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That means all four of our top recruits from the 2021 class (all 4* guys btw) transfered out and had hardly any meaningful snaps between them. Really gotta wonder how much they were impacted by COVID during their final high school year. 

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The academics argument has always been ludicrous to me. It’s asinine to suggest that BYU’s recruiting has been significantly impacted by high academic standards because players can’t enroll. The only P5 school where this could legitamately be an argument is Stanford and perhaps Northwestern. Michigan fans also love to pull this card when they miss on a recruit. Every school has absolute bare minimum standards, but you’re kidding yourself if you believe the football team is going to let admissions stand in their way if they really want a recruit or transfer. 

[younglurch]

Thanks for distilling all this!

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My thoughts on these questions:

1: I think QB2 will be Barnes. We saw in a very small sample size that Barnes is no slouch in the Rose Bowl, and I think he’ll get the nod as the backup and will act as a game manager. Last year it felt like they wanted to use Jackson due to his incredible athleticism, but the fumble in the WSU game seemed to relegate him to the bench (although I feel like he may have also been injured at points too?) If Jackson can’t make it work this year I think his ship as a college QB will have sailed. We also have 4* Nate Johnson and high 3* Brandon Rose vying for playing time. 

2: You’re right about injuires, it was frustrating that we never really had a fully healthy o-line last year. Thankfully we have depth in most places and put the COVID season in the rearview mirror, so I think conditioning and health will be marginally better.

3: The first 3 or 4 games last year were a pain to watch. I will be interested to see if the team goes into this huge matchup with Florida more energized, or if the Gators blow the game open in the first quarter due to us being unprepared. My prediction: if we win the turnover battle we win the game. Not a radical thought but still important.

4: I really think people are downplaying the potential impact the Jen Shah situation might have. Shah is a great coach who I fully support, but having your wife go to federal prison surely has rattled him a bit. Special teams mistakes were brutal last year (aside from Covey) and I don’t have huge hopes they’ll be significantly better. Hope I’m proven wrong.

5: Every year we see a nontraditional preseason media darling crumble under the weight of expectations. Last year it was Iowa State and UNC. Utah is primed for a great season this year, but we also could quickly fall by the wayside like those teams did if we’re not ready for the big stage. Knowing the leadership this team has, I think this might be the year we can excel as the hunted.

Regardless of what happens, I am pumped for the season and am excited to see our guys back on the field. Go Utes! 

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Highly recruited Utah player leaves for USC because he couldn’t crack the depth chart at Utah. What a time to be alive…

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Let’s be honest, given their prior body of work, Bryce Young and CJ Stroud are head and shoulders above everyone else. But leaving the 1st team all conference PAC QB off your list seems like a major oversight. Cam easily has the potential to play himself into the 1st or 2nd round this year.

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Now that Oklahoma is rebuilding, the Big12 is suffering from the same issue as the PAC12. They have plenty of good teams, but no great teams. As we know with the PAC, without a true playoff contender year in and year out your conference quickly gets ignored. 

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I’m assuming he’ll clear waivers and then stick around on the practice squad and will likely get called up a few times. I’d say there are decent odds he’ll get a shot returning some punts and kicks this year for the Eagles. Hopefully he shows enough to stay on the roster. 

Aside from Nick Ford and Devin Lloyd, did any other Utes from the last draft class make a roster? I think everyone else got cut. 

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Excellent point about Shah. I used to be firmly in his camp, particularly after we flipped CPIII from Ohio St but there has been a drop off as of late. You have to wonder if his wife’s reality TV antics and run in with the feds has anything to do with it. 

[younglurch]

To your point, he could have done this and had a Kenneth Walker-type impact his grad year which would have gotten him drafted. But you also run the risk of getting hurt, and also have to win the job during camp and learn a new offense and culture. He probably figured he had enough tape and raw tools to land a UDFA contract, which he could parlay into a roster spot. I for one am surprised he only got a minicamp invite. 

It’s definitely a complex calculation for these guys who are on the NFL fringe to make. 

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