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Utah's Whittingham: We did our homework on Carrington

Greg M. Cooper / USA TODAY Sports

Utah did its due diligence before offering Darren Carrington II an opportunity to transfer over from Oregon, where the receiver was dismissed for off-field issues, coach Kyle Whittingham said Thursday.

"It's a case-by-case basis," Whittingham told the Pac-12 Network in an interview transcribed by Chase Goodbread of NFL.com of the decision to accept Carrington and the baggage that comes along with him. "You can't treat every case the same because there's different dynamics, different circumstances."

Carrington was booted from Oregon less than two weeks ago, after a DUI arrest became the final straw in a long line of incidents for the talented-yet-troubled wideout.

"The first thing you do is do your homework," Whittingham added. "Talk to all the peripheral people in his life and the people that have been close to him. And then, obviously, Darren's attitude and his take on what's transpired. Is there remorse? Is it a good kid that's made some bad decisions or is it just a bad kid? As a coach, you have to make that judgment. You're not right 100 percent of the time, but you just go with what you think is your gut feel and go with it."

Carrington, a fifth-year senior, figures to slot in as Utah's No. 1 wideout as soon as he's cleared to begin practicing with his new team.

The Utes are scheduled to play at Oregon on Oct. 28.

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