When it comes to Utah football, Bo knows.
In his career with the Utes, Bo Nagahi has seen action on offense, defense and special teams.
"I love to be on the field," said Nagahi. "Whatever they want me to do. If they want me to long snap, if they want me to be a quarterback, I would. Anything to be on the field, I'd do."
As a senior, Nagahi is ticketed to be a starting cornerback, return kicks and be a "gunner" on the punt team. That, however, is only what the coaching staff has in mind. His teammates added another duty. They elected him a team captain.
"It's a great honor to be a captain of this team. It's just a big family," said Nagahi. "I just hope I can be a good captain. I'm trying. It's not going to change me. I'm just going to keep doing what I do. It's a huge honor for me to be elected that."
Defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham said it says something about Nagahi's character. A year ago, Nagahi's greatest contributions on the field came on special teams. He led the nation's top-ranked kickoff squad with 25.5 yards per return. Off the field, Nagahi was a member of the team's leadership committee and is a two-time academic all-conference honoree.
"To get voted team captain after not having been a starter the year before on defense or offense tells you what kind of impact he made on special teams and what kind of respect the players have for him," said Whittingham.
Nagahi's biggest fan, though, isn't one of his peers. It's the boss.
"Everybody knows how I feel about Bo. The players give him a hard time because I love Bo Nagahi," said Utah coach Urban Meyer. "I love who he is. I love his family. I love everything about him because he honestly puts the team before himself."
As such, the coaching staff capitalizes on his attitude and versatility and puts him wherever there's a need.
"Bo is a valuable member of this team," said Meyer. "He's a jack-of-all-trades. He can do a lot for us."
Nagahi is hoping to secure a cornerback spot in camp. Eric Weddle's move to safety and the graduation of Arnold Parker have created an opportunity to start. The senior is determined to match a really good spring with a strong summer.
"Bo is playing the best football that he's played at the U. He came out of spring No. 1 on the right side, and he's done nothing this fall to change that," said Whittingham. "It's Bo's job to lose. He's got to be unseated to lose that position. Someone has got to take it from him, and so far, he's shown no signs of relinquishing it."
The competition, however, will be spirited. It was last year when Nagahi came up short in a tight battle.
"So far he's a starting corner, but he's got some guys right on his heels," said Meyer. "Starting corner is a tough job, especially in our defense. We play man. We play very little of anything else."
Nagahi, a former Deseret Morning News Mr. Football award winner at Skyline High, understands the situation. It's added a little fuel to an already full tank that drives him toward success — team, not individual.
"There's a ton of good competition. We have a lot of good corners, a lot of good skill," he said. "There's always room to learn, and we're just playing real hard every day. We come out and have a lot of competition, but of course that just makes us better."
E-mail: dirk@desnews.com