Football | 8/21/2025 10:35:00 AM

As we inch closer to the 2025 season opener, the Utah Tech Football season preview continues with a look at the defensive back position group.
 
The DB room runs 20 players deep, 12 of whom are newcomers to the program, including six players signed out of the transfer portal, along with one junior college transfer and five freshmen.

Meanwhile, the Trailblazers returned eight players from last year's club, though only five of those returnees saw playing time in 2024.  

Redshirt sophomore Quincy Lejay (6-0, 195) is the lone returnee who saw significant a year ago. Lejay started in seven of the 11 games he played as a freshman and finished second on the defense in total tackles with 60, including 2.0 TFLs, five PBUs and one fumble recovery. 

Lejay posted three double-digit tackle performances in his first full season, highlighted by a career-high 13 stops (8 solo) with that fumble recovery in the win over Central Arkansas (11/2/24).

"Quincy is going to be an excellent player for us," said first-year defensive backs coach De'Vante Cross. "He's a smart guy and he's super tough, super durable and he's going to make a lot of plays for us."

The four other Blazers who saw time all wound up utilizing their redshirt seasons as freshmen last year. Kyle Parker (5-11, 165) started in two of the three games he played and finished the year with eight tackles (5 solo), as did Jeremiah Jimoh (6-1, 175), who racked up 15 tackles (11 solo), with 10 of those coming in a home start against West Georgia (11/16). 

Brady Sorenson (6-2, 180 – 2 games) made the most of his brief playing time in the UCA win (11/2), against which he recorded two interceptions and three total tackles, while River Moore (5-11, 185) saw time in four games but did not record a stat. Utah Tech also brought back three other 2024 redshirts, including senior Cade Smith (6-3, 195), junior Ayden Quintanilla (6-2, 190) and sophomore Aiden Aguayo (6-1, 175). 
 
"Jeremiah played here and there last year and he's going to be out there making plays for us left and right," Cross noted. "We're going to rely on [all our returnees] heavily this year."
 
Two of the six transfer portal signees came from 2024 Utah Tech opponents, one of whom is returning "home" for his final collegiate season. Fifth year senior Devyn Perkins (5-10, 195), who played in the Blazer defensive backfield from 2021-23, returns to the program after spending last season up the road at Southern Utah. Perkins played in four games for the Thunderbirds and recorded 12 tackles and one TFL. 
 
"Having Devyn back has been huge, he's going to play a big part of our defense," Cross points out. "He's shown to be a playmaker, he's a very reliable player that possesses that veteran leadership. I'm extremely excited about the season he's going to have for us and I expect him to make plays all over the field."
 
Meanwhile, redshirt junior safety Brevin Czosnyka (6-3, 195) joined the Trailblazer program after two years at Northern Arizona, where he played in 22 career games and tallied 35 total tackles (18 solo) and one interception. 
 
Both Perkins and Czosnyka, along with Fresno State transfer safety Justin Houston (R-Sr.; 6-3, 191) and Nevada transfer Denon Fagan (R-Jr.; 6-0, 183) will be looked upon to provide veteran leadership to this young position group.
 
Houston played in 30 career games over five seasons at FSU, where he racked up 68 total tackles, highlighted by a career-high 37 during his sophomore campaign in 2021 in a season that saw him start in 12 of the Bulldogs' 13 games.
 
"Brevin and Justin are going to be a huge part of our defense," said Cross. "They bring [FCS and FBS] playing experience, and that's going to help a ton there. They also bring veteran leadership."
 
Though Fagan played in only two games at Nevada in 2024 before utilizing his redshirt, he was a two-time all-conference and California all-state selection at Reedley College. Fagan tallied 62 total tackles (49 solo) with five interceptions and 15 PBUs as a sophomore in 2023.
 
"We've got a lot of young redshirt freshmen and sophomores, and those older guys and will be able to help [the underclassmen] understand what it means to play a 13-week season, what it means to come out here every day and practice hard and prepare. So I'm excited that we have those guys and I think they're going to be a huge help."
 
Utah Tech also added in redshirt sophomore UCLA transfer RJ Jones II (6-0, 200) and redshirt freshman New Mexico transfer Devin Costello (5-10, 173) to the mix, along with Cerritos College transfer Ryan Tuaolo (R-Jr.; 6-2, 210), who originally signed at UNLV out of high school.
 
The other five newcomers are true freshmen, including Utah prep product Michael Falatea (Herriman HS; 6-0, 190), along with two California prepsters in Braden Cervello (Xavier Prep; 5-10, 170) and Amari Sanders (Mira Mesa HS; 6-0, 160), Darryl Coleman (Yuma Catholic HS; 6-0, 185) from Arizona, and DeJuan Robinson (6-0, 170) from Legacy HS in North Las Vegas.  
 
"Our freshmen are doing a really good job [adapting to the college game]," Cross says. "They're all providing excellent depth and I believe they're going to be future stars for our program."
 
Utah Tech kicks off its sixth season of NCAA D-I FCS play on Saturday, August 30, when the Trailblazers welcome Big Sky Conference power No. 7/8 UC Davis to Greater Zion Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m.