He hadn’t played a down of competitive football since middle school. Think about that for a second. Most guys in the Big 12 have been grinding since Pop Warner, spending their entire adolescence obsessed with 40-times and route trees. Then there is Caleb Lohner. At 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds, he spent four years in the bruising world of college basketball—first at BYU, then Baylor—pounding the glass and setting screens.
Suddenly, in 2024, he’s wearing a helmet for the first time in a decade.
The Caleb Lohner Utah football experiment shouldn't have worked. Usually, when a basketball player "transfers" to football, it’s a gimmick. It’s a late-game substitution for a Hail Mary that never gets thrown. But Kyle Whittingham doesn’t do gimmicks. When the news broke that Lohner was headed to Salt Lake City to join the Utes' tight end room, the reaction was split between genuine intrigue and "wait, the basketball guy?"
Honestly, the skeptics had plenty of ammo. Playing tight end in a Whittingham offense isn't just about catching lobs; it’s about blood-and-guts blocking in a system that prides itself on being the more physical team on the field. You've got to learn the "lingo," as Lohner called it—the complex defensive identifications and front-side blocking assignments that are second nature to a fifth-year senior but alien to a guy who spent his last four winters in a gym.
The Statistical Magic of Four for Four
Here is the wildest stat from the 2024 season: Caleb Lohner caught four passes.
Every single one of them was a touchdown.
You literally cannot be more efficient than that. It’s the kind of thing you’d call "unrealistic" if you saw it in a Madden simulation. His first-ever collegiate catch came against Southern Utah—a 20-yard strike that ended in the end zone. Then he did it again at Utah State. By the time he was hauling in scores against Arizona and Colorado, it wasn't a fluke anymore. It was a strategy.
Utah’s offensive coordinator, Andy Ludwig, realized pretty quickly that while Lohner might still be learning how to chip a defensive end, you can’t coach 6-foot-7 with a basketball vertical. In the red zone, he became the ultimate "delete" key for opposing secondaries. You just put him in the slot or out wide, let him high-point the ball like he’s snagging a rebound over a mid-major center, and let the scoreboard operator do the rest.
Why the Utes Were the Perfect Fit
A lot of people forget that Lohner actually committed to Utah for basketball way back in high school before flipping to BYU. Coming back to the U was a full-circle moment, but the football transition was sparked by a realization: his ceiling on the hardwood had been reached, but his ceiling on the gridiron was barely visible.
Utah has a massive reputation for producing NFL tight ends. They don't just "use" them; they build the entire identity of the team around them. Joining a room with guys like Brant Kuithe gave Lohner a masterclass in the position. He wasn't asked to be the "everything" guy. He was asked to be a weapon.
Coach Whittingham’s praise for him wasn't just coach-speak about his size. He kept pointing to Lohner’s "eagerness." Transitioning sports at 22 years old requires a massive ego check. You go from being a veteran leader in a Baylor jersey to a "green" rookie who doesn't know where to stand in the huddle. Lohner embraced that. He played special teams. He blocked a field goal against Utah State. He did the dirty work that usually turns "basketball converts" off from the sport.
The Sean Payton Connection and the NFL Leap
If you think the Utah story was crazy, the ending was even better. Despite having only four catches on his entire college resume, NFL scouts couldn't look away. The Denver Broncos, led by Sean Payton—the man who turned a former basketball player named Jimmy Graham into a superstar—saw the vision.
Payton openly admitted that drafting a guy with 57 career snaps was a gamble. But when you look at Lohner's Pro Day numbers, the gamble makes sense:
- Height: 6'7"
- Weight: 250+ lbs
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.69 seconds
- Vertical: 37 inches
Those are "create-a-player" numbers. The Broncos snagged him in the 7th round of the 2025 NFL Draft (No. 241 overall). While he started his pro career on the practice squad, the trajectory is undeniable. He’s essentially a 23-year-old rookie with the body of a veteran and the "tires" of a teenager—no years of football-related joint wear and tear.
What We Can Learn From the Lohner Experiment
The Caleb Lohner Utah football saga is a reminder that the transfer portal, for all its flaws, allows for incredible reinvention. It’s a "second act" that wouldn't have been possible ten years ago. He took a risk on himself, and it paid off with an NFL contract.
If you’re following his career now, the next step is all about the "mental" side of the game. He has the hands. He has the frame. Now, he’s in the NFL lab learning the nuances of pass protection and zone coverage schemes.
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For fans and athletes, the takeaway is simple: don't pigeonhole yourself. Lohner was a "basketball player" for 20 years. In one year at Utah, he changed his entire life's direction. If you're looking for the next breakout tight end in Denver, keep an eye on #84. He might only need one target to change the game.
To keep tabs on his progression, watch for Broncos preseason reps or practice squad elevations, as those are the moments where his "football IQ" will finally catch up to his freakish natural athleticism.