D-Line Preview

[UtesRule]

Continuing with the position reviews of the 2024 Utah football team, today I’ll focus on the D-Line!
The depth and dominance of this all-important part of the team will allow Utah’s Defense to match the potential strength of the Offense, in what could be a fantastic season for Utah!
Defensive Ends currently listed on the roster includes:
Logan Fano – So., 6’4” 250 lbs
Van Fillinger – Sr., 6’4” 265 lbs
Elijah Eliss – Fr., 6’2” 200 lbs
Paul Fitzgerald – So., 6’3” 240 lbs
Vili Taufatofua – RS So., 6’3” 250 lbs
Ka’eo Akana – So., 6’3” 233 lbs
Connor O’Toole – Sr., 6’4” 250 lbs
John Henry Daley – Fr., 6’4” 253 lbs
Kash Dillon – Fr., 6’5” 222 lbs
Defense Tackles currently listed on the roster includes:
Keanu Tanuvasa – So., 6’4” 301 lbs
Junior Tafuna – Sr., 6’3” 308 lbs
Simote Pepa – Jr., 6’3” 332 lbs
Jonah Lea’ea – RS Fr., 6’5” 247 lbs
James LeBaron – So., 6’3” 279 lbs
Bobby Piland Jr. – RS Fr., 6’0” 308 lbs
Aliki Vimahi – Sr., – 6’4” 305 lbs
Jori Benson – So., 6’4” 302 lbs
Dallas Vakalahi – Fr., 6’2” 305 lbs
Tevita Fotu – Sr., 6’5” 299 lbs
Another loaded and highly talented position group on this team. Let’s start the breakdown with the Defensive Tackles.
Defensive Tackles most likely to get significant PT and wreak havoc on opposing team’s include (listed in order of most significant impact, IMO):
Junior Tafuna – This senior is a beast and should be 1st Team All-Big12!
Aliki Vimahi – Also a senior and poised for a 1st Team All-Big12 type season!
Simote Pepa – Junior is a wrecking ball of destruction who often demands a double team, just to try to contain him!
Tevita Fotu – Another senior who should have an outstanding season!
Keanu Tanuvasa – After a surprising Freshman season, Keanu is likely to have an even bigger impact as a HIGH quality backup, getting starting reps.
DT’s who will provide the depth needed to keep this unit fresh and dominating throughout games and the season:
Jonah Lea’ea – RS Freshman out of Bishop Gorman HS in Las Vegas has been making waves in Spring Ball and early in Fall camp.
Dallas Vakalahi – The freshman, home from a mission, was a BIG TIME get out of West High School in the 2022 recruiting cycle. Expecting big things out of this beast!
Defenseive End’s most likely to re-ignite Sack Lake City in 2024 include (listed in order of most significant impact, IMO):
Logan Fano – Has been 100% recovered from his knee injury suffered while recording a sack in Corvalis for several weeks and is ready to continue piling up sacks in 2024. My top candidate for Mayor of Sack Lake City this season.
Connor O’Toole – Also coming into 2024 FULLY healthy and will create an incredible 1-2 punch and push Fano as Mayor of Sack Lake City.
Van Fillinger – Is Van really a Senior…already??!! As healthy as he’s ever been at the start of the season, expecting a solid season from Van, recording high single digit, possibly low double digit sacks and putting a lot of pressure on opposing team’s Quarter Backs. With his size and physicality, he will also be a beast in rush defense!
Backup’s with high potential to provide depth this season include:
Kash Dillon – Sleeper pick as a freshman contributor on this 2024 team. Kash was the # 6 recruit in the State of Utah last year, out of Corner Canyon, who has quickly become the top talent producer in a state that (after California, Texas and Florida) is quickly becoming a pretty solid D1 producing football state. As a senior at Corner Canyon, he recorded 35 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss and 10.0 sacks.
John Henry Daley – Freshman transfer from the TDS, has a great pedigree, size and motor to be a contributor in 2024, and a leader in 2025.
If the 2024 D-Line lives up to the high expectations it has, this will provide the backbone of what could easily be the best defense Utah has put on the field since 2019!
Go Utes!

Next position group I’ll review will be the O-Line.

[MDUte]

Love it! Thanks @UtesRule! Our DL is the strength of the team and will dominate this year!

If our OL ends up being a strong as our DL (which it has the potential to be) this is going to be the special season we’re all hoping for! Go Utes!!

[BSC8]

Kash is a strong, athletic kid with a great frame. He’ll put on the weight and be a contributor in a year or two. He could if not for current experienced depth. Akana is freaky strong and fast. Has been a little light and hindered by injuries. Now he’s up to a good weight and healthy. If that continues he could make a nice impact this year and significant impact the following year once we lose Otoole and Fillinger.

[BSC8]

Kash is a strong, athletic kid with a great frame. He’ll put on the weight and be a contributor in a year or two. He could if not for current experienced depth. Akana is freaky strong and fast. Has been a little light and hindered by injuries. Now he’s up to a good weight and healthy. If that continues he could make a nice impact this year and significant impact the following year once we lose Otoole and Fillinger.

[ArcheryUte]

The size of our defensive line looks impressive. I wonder where we would stack up in the the B10 and SEC size wise?

[2008 National Champ]

If Dillon’s listed weight is correct, he’s probably a year away from serious consideration for playing time.

[22Ute22]

Probably 2 years tbh. He needs to put on a bare minimum of 20-30 pounds, most of which has to be muscle. Contrary to what a lot of people believe, putting on 10 pounds of pure muscle (I.e not the glycogen and water that gets stored with it) is very difficult to do in a year as a natural athletes. So unless he takes PED’s, it’s unlikely he will get to 242 by next year, especially while retaining speed and doing cardio.

[2008 National Champ]

I had the same problem when I was his age where I couldn’t put enough calories into my body to keep up with my metabolism. If you can imagine being 6’1 and trying to wrestle at 122 as a freshman in High School – never had to worry about making weight.,,

There was another kid a couple of years ago (Wegis?) who had a lot of talent but just couldn’t put on enough weight to play at the college level. If Dillon is the type that just can’t put on weight, maybe they pull a reverse O’Toole? Or see if he’s got enough athleticism to play LB like Eric Gentry from SC. But he’s going to get bent in half taking on top level college tackles at 220.

[Rick]

I imagine Dillon will redshirt. All kinds of potential and, as has been said, he’ll move somewhere else if adding weight is an issue. I don’t think it will be. He sure looks like he can put on 20 to 30 pounds over the next few years.

Akana is the player I’m hearing who has made significant progress and should see some playing time at end. I’m surprised to see Lea’ea at tackle. He got a few reps at end last season. He’s another one who will need some weight if he’s going to get reps at tackle.

[High Uintas]

I think some of the teams we face are going to be frustrated by Utah’s run defense.

[Charlie]

Kyle and Fred before him, were early adopters of deeper rotations on the D Line. I trust the coaches to take full advantage of deeper talent and rotate the DL and be fresher and stronger than opponents late in the games and late in the year. It also increases preparation for opponent OL personnel. Each of their guys get several of our guys.

[Author]

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