[Charlie]

I think your list is pretty much what goes into fall camp. RB, TE, and WR will solidify more in the fall. Johnson and Hunter will have more of a roll that is hard to reflect in the depth chart because I have noted Beck has an interest in a hybrid back. Bray has a chance to move up as the quick back option. Lud had a lot of interest in a back that could pick up a blitz, I don’t know Beck’s priority for this yet. I am hoping Beck makes more game to game changes on offense due to the plan to attack each defense. It may take a couple of games for the chart to settle in.

Utah likes to rotate DTs so without a clear leader it may feel like 4 or 5 in rotation. The DE opposite Fano is a spot that is open. LBer and Safety will have Hall and Ritchie rotate in a lot keeping these spots fresh. I think the CBs are still in a process of getting into a line.

We often have a surprise that jumps into the depth chart. This year is high on that possibility.

[Charlie]

Next season will answer a question. Was the two Pac championships by Utah an aberration and the progress Utah made in a decade less than what we saw? Or was the two seasons without the expected QB1 and injuries or shortcomings of backup QBs an aberration and the progress Utah made in a decade real? Something like trying to understand the specific changes last year to this year in personnel or understanding the big picture of what Utah built as individual players come and go.

My feeling is the loss of the planned QB1 along with the under development of the remaining QB room had a greater negative impact on the team than the positive impact of the arrival of a star QB would have. I don’t think Whitt is trying to build a team that can compete in a top conference, rather I think he is trying to fix the problem of the missing QB1. The fix includes a new OC who does bring a new offense but also an offense that may be easier for backup QBs to master and run. The OC has a second year QB and new personnel at RB and WR, however, it will enjoy a very good OL. The key, I believe, will be the ability of the offense to be difficult to predict play by play. I think the OC can get that done.

I expect the defense to be just fine. The key for the defense is to be freed from carrying the game when the offense struggles. I expect the defense to seem more effective as this pressure is reduced.

I expect the QB remedy to restore Utah to the previous level of football enjoyed in the Pac which would put us at the top of the Big-12. As an example, ASU last year would likely finish 4th or 5th in a mythical 2024 Pac-12. Utah, without the QB issue, would have been a contender above ASU. I don’t see games on the schedule Utah can’t win so I will begin my expectation for 10 wins. But note I am an optimist.

[Charlie]

We need to understand that coaches at every level very much lean into hope when it comes to a star player like Cam. When you have a player like this you naturally chase every possibility for the return, listen to every possibility that the return can happen, and get caught up in hope. We just had a front row seat noting the difference between Cam and other options and yes, it is difficult to recruit a backup when there is not a timetable for his leaving. For Cam, the same thing exists, star players will also lean into hope that he can return and build on his successes. I don’t like what happened but I can understand how hope got in the way and was hard to move on from.

Myself, I prefer to remember everything Cam and Lud gave us realizing that without them together our time in the Pac may have passed without a championship. My regret was it all could not be replicated more than twice. Now looking forward to the next time lightning is caught in a bottle.

[Charlie]

This is the key. Take a minute and look at the list of the top 25 Utah football recruits all time. Half you don’t remember because they left for some reason and/or simply didn’t see the field in any meaningful way. Then consider the list of Utah football players drafted by the NFL. Note pleanty of players that did not get attention when initially recruited or when they transferred to Utah. Some are highly rated and drafted for sure. I already know our coaches look deeper than a few star ratings for players but it is a dog eat dog world in the competition for good players.

Our coaches put a lot of focus into the Rising basket. Why wouldn’t they? How many other college QBs had as much success as he did and still had 2 years of eligibility remaining? Some fans are critical but also have little understanding of the issues related to getting him back onto the field. The team had bad luck, yes bad luck, getting the results from Rising’s recovery that they hoped for and the coaches did get caught short not having a serviceable backup QB. Sadly, this issue spanned two consecutive seasons. Some will assume we can’t fix the QB issue or that the bad luck/shortcoming will spread to the entire football team. I am an optimist but I think the issue will be fixed like so many issues have been in the last 30 years.

But I agree with you, win this year and this issue will be forgotten like Jordan Wynn’s injury, and we are a contender in the Big-12 8 out of 10 years. Struggle this year and getting the ship right gets harder. NIL will play a part but the NIL resource winners in the first few years will not simply be the winners for ever more. Stay positive.

[Charlie]

I think that would be the perspective if you had been following local college football for only a few years. A longer perspective would note that it has been since the 80s that the Y has dominated Utah offensively. Only the last two years has the Utah offense been unproductive and that was due to Rising’s injury and the inability to field an adequate backup. Even just an adequate QB1 can change that problem. One of the best pieces to turn around an offense is a great OL because we have observed before a great OL make an average OB or RB look great. My key question is can Beck’s offense remain productive after a move to a P4 conference.

Utah does not have a big hill to climb. The level we needed to win the Pac is not needed to win the Big-12. A simple return to the level of a competitive 4th place Pac team will win the Big-12. Last years ASU or Y teams, as an example, would not have finished in the top half of the Pac before the breakup. Remove our QB issue and Utah’s floor was/is still in the top half of the old Pac. Now we no longer have a couple of top teams to face in the regular season.

In most seasons Utah has had a noteworthy QB and receiver and very much a fun offense to watch. HS athletes can have a limited perspective with emphasis on the last one or two years. However, many can note a direction for a team that looks beyond the injury to a single player. I think the smart money will view Utah’s direction as bigger than defined by the last two years. The acid test comes this year as Rising’s injury is removed and Beck’s offense is added to the equation. On defense, I mostly see usual year to year holes to fill.

[Charlie]

I agree. How teams do this year will affect commitments that can easily change. The portal will also adjust based on this years results. 2026 recruiting will only come together as players sign, for now they are simply noting their lean.

[Charlie]

This is interesting to watch. I did not note what Fano did in the spring game. Fano’s interest would be in learning the LT spot for the NFL. Possibly learning both spots which may be ideal. A left handed QB would want him at RT. If or when other QBs play does he switch spots? Is he equally good at both spots? Does he have a preference? A tackle that can play either side at a high level is awesome.

[Charlie]

I think Utah and BYU donors are different with the Utah side having more competing interests on the academic side. On the Y side there seems to be a much greater need to prove they are equal or better and for some reason it spills into the sports thing. I have a split family, half and half, giving me quite an opportunity to attend games in Provo. Mostly Utah games but also big games when major teams visit. We know the fan bases are different but they are also different sports related. Utah is typical, much like other places I have been invited to and like Arizona where I also went to school. The Y is a one of a kind, not like TCU or other religion based schools, in that their venues are packed with people that are otherwise not at all sports fans. They are short on understanding rules or other approaches to the game used by others but they are very much a fan of winning. I have always wondered how that translates to the donor level. I wonder why Mr Marriott gave the U a library and donated to the Y’s sports program. Either way, I think Y donors check an extra box when donating to the Y but maybe that is also the case at Notre Dame.

[Charlie]

Was he living in Provo? Would not think Kalani would be his home teacher in SLC. If he was living in Provo that lean began when he moved there or did not move to SLC.

[Charlie]

I don’t keep up with these things, but if that is the case that is sad. When I finished at the U in the 70s I knew several others that did not get accepted to graduate school at the U and bumped down to the Y for the same. I wonder if that is the case with STEM programs?

[Author]

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