.

Hallsey then goes into the experience of being invited by his former players to help participate in Athletes For Life's football camp on the Uintah-Ouray Ute Reservation and the importance of giving the reservation kids more opportunities to see what is possible in life.

Crimson Corner is back this week with an episode fully focused on the popular NIL golf tournament for Utah football, "Across The Green". Host Michelle Bodkin brought in ATG co-founder Andrew McCollough to discuss the upcoming event and how it came to be a year ago.

McCollough gives all the details on how fans can get involved with "Across The Green" regardless of whether they love to golf, love to lunch, or live out of town. 

This week's Crimson Corner episode aptly revolves around the story of the Pac-12 and their on-going media rights negotiations with Pac-12 Reporter John Canzano. Crimson Corner host Michelle Bodkin askes Canzano several questions regarding how the Pac-12 got where they are, mistakes that have been made by the conference, what the recent Grant of Rights announcement means in relation to getting a media deal done and much more.

Bodkin and Canzano work to try and dispel some of the confusing matters around media rights, grant of rights and expansion, while also diving into sourcing and what fans should look for when consuming media for valid pieces of information.

Former Utah football punter Hank Mondaca joins Crimson Corner host Michelle Bodkin to talk about his charitable organization, Athletes For Life. Mondaca, along with a crew of other former Utah athletes that include Dave Culity, Jeff Reyes, and Lisa Mitzel have teamed up to help spread the joy of sports to the Lakota and now Ute Reservations.

Mondaca goes over his first experiences running a camp at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, how he's used his Utah network to help grow his foundation, and his excitement about bringing his camp to the Ute Tribe for the first time this summer with the help of Utah football. 

Crimson Corner is back and ready to tell the stories about Utah Athletics you've never heard before. In honor of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, host Michelle Bodkin invited former Utah wide receiver turned Family and Marriage Therapist, David Kozlowski to talk about his work with Quit Trip'n, and OG Therapy in an effort to improve the social health and well-being of the Salt Lake Community.

Kozlowski also describes his life experiences that led him to become a therapist, and how he's using his connections with Utah football to encourage these meaningful discussions.

We are inching ever closer to Utah's second Rose Bowl appearance and for one former Ute, this is the matchup of his dreams. Crimson Corner host Michelle Bodkin brings on former Utah kicker/placeholder Tommy Truhe to talk about his strong connection to Penn State and why he's so excited to watch Utah battle with his other favorite college football team. 

Truhe talks about some of the similarities between the programs, taking a bunch of former UBoyz up to College State for a game, watching the Utah program grow, his connection to Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe and his hopes of the Utes and Nittany Lions striking up a home-and-home deal after meeting in the Rose Bowl. 

There has been a lot going on lately with Utah Athletics which means Crimson Corner needed to call on someone with a little knowledge of everything. Host Michelle Bodkin brings on guest Sammy Mora of UteZone.com to talk about everything from men and women's basketball, Utah football's big win over USC in the Pac-12 Championship, recruiting bumps and the upcoming Red Rocks Preview.

If you like everything about the Utes, this show is 100% for you.

Crimson Corner host Michelle Bodkin takes a walk down memory lane with Antwoine Sanders and Arnold Parker as they discuss playing and beating USC in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl. The group goes through some of the eerie similarities between that matchup and Utah's impending rematch with USC for the Pac-12 Title.

ASAP also muse about how much Utah football has grown and changed since they played, Parker talks about what it means to him as a Las Vegas native to see his team representing for conference championships in his hometown, and the pair finish off by giving their bold predictions for the game.

This week's episode of Crimson Corner focuses in on the Utes' last home game of the season against Staford with former Cardinal player and current Pac-12 Analyst Jordan Watkins. Host Michelle Bodkin and Watkins discuss Kyle Whittingham's leadership of the Utes, Staford's recent struggles, Tanner McKee, and in-general what to expect Saturday night.

Watkins also goes into why he's such a defender of Pac-12 sports despite growing up in the heart of SEC Country, the Conference Championship Game race and a little about how good Women's Hoops is in the Pac-12. 

This week's Crimson Corner focused on the state of the Utes ahead of their game against Arizona at home in Rice-Eccles Stadium. Host Michelle Bodkin brought on Sports Illustrated's Cole Bagley to discuss Utah football's health status, guys who have stepped up with injuries, and what the game plan might be for Arizona.

Bagley also dived into how the Utes are doing on the recruiting front, how NIL has maybe affected that, and gives a pretty good breakdown on the makeup of the 2022 Utes. 

On this special edition episode of Crimson Corner, host Michelle Bodkin brings on Jill McCluskey to talk about her daughter, Lauren McCluskey, who was murdered on the University of Utah campus on October 22, 2018, by an estranged boyfriend. The story created media waves and highlighted how college campuses lacked the knowledge and training on how to handle dating violence and stalking amongst their students. 

Since Lauren's tragic death, Jill has been on a mission to make sure her daughter's light still shines by helping others in similar situations. The Lauren McCluskey Foundation was put into place to raise awareness for and come up with better policy to protect students on college campuses who might find themselves in an abusive situation. Lauren's Promise was also created in an attempt to make others aware of how common dating violence and stalking is, and to listen if someone comes forward asking for help. 

In this very special episode of Crimson Corner, host Michelle Bodkin talks with former Utah running back coach and current USC running back coach Kiel McDonald about Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe. Coach McDonald will be making his return to Salt Lake City this weekend with USC football as Utah puts on a celebration of Jordan and Lowe's lives with custom hand painted helmets. 

McDonald talks about what Ty and Aaron were like, his experience navigating unimaginable tragedy as a coach and what he thinks it will be like being back to celebrate those two players even if he's on the opposite sideline. Coach McDonald also discusses what he's learned as a coach from the experience as well as his hopes for what Ty and Aaron's legacies will be years down the road. 

Crimson Corner host Michelle Bodkin is back at it, this time previewing the Oregon State Beavers with Beaver Blitz writer and editor Angie Machado. In the first ever all-female episode of Crimson Corner, the ladies discuss the upcoming game between the #12 Utes and the up-and-coming Beavers, and how similar both teams are to each other. Machado goes into detail about who she thinks will be a factor for OSU against Utah Saturday, and some of the matchups she is looking forward to most.

The ladies also discuss the importance of celebrating women in sports ahead of Utah's "Fifty Years Forward" celebration of Title IX this weekend.

We are now four weeks into the college football season which means it is time to start breaking down the Pac-12 matchups that will determine Utah's fate for the 2022 season. Up first, the Utes will be flying down to Tempe to take on an embattled ASU team and to give the breakdown Crimson Corner host Michelle Bodkin invited Lock On Sun Devils host Richie Bradshaw. 

Bradshaw goes into detail about ASU's woes from losing to Eastern Michigan last weekend, letting Herm Edwards go, working with an interim coach and facing down possible NCAA infractions. He also goes into detail about keys to the game, and has some very nice things to say about the Utes. 

Crimson Corner host Michelle Bodkin dives into how the Utes have looked early in the 2022 season with special guest, former Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn. The two discuss where Utah currently stacks up in the college football world after going 1-1 to start the year, and what Wynn is looking for from the team against San Diego State.

Bodkin and Wynn talk in-depth about revenge games and what the most reasonable goal is for the team this year. Wynn also provides some insight into what it is like to be the signal caller while being thrown into high-pressure situations.

Utah started the 2022 season with an epic game in the Swamp against Florida that didn't go quite their way. Crimson Corner host Michelle Bodkin goes into depth about the game and what it means for the Utes the rest of the season with former Utah offensive linemen Isaac Asiata. 

Asiata talks about what he liked from that game, what he didn't like, and how Utah goes about using what they learned about themselves against the Gators to get better and keep their goals alive. While Southern Utah isn't the most exciting game on the schedule, Asiata does feel like it makes for a great tune-up game for the Utes to work on what they need to going forward. 

On this episode of the Crimson Corner host Michelle Bodkin invites the host of Locked On Gators to give all the details on Utah's impending matchup with Florida. Brandon Olsen dishes on how things have been going under new head coach Billy Napier, how the team is looking, along with some concerns. Olsen goes in depth about what he feels like each team would need to do to win the game, and exactly what the atmosphere at the Swamp is really like. Finally, Olsen gives a heads up about some of the places Ute fans should hit up on game day in Gainesville.

Crimson Corner continues its "Countdown To Football" this time analyzing the 2004 Season and "Original BCS Busters". Former Utah wide receiver Paris Warren joined host Michelle Bodkin to talk about what made the 2004 team a force in the college football world. From Alex Smith, Quinton Ganther, Morgan Scalley, Steve Tate, and Eric Weddle, Warren covers every angle and aspect that made the 2004 team great.

Warren even dives into his time as a grad assistant under current head coach Kyle Whittingham in 2015 and 2016 and how the team has changed and progressed since the early Pac-12 Days.

Crimson Corner continues the "Countdown To Utah Football", this time jumping forward to the 2008 football season. Host Michelle Bodkin is joined by former linebacker from the '08 year, Stevenson Sylvester to talk about what made that team so special. 

Michelle and Sly dive into some of the more memorable games from the Sugar Bowl team from the TCU game, Oregon State, and of course the Alabama bowl game. Sly goes into detail about what made quarterback Brian Johnson so good and how that parallels with 2022 quarterback Cam Rising. Sly also has a message for teams that still think Utah is a small-time, Mountain West team that's just been lucky: keep doubting us!

After a long summer off we are finally back on Crimson Corner. With a potentially program changing season around the corner for the Utes in 2022, we decided it would be awesome to take a step back in time and look back on some of the best Utah football seasons in program history. 

Up first, host Michelle Bodkin talks to former defensive back Edwin "EG" Garrette about the 1994 Utah football team, what made them so great, how that helped shaped the current culture for the Utes, and why the brotherhood is strong to this day.