Utah Football 2024

This is simply not true, but i assume one highlights only what one wants to see.
Suck eggs for saying that.

I feel sometimes that if Utah football moved to another level D-IAA, D-II, etc., that most of the fans on this board would cease being fans. I would continue to support our Utes. Would you?

Post-spring football sleeper picks to know about ahead of the 2024 season
espn.com article

Sleeper pick: Dijon Stanley

Utah has a host of returning backs and additions that make up a strong running back room. What makes Stanley stand out among them is his speed. The freshman from California is already wowing teammates and coaches alike with his quickness, which should be a welcome dynamic to the Utesā€™ offense as it welcomes back quarterback Cam Rising from injury. ā€“ Uggetti

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You typically donā€™t see RBs returning kickoffs, but Stanley found the field last year doing just that, as a true FR.

Heā€™s not just quick, heā€™s got really good speed, won the city section in HS in the 400M, which is a grinder of a sprint.

Weā€™ve got a room full of good RBs, led by Sr Micah Bernard, who is up to 206 lbs to go along with his burst speed that stood out in previous years. Jaylon Glover is a Jr, now up to 202 lbs. He has the quicks, now should be able to deliver enough of a punch to get some YAC as well.

I kept hearing last year from practice that of our promising trio of FR RBs, Mike Mitchell might be the best at 6-0 / 211. He looked legit in the spring game.

  • Dijon Stanley 6-0 / 178 - his ability to catch the ball makes him a weapon like we saw from Bernard in the first Rose Bowl.
  • John Randle, Jr 6-0 / 182 - havenā€™t seen him yet, the lineage is solid
  • Anthony Woods 5-10 / 180, with John White IV like video from playing in the Big Sky at Idaho
  • Charlie Vincent 5-10 / 200 - known quantity, tough, knows the offense inside & out
  • Omar Shah - 5-10 / 215 - his dad was a pretty stout SS, is a great coach of our CBs and NBs.

Woods seems to have the FB credentials to be a weapon, Dijon Stanley emerged early last year as a KR, Mike Mitchell might demand snaps.

Iā€™m excited about our RBs.

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Glover seems to have all the intangibles, but always seems to go down immediately if someone even looks his direction.

Hoping a little extra weight might help him stay upright.

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Wouldnā€™t one of the primary football ā€˜intangiblesā€™ be the ability to take a hit?

Stop looking at him.

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Physicality is definitely a trait RBā€™s need to be successful. It is what made Zach Moss, John White, and all the others 1000 yard plus rushers. Defenses hate tackling them because they know they are going to get roughed up, too. They love tackling backs who donā€™t put up a fight.

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Truly good/great RBs have good yards after contact and/or are patient for the hole (not just speed, but sometimes a pause before bursting through what the OL gives them).

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Like anything else in sports, thereā€™s much more to athleticism than just speed and size. Hand-eye coordination, foot speed (short burst and lateral), ability to quickly process the situation, etc. Situation and position dictates the optimal combination and the level of success thereof.

I was very good in basketball and volleyball not because of size/athleticism (6ā€™1" & 35" vertical werenā€™t anything special), but because my ability to read the situation and the opponentā€™s set-up/movement.

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Were you one of the HPER stars during your college tenure?

Sure was. Track team at the U (javelin), played club vball, coached (student assistant) womenā€™s vball team for Beth. Played bball with a large % of uā€™s football team at the time (e.g. Kevin Dyson, Jamal Anderson, Luther, etc). Also played a bit with Ma.

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Interestingā€¦

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Looks like Utah just scheduled a home and home with UCLA starting 2025. Good. Arguably every non-conf game should be against a West Coast school for however long this Big12 situation lasts.

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West Coast or Western?
There are plenty of D-IA programs in our region, not all in coastal States/areas.

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this pic from Utah Athletics twitter is causing a little bit of a stir

The swoosh?

why?

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The Nike Swoosh and U apparel.

https://x.com/fn_allutes/status/1813417862784221591?s=61&t=Vh75a4OORzrKnweHIZgVWQ

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ā€¦interestingā€¦ my son, a lifelong Utefan, who works for Adidas, has not mentioned anything about anything like this, and I usually hear everything like this from him first. Staying tunedā€¦

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X factors for college footballā€™s top 25 teams in 2024

espn.com article

9. Utah Utes

TE Brant Kuithe. With Cam Rising returning to the Utes offense for one more (hopefully healthy) season, this will be a crucial year for Utahā€™s offensive weapons. Kuithe is going to be thrust into the spotlight further after the departure of fellow tight end Dalton Kincaid. Like Rising, Kuithe missed last season with an injury and has been in Salt Lake City since 2018. In all but one season, Kuithe has averaged more than 10 yards per catch and he also has 16 touchdowns to his name. In his final year at Utah, the program may need him to have his best year yet.

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Post-spring Top 25 teamsā€™ biggest question marks heading into the fall

espn.com article

9. Utah Utes

Question mark: Quarterback and O-line

Itā€™s far too early to say this is a weakness for the Utes, but the combination of how Cam Rising returns after a year off due to an injury and an offensive line that lost two of its best players from last year, including its center, could be a question mark heading into the season. Despite some key departures, thereā€™s plenty of promise and talent in the Utesā€™ line, including redshirt freshman Caleb Lomu and juniors Tanoa Togiai and Jaren Kump, so it will likely come down to how well the group jells as the season progresses.

image

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