SALT LAKE CITY — Everyone has been raving about the Utah football team's defensive line with many calling it one of the best in college football.
The offensive line? Not so much.
The Utes are inexperienced on the O-line this year with just two full-time starters returning in Darrin Paulo, who is moving from right tackle to left tackle, and Orlando Umana, who started four games at left guard and then played nine games as the starting center after Lo Falemaka went down with an injury. Umana is expected to pick up where he left off as the Utes' starting center.
Nick Ford, who started half the games at two different positions, is the projected starter at right tackle. The other two who are penciled in as starters are Paul Toala, who played sparingly last year after transferring from Dixie College and is listed as the starting right guard, with Braeden Daniels, a redshirt freshman from Texas, as the starting left guard.
Preseason practice has been going on for just four days, but three and a half weeks from now when the Utes play their first game at BYU, the offensive line should be a lot better thanks to the defensive line.
The thing I really like is they go up against some of the best in the country every day. – Offensive line coach Jim Harding
How's that?
Paulo, Utah's most experienced offensive lineman, knows that better than anyone after being in the program for four years and he's especially finding out about it this year.
Having been moved to the important left tackle position (he's the one who keeps the quarterback from getting blindsided), replacing graduated Jackson Barton, Paulo is going up against one of the best defensive linemen in the country every day in all-Pac-12 defensive right end Bradlee Anae.
"I'm going up against one of the best right now in Bradlee," he said. "He's a great look ... a great look."
Offensive line coach Jim Harding reiterates what Paulo said.
"The thing I really like is they go up against some of the best in the country every day," he said. "So you're going to have an idea of what it's going to look like on a Saturday because those guys bring it every day."
Coach Kyle Whittingham also knows how important the competition is for the development of his players.
"It's a huge help, those guys going against each other," he said. "Those guys going head-to-head is great training for both sides of the ball."
The biggest challenge for Harding and Whittingham right now is finding the five solid guys who will start the season and they hope to find at least three more linemen who can step in if one of the starters is injured or falters.
As of Saturday, Whittingham said he felt comfortable with six players and needs to find a couple more. He said they could come from a group of three true freshmen who have been impressive so far — Marist Talavou, Sataoa Laumea and Johnny Maea.
"I really like the young guys," he said.
"Ideally you'd like to have eight — a swing tackle and a swing guard and a backup guy that can snap," Harding said. "In a perfect world, I would love to have 10, so each guy is just worried about left guard or left tackle, but you want to have at least eight going into the season."
One player who could become a starter is Bamidele Olaseni, a 6-foot-7, 330-pound JC transfer from Garden City (Kansas), who is expected to arrive on campus Wednesday after completing some academic work. Both Whittingham and Harding have indicated it's not a sure thing he'll be ready by Wednesday, but once he does come in, Olaseni could quickly get on the field for the Utes.
Harding pointed out that both Garett Bolles three years ago and Jordan Agasiva two years ago came to camp late and were still able to start the first game.
Two other players who could be in the mix on the offensive line are a pair of graduate transfers — Alex Locklear from Marshall and Noah Osur-Myers from Washington State. Harding said both have the opportunity to be among his top eight.
"My job every year is to get five pieces in place as quickly as possible so they can play together," Harding said. "I feel really good about them. Three guys have experience, so I just have to find the other two and whoever those guys are, we do have some flexibility."