His breakout performance was his 5th-place finish at Pro Tour San Juan 2010, where he lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa.

[8] Three months later, Utter-Leyton won the United States National Championship,[9] and in November he reached the top 8 of a Grand Prix for the first time.

Though the US National Team would end up at a disappointing 15th place at the World Championships in Chiba, Utter-Leyton finished 16th individually,[10] and with that earning Level 7 status in the Pro Players Club.

[14] He made a total of five Grand Prix top 8s in 2012, and when he finished 4th at Pro Tour Dragon's Maze in San Diego, Utter-Leyton became the 2012–13 Player of the Year.

Utter-Leyton was one of three players to have qualified for all three World Championships since the 2012 format change, the other two being Reid Duke and Yuuya Watanabe.