Breakout players in 2024?

[ProudUte]

Every year there are guys who accomplish more than most expected. Who will they be in 2024 for our Utes?

My thoughts:

– Mike Mithcell – I am hearing good things about him, and he has put on some weight since spring ball. We really need one of our running backs to step up.

– O’Toole – He has always been on the cusp. However, injuries set him back. If he stays healthy – I think this will be his year. He could lead the conference in sacks.

– Tao Johnson – We know he will be starting at safety. But, because he has little experience at safety, he is underrated by local and national media. I think he could end up being an all-conferecne caliber player in 2024.

– Barton – What? How can he be considered a breakout player? He is considered one of our best players. Yet, he didn’t even make 4th team preseason all Big 12. Barton is a beast. If he stays healthy he could be an all-American linebacker.

I think we will see a breakout player on the offensive line too, maybe Fano or Kump.

Camp starts Monday. Go Utes!!!

[Onlyu]

For the first time in forever I think you’re going to see us throw the ball more than we run it. Potentially by a hefty amount.

Two tight end sets with Kuithe and King. Kutihe is an excellent blocker despite his mostly average size at TE. Tough to defend especially with Bernard’s back out skills.

Singer draws attention from Parks, Pitman, etc. not to mention the TE’s so there should be a lot of room in the passing game. I heard a crazy number (for Utah football) the other day when it comes to run/pass ratio goals this season. Will be interesting to see if it comes to fruition.

The o-line pass protect in the Spring was dominant (against a very good D-line) so it makes a lot of sense to me.

That said. Togiai (has taken to guard like a duck to water) Tao, and one of Glover/Mitchell will be my breakout players. We know Micah will have an impact regardless.

Kump is also a key. Highly intelligent, athletic though injuries have hampered that some. Massive…potential dominant line if he’s good inside.

[ProudUte]

OnlyU, thanks as always for our insightful post. I agree with you that Bernard will be a key component of our 2024 offense.

Who do you think the two-deep at corner will be?

[Onlyu]

Vaughn/Johnson
Davis/Calhoun (when he’s ready) is my guess.

[tanute3]

The best tidbit from OnlyU’s entire post is about the o-line. If they can gel quickly, with the talent in that room, that will be massive for the season.

[MDUte]

Agreed 💯!! I felt the same about Whitt’s comments at media days. When asked about the strongest unit on the team, Whitt highlighted the DL.

As we all know, games are won or lost in the trenches. If Utah is dominant at both OL and DL this year it’s GAME OVER for anyone standing in our way!! Go Utes!!!

[Yergensen]

Thanks as always OnlyU. I’m wondering if you care to and can provide a couple additional insights for me.

Why are the coaches higher on Parks, giving him more reps and targets, than more productive WR (see Parks and McClain in 2023)?

Also, where is John Randall Jr. in the RB mix and where is he at in his development. He looks like the one cut and go runner that is successful in our system.

[Onlyu]

Money can take the top off of defenses. When we don’t have many options OR a QB that can get the ball to the right spot (like last year) his numbers are just ok.

Think Pittman and Kuithe underneath, Singer at all 3 levels, King mid to deep, Micah back out/flat/wheel. How can you defend Money this year with his speed? He’s gonna be 1v1 a lot. Are you gonna walk the safety over Singer? That leaves Kuithe or King 1 v1. Point is there are a lot of 1v1 matchups to exploit and provided we protect like I think we will Cam will get the ball to the right spot and that might be Money A LOT.

Parks is going to be a key

I think Randall has a chance to be good. He’s still young and needs to figure it out at game speed. Stanley is another potential weapon as well.

[22Ute22]

I was honestly disappointed in Kump last season. It just didn’t seem like he could hold his own against good DT’s. That’s my couch coach opinion though.

[Onlyu]

Jaren got replaced as the starter after the Oregon St game. Worth noting though was the fact that the Beavers DL was calling out our plays before we ran them in that game. Because of the inexperience at RB we couldn’t adjust protections so they truly knew almost everything we were running. Now you can argue that we could have blocked the play better but with average QB play I’m not sure it would have mattered.

I would label Kump as a disappointment so far but he’s very intelligent and is suited for Center. Injuries have definitely hampered him but consistency has not been his best attribute.

I’m hoping this is the year it all comes together for him. He’s surrounded by a very good group which should make his life easier. I expect good things from him this year.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Thanks onlyu. Fano struggled some as a freshman at left tackle. Move to right tackle maybe better run blocking and more experienced. Tao will have a breakout at safety which is the hardest position to play on our defense in my opinion.

[Onlyu]

Tao is a freak athlete. His angles are sometimes too shallow and he’s out of position occasionally (still young) but when that happens he just makes a play with pure athleticism. He’s our next NFL safety imo.

[RustyShackleford]

Stanley, dude is freaky fast

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