On offense, the Bingham Miners lost their starting quarterback, their starting running back, one starting receiver and a starting tight end. 

That’s starting to sound like a broken record, and yet such is the way of this new world of name, image and likeness. 

The other change in this new landscape is that as soon as one roster heads out the door—the other one comes in. 

And, that’s precisely what happened with the Miners O that went from “Oh No!” to “Let’s Go!!” when the guys lost transformed to guys gained in a big way. 

That’s important, since Bingham’s coaching staff led by Josh Johnson had to replace a dozen starters on offense and more than that on defense. 

Who returns for the Miners? 

Some good news, first: Boston Singley is slated to return as quarterback for the Miners. The 6-foot-1, 178-pound senior threw for 183 yards and ran for 18 yards as a junior. A name to watch here would be Teki Finau, who is expected to start at running back for Bingham but may be able to play quarterback in a pinch, and did last season when he threw for 87 yards. 

Those outgoing boys will have their roster spots filled by Finau, along with three new players in the Miners backfield: one running back and two fullbacks. In addition to Finau, who rushed for 171 yards and one TD on the ground, Owen Peterson returns to Bingham’s varsity for his senior season after a two-year absence. At fullback, Cayson Jensen is in the same boat as Peterson, having played on varsity as a frosh. And, JayLee Thompson is a junior fullback who would be unlike the other two newcomers to Bingham’s varsity: he played on the Miners’ freshmen and sophomore teams and has zero varsity experience. 

Where you’ll see the most change, however, is with the offensive line. The Miners are bringing in five offensive linemen—three seniors and two juniors. Lucas Neidig, Noah Christensen and Camden Snow will team up with senior Moli Toia up front for their final year of Bingham football, and junior Elias Fineanganofo is back for his second year on the varsity. The final newcomer on the O-Iine is Kearns transfer Samson Tongolei.  

Out wide, you have probably the most experience returning for Bingham, and that is great news. John Kulimushi and Jordan Thurman are both senior receivers. Kulimushi finished his junior year with 363 yards receiving and three touchdowns, while Thurman had 80 yards receiving and another 46 rushing last season. 

The Miners defense only has three players returning from last year’s 6-6 squad that allowed just 19 points per game, third best in 6A. The three players returning from 2024-25, however, can all pack punches—and two are seniors. 

Defensive back Denzel Peoples is back for his final year at Bingham. He averaged 2.8 tackles per game last season and finished his junior season with 17 solo tackles. He’s expected to join forces with several guys who have minutes on varsity. Along with two highly touted transfers, this Bingham secondary is stacked: in comes Summit Academy transfer Jayden Cumbee, who is already nationally ranked at safety, and perhaps one of the most intriguing on this year’s squad in Hank Hausia who arrives from Dimond High in Anchorage, Alaska where he was an All-Conference safety. 

Hank’s brother Karltrick is expected to play linebacker for a Miners corps that returns senior Judd Bowen (11 tackles, eight solo) and junior Monson Tukuafu (4 tackles in three games). The transfer at this position to keep your eye on is Golden Masina, who arrives from West High School in Salt Lake City where he had 10 tackles and two sacks as a junior on a team that nearly upset Orem in the second round of the 5A state playoffs before losing, 35-27. 

The position where you’ll really find a lot of new blood though, is on the defensive line. There are no returning starters for the Miners, however, there are five newcomers including lone senior Tillman Ki, who played sparingly on last year’s varsity squad that went 6-6 and finished 4-1 in Region 2. Coached by Dave Revill, the Miners defensive front will also bring in two sophomores. Stan Iopu and Sila Maumau have worked their way up from the sophomore team to the varsity, and they will team up with freshmen Leo Tafuna and Tali Lautaha. 

By the time you read this, the Miners will have finished playing three games in August. They’ll then be on the road at nationally ranked Corona (California) Centennial Sept. 6 and will return to Utah for a home game against a Herriman team that is expected to have improved greatly. Region 2 coaches currently have Bingham winning Region 2 in their preseason poll.