[Rick]

Wow – terrific breakdown ALUF,

I think Baylor gets us and one of BYU or Kansas. If healthy, this team can be 10-2 and in the title game with 9-3 a possibility. If injuries mount again I don’t see 5-7 as the basement. I think Beck’s offense is creative enough but without too much complexity that we’ll be all right offensively regardless of injury. There are also a lot of play makers on offense that Beck can turn to. I say 7-5 as a floor and 11-1 as a ceiling.

[Rick]

I need to read the Herren books.

May I add a couple of biographies to your list?

-“Bill ‘The Hill” and the Jump Hook” – memoir of Billy McGill the Ute legend. Billy and a cowriter are the authors. Terrific. I never realized just how close to the very best players in the world at that time – Chamberlain and Russell – McGill was. If he stays healthy he is among the basketball legends.

-“Foul” – a Connie Hawkins biography by David Wolf. A huge recommend.

-“The Secret Game” – the story of an all-black team that took it to Duke University before blacks were integrated into college basketball.

[Rick]

I just read the D’News article about the day. Repeated what I posted only better along with some other quotes and information. It’s worth a read.

I’m happy to read that he didn’t dwell on the Tanuvasa stuff. Lander addressed it a little as well. He said that he was angry at first but emphasized how football has become a business and he’s not going to blame someone for moving on. He mentioned that he remains friends with Tanuvasa. I will say that he pointedly said that he’d never leave Utah – unless it was for the NFL draft.

I love that Barton family loyalty. There just won’t be many like them given what NIL is doing to college football and basketball.

[Rick]

Butters,
A couple of questions for you. Garcia at center is new information to me – not that I had any insider knowledge. I’ve assumed he’d be our next great tackle. Is he a tackle-in-waiting who gets playing time backing up Kump at center or is he going to be our center of the future? Do you know?

Dillon over Fitzgerald is another projection I’m wondering about. What do you know about his progress that suggests he starts? Fitzgerald is a solid defensive end who proved to be strong against the run last season but didn’t do much as a pass rusher. Not that anyone did much in that space. I do hope Dillon becomes at least a two-year starter for the U. He certainly has the physical makeup.

Lastly, is Kanai Lopes projected as a backup because you hope he will be or because his play demands it? He’s another one, like Dillon, whose positional size and athleticism would suggest he climb the depth chart but he’s also on the young end still. I know Scalley thinks highly of Trey Reynolds.

Anyway, just wondering whether or not you can share a little more information on those players/positions.

[Rick]

That’s interesting DT. I know he’s a strong receiver as well. He’d certainly pair well with the Pula kid. Dare I suggest letting him play two-way a little if he comes our way?

Thanks for setting me straight. Perhaps that makes us a little less enticing except he probably gets an opportunity for playing time even sooner on the offensive side of the ball.

[Rick]

I hope he comes. If he’s thinking at all long-term Utah should be the choice given our coaching and the defense we play. Moa has all the intangibles to be an NFL free safety. Add our legacy at the safety position and we should be highly considered as long as the NIL is reasonable. I think BYU should get second consideration there given their defense and coaching now.

Anyway, I hope he stays in the state and comes our way.

[Rick]

Sure we have hotspots – but largely in the West. There are significant Utah alums in LA, Orange County and San Francisco. Phoenix follows with the rest of the Western cities being a little less – Denver, Las Vegas, Boise and Portland.

Washington D.C. is right behind LA and Orange County.

I’d love to see football and basketball focus on out of conference games with the old PAC-12 powers given the alumni base. In basketball, I’ve always wished we’d try and get Georgetown, Maryland, Virginia and St. John’s to play us. We’d get significant support from Alums. Obviously, Maryland and Virginia would be good football teams to schedule as well.

[Rick]

I don’t disagree with you Ute Dub but it will be interesting to see what Alex and staff do – or try to do.

Alex has said that he doesn’t want a “new team” every year. I’m hearing that the best way they think that’s done will be leaning into high school recruiting with a smaller mix of portal players with one-to-two years of eligibility left. I also continue to hear that the Houston model is closest to what they want to do. A lot of dawgs who play positionless defensively and who come up through the program.

[Rick]

Come on CC – we’re due – at least at the QB position.

[Rick]

Rangum,
I can tell you with certainty that what you’ve heard about Scalley wanting Arbuckle as number one choice is false. He liked Arbuckle and would have supported the hire but he wanted Whittingham to interview Beck from the start and when Arbuckle “used” the Utah position to get Oklahoma Whittingham agreed to bring in Beck.

The second guy interviewed, I forget his name, would not have been offered the position. Neither Whittingham nor Scalley felt like he was the right fit. Not a negative, just not the right fit. The media and fans assumed that the second guy interviewed was the second choice. It was not the case.

Beck was then interviewed separately by Whitt and then Scalley. They both agreed quickly that he was the guy.

Technically, you could say Arbuckle was the first choice; but if you got Scalley to speak candidly, he’d tell you that Beck was his first choice. That matters a ton given the inevitability of Scalley.

[Author]

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