It’s time for a major overhaul IMO

[ProudUte]

Our football and basketball programs are not good. This has been the case in basketball for many years and now football is headed in the wrong direction. I know that I/we need to be careful about judging the football program based on the last two seasons. However, last season was a total debacle. Yes, we had injuries, and everybody else did too. There is NO excuse for our pathetic offense last season.

I am not optimistic about 2025 Utah football. Why? We have lost so much on defense that I think this may be the worst defense in at least a decade. We should be solid at LB, but our D-line and D-backs are not very good. I think our offense will likely be better, but it is hard to know. We will have a completely new system, with mostly new players. Our RB room is totally new and the QB room only has one returner.

(I am open to a different opinion on our football program. If you think the 2025 will be competitive in the Big12 in 2025 – please tell me why.)

So, back to the overhaul. I think that we need a new AD. We are doing good in a few sports like Skiing, Gymnastics, WBB, etc. However, the two sports that matter most are not headed in the wrong direction IMO. I have nothing against Harlan personally, He seems to be a good man. But, college sports has changed, and we need an AD that can take us to the top. I’m not confident that Harlan can do that. The next few years are critical as conference re-alignment looms. Also, our friends down south are headed in the right direction. It would be horrific – if they are included and we are left out. We compete against these guys for money, recruits, status, etc. We cannot afford to fall further behind.

On a side note, I was one who wanted an overhaul to the football program and hoped that KW would retire. I love what Whitt has done for Utah football, but times have changed, and I no longer think his brand of football will be viable going forward.

I am just one guy with one opinion. I am not trying to convince anyone. On the contrary, if you have a different view – I want to hear it. I want to believe in our football and basketball programs.

Go Utes!!!

[Walkman]

I think you are right – I think for better or worse we are at the mercy of Kyle’s whims on whether or not he wants to come back at the end of each and every season. With that uncertainty it will be hard for us to recruit and keep top talent.

Kyle is the main reason we have become relevant but if he stays too long he could also be part of the reason we lose the hard fought relevance he gained for the program.

It’s time to turn the program over to someone else – most likely Morgan and let him build on the legacy that has been created – he will make mistakes but I think he will also infuse some much needed energy into the program as well.

Basketball is another story – I like the players we have now but we simply don’t have enough elite talent to compete in this conference on a consistent basis. We also lack a coach who can recruit top talent to this school. We can complain about NIL which is important but people also need to play for a coach who can get them where they want to go. Smith doesn’t seem to develop people into NBA talent.

We need major changes – Harlan should either grow some balls and pull off these bandages or move on – he has shown nothing for anyone to believe he can be a program builder in the major revenue sports –

[Jim Vanderhoof]

It’s hard to tell about 2025 yet proud Ute. We looked better on paper last year and lost 7 in a row. QB was the glaring weakness along with a complicated offense that nobody seemed to grasp. The new offense should be more player friendly and easier to learn.

I expect a different mindset with players and coaches. ASU and BYU have the targets on their backs now and we have a clean slate to prove we are still a top tier program. We lost some good players but new blood at QB and RB should spark the offensive line and give offense a whole new look.

[Tony (admin)]

This post doesn’t exist if we had a healthy quarterback the last two seasons.

[Rick]

I’m with Tony here. Horrible luck happens. The team is positioned to be among the top teams in the Big 12 this season. I actually think the D’line could be better this season. We need to establish depth at tackle but there are three solid tackles in place. Logan Fano is a terrific anchor at one defensive end spot and there is a lot of talent vying for his backup at the other end position – Henry-Daley and Kash Dillon among them. The linebacking corp is terrific with depth. Tao Johnson and Smith Snowden will be among the best dbs in the league. As look at the defensive players, there is a lot of talent.

Basketball is another story.

[UteBacker]

Any program not in the Big Ten or SEC is headed in the wrong direction. We may just be one of the many examples of that.

[Ute Dub]

How do you know our D-Line and DB’s are not very good for 2025? Projecting much? I though Lander sucked ass for half the season last year. He didn’t contain, he overran the ball carrier and qb time and again leaving the rest of the defense short a player on the field.

[chinngiskhaan]

I am hopeful that our football team will be better this year. If for no other reason than because Cam isn’t going to be not playing any games next season (no, I did not have a stroke, and neither did you). We won’t have the distraction of Cam’s will he/won’t he nonsense that we’ve been dealing with for the last two years. We needed to make a big change, and we did. I have faith in everyone on this staff other than the new guy, and the new guy can’t possibly make things worse than they were the last two years.

Our RB room has been awful, the fact that it is mostly new is not a bad thing. They were all bad, or at least performed poorly. We have a good OL returning, if Barton gets his speed back we will be a great defense again next year.

Is Harlan a problem? Maybe, I have no idea. The basketball program’s problems are “Dr” Hill’s fault entirely. I can’t speak to any other potential problems because I have zero knowledge of the inner workings of the athletic program, and zero knowledge of any other Utah sports.

I hope Kyle gets things turned around this year then hands the reigns over to Scalley.

[BD]

Any team (not named Ohio State, Oregon, etc.) playing QB 2 all season will lose some games. Any team playing a true freshman as QB 2 will lose more games. Any team also playing QBs 3 through 5 will lose even more.

With that, I am not convinced Utah’s football program is “in decline”. Not yet anyway given that it all points to the QB position. Most other positions outside of QB were performing well. One more season like the last two however – then yes the program is in decline.

Somehow, Utah must find a way to keep their QBs healthy.

Next season is it. 8-4 as a minimum before I agree that the team is in decline. Anything less than 8-4 then yes, the program is in decline and “the trend is your friend” (meaning it most likely continues) and it will take years to recover.

[Author]

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