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What are Big 12 coaches saying about the Utah Utes as they prepare for their first season in the conference?
Athlon Sports recently spoke with Big 12 coaches, granting them anonymity so they could speak freely, to get their thoughts on the Utes. Observations about Kyle Whittinghamprogram from his colleagues were all positive.
About quarterback Cameron Rising:
“If (Q.B. Cameron) Rising is back and healthy all season, they have a legitimate shot at a Big 12 title in year one,” said an anonymous Big 12 coach.
An anonymous Big 12 coach praised Utah’s veteran quarterback, who returns this season after missing all of 2023 following surgery to repair his torn ACL, meniscus, MPFL and MCL.
For the Utes, Rising helped revitalize their offense, leading them to back-to-back Pac-12 titles and throwing for 5,527 yards and 46 touchdowns with 13 interceptions and a 64.25% completion rate in his final two seasons.
When healthy, Rising has been the perfect signal-caller for Andy Ludwig’s offense, but it remains to be seen how he will fare in a game after returning from injury. In the spring, however, Rising looked good and moved well.
‘It’s definitely these guys on Day 1’
“If you had to pick a program coming out of the Pac-12 as a legitimate contender, it would definitely be these guys on Day 1. They are replacing a lot of guys in the WR group and secondary, but the system and culture there is so constant,” he said. another anonymous Big 12 coach.
Utah is replacing some key wide receivers in Devaughn Vele, who was drafted by the Denver Broncos, and Mikey Matthews, who transferred to Cal, but the Utes ended up upgrading that position group this offseason.
USC Transfer Receiver Singer Dorianwho had 66 receptions for 1,105 yards and six touchdowns in 2022 at Arizona before seeing a slump at USC the following season, where he had 24 receptions for 289 yards, is the leading candidate for WR1.
Syracuse transfer Damien Alford, who caught 33 balls for 610 yards and three scores, could replace Matthews in the slot, and Mycah Pittman, whose season was shortened to two games last year, could fill that role as well. Money Parks (31 catches for 293 yards and two touchdowns) is another top target for Rising.
The secondary has two huge holes after safeties Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki were called up, but Utah feels confident in the ability of cornerback-turned-safety Tao Johnson and one of Nate Ritchie, Johnathan Hall and Stanford transfer Alaka’i Gilman to fill the another see.
At cornerback, where the Utes have an open starting position, Georgia Tech transfer Kenan Johnson (29 tackles, two forced fumbles, four pass breakups and one interception) is the favorite to win the job.
‘Better than their record at ′23′
“This team was much better than its 2023 record when you factor in injuries, especially on offense,” said an anonymous Big 12 coach.
Utah went 8-4 last year amid a long list of injuries — Rising, tight end Brant Kuithe, tight end Thomas Yassmin, running back Chris Curry, wide receiver Mycah Pittman, linebacker Lander Barton , defensive end Logan Fano and defensive end Jonah Elliss (missed the last two games) all missed time and several other players missed at least a few games.
The quarterback situation was not ideal. Bryson Barnes had some good games in wins over Florida and USC, but faded late in the season when the Utes lost three of their last four, including an ugly 14-7 bowl loss to Northwestern. Nate Johnson didn’t fare any better in his stints, other than leading the Utes to a win over Baylor.
With the Rising Back, many of Utah’s offensive issues from last season can be resolved if he plays like he did in 2022 and 2023.
‘Bullying offenses’
“They come from a conference where they built a brand by intimidating delicate offenses and creating that crazy home environment,” said an anonymous Big 12 coach.
Considering Utah’s offense scored just 23.1 points per game (96th in the country) last season, and the 8-5 record wasn’t the worst possible outcome.
Things could have gotten a lot uglier for the Utes if their defense hadn’t answered the call in most games.
Utah has allowed just 19.3 points per game in 2023, ranking 21st in the NCAA. Against some of the best quarterbacks in college football, the Utes allowed 224.4 passing yards per game (65th in the country) and just 82.8 rushing yards per game (fourth in the country).
The Utes have built a brand on a consistent, resilient defense during Whittingham’s tenure, and it’s usually the first thing opposing coaches mention about the Utes.
As mentioned above, there are three open spots in the secondary to fill, but the Utes are loaded at linebacker — even with the injury to Levani Damuni, who will miss at least most of the season. Along the defensive line, Utah returns all of its starters except Elliss, who was the Utes’ best defensive player last year, leading the nation in sacks per game last season (1.2) despite playing six games with a torn lip.
Utah’s familiarity with the Big 12
Utah has played five Big 12 schools – Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, TCU and BYU more than five times in the Kyle Whittingham era, and Utah has faced three other current Big 12 teams with Whittingham at the helm – Iowa State (2010), Virginia Western (2017) and Baylor (2023).
The Utes will face seven other schools — UCF, Cincinnati, Houston, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech — for the first time in the modern era in the coming years.
Utah’s 2024 Big 12 slate features home games against Arizona, TCU, BYU and Iowa State and road games against Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Houston, Colorado and UCF.
In case you missed
Kyle Whittingham and Kalani Sitake, who was on Whittingham’s staff at the time, look back on Tennessee’s courtship with the Utah coach in 2010 — and why Whittingham stayed.
Of the file
Extra points
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How Kalani Sitake and Kyle Whittingham view recent developments in the NCAA structure and college football (Deseret News)
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Former Utah star Alissa Pili plays in first 20-point game of young WNBA career (Image: BBC)Deseret News)
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What Mike Gundy said about the Utes under Kyle Whittingham (Deseret News)
