Lloyd, a consensus All-America selection in 2021 who played at Otay Ranch (Calif.) High School, indeed was elite on the field at Utah. But Whittingham said his career was as much defined by work ethic and leadership beyond the ordinary – leadership exemplified by Lloyd’s response to the death of two Utah teammates, cornerback Aaron Lowe and running back Ty Jordan, in incidents of gun violence.
Lloyd’s role within the Utah program following the deaths was well-documented leading to the draft – Whittingham reiterated Lloyd’s importance to his teammates, the Utah program and to the Utes turning in one of the most successful seasons in program history in 2021.
“This is not to take anything away from his play, because he’s a tremendous player,” Whittingham said. “But he’s a terrific individual and a guy who was invaluable for us. We went through some really difficult things last year and he was in the forefront as a leader helping us get through it.”
Lloyd (6-feet-2, 237 pounds), who…