SALT LAKE CITY — Nothing has really changed since the coronavirus pandemic put an early end to spring football for the Utah Utes. Their objectives pretty much remain the same as camp opens Friday and the team embarks on a shortened seven-game season.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham readily acknowledges it.
“We’ve got a whole laundry list of things that we got to get accomplished,” he said.
The wash, though, won’t consist of a lot of spin cycles. There’s an abundance of both talent and youth in the program. Whittingham said the Utes “do have a lot of positive things going for (them).”
Last season, Utah went 11-3 and repeated as Pac-12 South champions. The Utes were in contention for a College Football Playoff berth — ranking fifth overall — before losing to Oregon 37-15 in the Pac-12 Championship Game. That was followed by a 38-10 setback to Texas in the Alamo Bowl.
Utah enters the 2020 campaign seeking nine new starters on defense, plus a starting quarterback, running back and left tackle on offense. Headlining the situation, according to Whittingham, is getting a quarterback named and the complete rebuild of the secondary.
Those are among five of a handful of compelling storylines as the Utes open camp.
Choose a starting quarterback
Replacing Tyler Huntley is an obvious priority for the Utes. The record-setting signal-caller has graduated, leaving quite a void. The position group, however, is well stocked with transfers Jake Bentley (South Carolina) and Cam Rising (Texas) joining veteran Drew Lisk in a battle for the starting job.
Given the circumstances, Whittingham noted that naming a guy is something they would rather do sooner than later. He said it’s a three-man race going in and the plan is to get the right choice in place and getting him all the reps with the ones in practice. Whittingham declined to give an exact timetable on making a decision other than to say they would like to get it narrowed down to two within a week. Then, he added, it would be ideal to get it down to one and an established pecking order a week or so after that.
Bentley, a graduate transfer, is the most experienced of the three. He made 33 starts at South Carolina. Rising has yet to take a collegiate snap, but has spent more than a year in the Utah system. Lisk, meanwhile, is a former walk-on who has appeared in six games. The senior has completed 7 of 9 passes for 52 yards.
Rebuild the secondary
There’s no overhaul or fine-tuning involved with Utah’s secondary. Whittingham acknowledges it’s a “complete rebuild” with “five new faces back there.”
Safeties Julian Blackmon and Terrell Burgess have moved on to the NFL. So, too, has cornerback Jaylon Johnson. All three were drafted. Nickel back Javelin Guidry has also turned pro. Tareke Lewis and Josh Nurse, who shared the corner spot opposite Johnson, completed their eligibility.
The personnel losses, obviously, are great.
“That is obviously a critical aspect of your defensive structure,” Whittingham said of getting the secondary together.
Leading the cast of the rebuild is highly touted freshman cornerback Clark Phillips III. He signed with Utah after originally committing to Ohio State. There are other promising newcomers as well. True freshmen Kenzel Lawler, Faybian Marks and Caine Savage are part of a cornerback group that Whittingham has called “pretty special.” Junior Bronson Boyd and sophomore JaTravis Broughton will also compete for playing time.
At safety, Utah opened spring ball with Whittingham saying things were “wide open.” Junior R.J. Hubert is coming off an injury and three freshmen — Kamo’i Latu, Ben Renfroe and Nate Ritchie — are in the mix.
The youth movement extends across the program. Whittingham estimates that 53 or 54 players on scholarship will be freshmen or sophomores.
Replace Zack Moss
This will be a challenge. Moss left some mighty big shoes to fill. The program’s all-time leading rusher (4,167 yards) set five other school records and tied two more before getting picked in the third round of the NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills. Moss finished his Utah career with 712 career carries, 778 all-purpose plays, 41 total touchdowns, 38 rushing touchdowns and 18 100-yard rushing games. In addition, he equaled school marks with 15 rushing TDs in a season and two 200-yard rushing games in his career.
Statistically speaking, finding a replacement for the All-American and Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, won’t be easy. However, it will be necessary.
“We have to get a running back named,” Whittingham said. “We have three or four candidates to be lead running back and right now we don’t know who that is going to be.”
The competitors include juniors Devin Brumfield and T.J. Green, as well as sophomore Jordan Wilmore. Brumfield led the trio with 263 yards last season. Wilmore and Green posted rushing totals of 194 and 68 yards, respectively, in 2019.
Newcomer Ty Jordan, who flipped on a commitment to Texas, is expected to make an immediate impact.
Restock the defensive line
Three of Utah’s four starting defensive linemen were drafted by the NFL — Bradlee Anae, Leki Fotu and John Penisini — leaving Mika Tafua as the lone returnee. The defensive end had four fumble recoveries last season as a sophomore, tied for first in the FBS.
Tafua won’t be a one-man show in 2020. The Utes, as has been the case under Whittingham, are in position to reload.
“We’ve got guys to replace,” Whittingham said. “But we’ve got some really good guys in the program coming up to the ranks. So we got a pretty good idea that those replacements are going to be.”
Senior Maxs Tupai was the top reserve at defensive end last season, freshman Miki Suguturaga gained some valuable experience by playing in four games, maintaining his redshirt year in the process. The Utes are also high on sophomore Blake Kuithe, the twin brother of star tight end Brant Kuithe.
High school signees Xavier Carlton, Van Fillinger and Tyler Wegis are also part of the young and talented corps.
By contrast, Utah has three seniors helping the interior effort. Viane Moala, Hauati Pututau and Pita Tonga are players of note. Whittingham has said that scouts have told him that Moala, a 6-foot-6, 315-pound transfer from Hawaii, is going to be the best defensive tackle in the Pac-12. Others to watch include redshirt freshman Semisi Lauaki and signee Aliki Vimahi from Kahuku High in Hawaii.
Fill a void at linebacker
Finding guys to play alongside tackles leader Devin Lloyd is another priority for the Utes. Lloyd made a team-high 91 stops last season and was second in tackles for loss (11) and sacks (6.5). He had a 64-yard interception return for a touchdown against Oregon State.
Linebacker was an extremely productive position for Utah in 2019. Senior Francis Bernard, who is now with the Dallas Cowboys, earned first-team all-conference honors from the Pac-12. The transfer from BYU wound up making 85 tackles (7.5 for loss) with two interceptions. He was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week twice last season.
The effectiveness is not lost on Whittingham, who acknowledged the need to fill the void.
Camp opens with several promising candidates. The group includes Nephi Sewell, Jeremy Mercier, Andrew Mata’afa and Sione Fotu. Sewell and Mercier are juniors, Mata’afa is a sophomore, and Fotu is a freshman. Stanford transfer Sione Lund, who made one start and six tackles last season, is not with the team. He was suspended in March for an undisclosed violation of team rules.