Van Fillinger is an American football defensive end for the Utah Utes.

Van Fillinger
Utah Utes – No. 7
PositionDefensive end
ClassSenior
Personal information
Born:Draper, Utah
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight265 lb (120 kg)
Career history
College
  • Utah (2020–present)
Bowl games
High schoolCorner Canyon High School

Early life and high school

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Fillinger attended Corner Canyon High School, located in Draper, Utah. Coming out of high school, Fillinger was rated as a three-star recruit, where he initially, decided to commit to play college football for the Texas Longhorns.[1][2] However, Fillinger flipped his commitment to play college football for the Utah Utes.[3][4]

College career

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In Fillinger's first two collegiate seasons in 2020 and 2021, he appeared in 19 games, where he notched 45 tackles with ten being for a loss, and five and a half sacks.[5][6][7] During the 2022 season, Fillinger played in just eight games before suffering a season-ending injury, where he notched 18 tackles with five being for a loss, five sacks, and a forced fumble.[8] In the 2023 season, Filling played in eleven games with eight starts for Utah, where he totaled 31 tackles with five being for a loss, three sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.[9][10] In week three of the 2024 season, Fillinger notched a sack and blocked a kick, as he helped lead the Utes to a win over the Baylor Bears.[11] Mid-way through the 2024 season, Fillinger was added to the Lombardi Award watch list.[12]

References

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  1. ^ Suchomel, Jason (July 18, 2019). "Texas continues its recruiting hot streak with commit from Van Fillinger". Rivals.com. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  2. ^ McDonald, Ryan (18 July 2019). "Corner Canyon star DE Van Fillinger commits to Texas Longhorns". Deseret News. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  3. ^ Edward, James (18 December 2019). "High school football: In-state's top recruits pledge commitment on Early Signing Day, including Van Fillinger, Nate Ritchie, Sione Fotu to Utah". Deseret News. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  4. ^ Allen, Trevor. "Corner Canyon 4-Star DE Van Fillinger Signs With Utah". KSL Sports. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Van Fillinger". Sports Reference. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  6. ^ Newman, Josh (7 November 2022). "Utah football's Van Fillinger ruled out for the season". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  7. ^ Greene, Dana. "Finally healthy, Van Fillinger primed for big season". ABC4.com. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  8. ^ Call, Jeff (7 November 2022). "Utah's sacks leader is out for the season". Deseret News. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  9. ^ Preece, Brian. "60 In 60: #11 Utah's Van Fillinger (Defensive End)". KSL Sports. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  10. ^ Dann, Jared. "Defensive end Van Fillinger believes a Pac-12 Championship is the standard moving foward". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  11. ^ Coles, Joe (26 September 2024). "Van Fillinger is showing what he can be when fully healthy". The Deseret News. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  12. ^ Bartle, Steve. "Utah's Van Fillinger Added To Lombardi Award Watchlist". KSL Sports. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
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