It means a lot. It shows our teammates trust us, believe in us and want us to lead. It’s special to me. I wanted to get it again this year and I’m happy I did. – Troy Williams
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah football announced its captains for 2017. The leadership group, as chosen by the players, includes defensive tackles Lowell Lotulelei and Filipo Mokofisi; offensive lineman Salesi Uhatafe and quarterback Troy Williams; plus special teams standouts Christian Drews and Mitch WIshnowsky.
The results made Utah coach Kyle Whittingham happy.
“I think the players did a great job selecting them,” he said.
Whittingham noted that the election of the offensive and defensive captains “wasn’t even close.” Lotulelei and Mokofisi, along with Uhatafe and repeat captain Williams, separated themselves from the pack.
Special teams turned out to pretty much be a dead heat. So, for the first time, the Utes will two players — Drews and Wishnowsky — serve as captains from that group.
FROM THE CAPTAINS: Team leaders weigh in on their new roles.
• “It’s such an honor. I’ve grown up watching the Utes play and it’s been my team, my dream school. Even to be a player is an honor, let alone lead the team. It’s really been a dream come true.” — Drews
• “I don’t think anything changes. Everybody on this team strives to be a leader, but I think it’s up to us to set the standard. It’s a good title, I guess, to have just because I think it motivates us personally — to push us, just because we know everybody’s watching us.” — Lotulelei
• “Obviously that means a lot. Being a captain is a huge responsibility, but I’m going to try to take it upon my hands to make this team better — as best as can and hopefully they make me better as well.” — Mokofisi
• “It’s a huge honor. I think that it just goes to show some of the respect that I’ve gained over the past years amongst my teammates and I’ll try my best not to mess that up for them. — Uhatafe
• “It means a lot. It shows our teammates trust us, believe in us and want us to lead. It’s special to me. I wanted to get it again this year and I’m happy I did.” — Williams
• “It’s good to be voted by the players to be a captain and it’s good to share with Christian Drews. I know everyone looks up to Christian as a leader on special teams. So it’s an honor.” — Wishnowsky
EXTRA POINTS: Whittingham said the Utes will learn on Friday if wide receiver Derrick Vickers will be “in or out” as far completing junior college academic work and joining the team . . . Offensive coordinator Troy Taylor said the scheme is about 95 percent installed at this point. The base of what will win games, he added, is in . . . Camp concludes with a closed scrimmage on Saturday . . . Junior safety Chase Hansen, who has not participated in camp because of an unspecified “lingering” injury. is expected to start practicing inside of a week according to Whittingham . . . The coach also expects to make a starting quarterback announcement “very quickly.”
Email: dirk@deseretnews.com
Twitter: @DirkFacer