Linebacker Phil Glover didn't get noticed quite enough when he was playing as a freshman at Washington State. So he transferred to Utah, redshirted the 1996 season and made himself into a local hero as the Utes' No. 1 solo tackler , tackle leader in five games, No. 2 on the team in total tackles and a first-team all-WAC selection and two-time WAC defender of the week in 1997.
Now Glover is a senior - voted a team co-captain - and one of 68 candidates for the 1998 Butkus Award Watch List, named by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando.But he doesn't seem to want individual notoriety.
It's probably not really a change of tune. At WSU, he just wanted to play and didn't see the opportunity coming.
But he says being a captain is "no different - it's just a title."
As for the Butkus list? "They just picked my name out of a hat" for the Butkus Watch list, he says, noting the 67 others and not getting excited about trying to win it. Opponents will know who he is, Butkus Watch or not. "They're going to say, `He's a half-decent linebacker making plays,' " he adds.
He's just part of what may be Utah's best weapon. "We want to be the top defense (in the WAC) in every category," says Glover.
Glover, of Las Vegas, is one of the Utes' top athletes. In weightlifting, he squats a team second-best 522 pounds and benches 432, third-best on the team. He's the fastest of the linebackers at 4.48 seconds in the 40 and has a team-top 38-inch vertical jump.
The Utes finished their first weekend of practices Sunday and have two-a-days Monday through Aug. 25, with their first practice in full pads coming Tuesday morning.
Practices are closed to the public.
On Sunday morning, coach Ron McBride said he was pleased with improved "crispness" on the offensive and defensive fronts. "The offensive line made a big step forward, and the defensive front was very crisp," he said, noting the work of three offensive linemen: JC transfer Joe McCullum and veterans Fisi Moleni and Steve McKane.
McBride said wide receiver is a key position after losing NFL No. 16 overall draftee Kevin Dyson to the Tennessee Oilers as the first wide receiver taken in the 1998 draft.
"They had a real good morning 1-on-1 with the cornerbacks. Clifford Russell's really starting to show his stuff," McBride said.
Russell is a freshman but entered school in winter quarter, made the academic honor roll (3.40 GPA) and participated in spring drills. He's the fastest Ute at a 4.37 in the 40 and has a 34-inch vertical.
Running backs - another key with the losses of NFL draftee Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Juan Johnson - "were real consistent the whole time," McBride said.