Isaac Wilson named Utah QB2 as scrimmage settles some depth

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before we get into fall Camp uh we're going to just do a real quick look at uh where Utah landed in the AP pole uh by now you probably know so this is not uh coming as a surprise uh Utah jumps in at number 12 they are the highest ranked team in the Big 12 as they were in the coaches poll uh not not a lot of difference obviously number 13 in the coach's poll number 12 in in the AP poll uh the AP poll you know for all intents and purposes is considered kind of the quote unquote official poll until the college football playoff poll comes out and so uh this is this is kind of a a good look at where Utah's at um this is their eighth time eighth time all time there you go say that three times fast uh being ranked inside the preseason pole the crazy thing is is this is the sixth consecutive season that they've been ranked in the preseason so of all those eight you're living in the era of the last you know there's six right beyond that there was two that's pretty crazy about how uh how that's worked Kyle Whittingham has has developed this team into uh uh a winning machine and uh it pays off people respect Utah and put them in there even that 2020 season where it went off the rails and Co happened Utah was ranked there so uh this is a sign of respect for Utah obviously being ranked inside the top 15 is always a a good Mark for a program this is the second highest preseason ranking that they've ever had number seven uh came in 2022 um but this is this is a team that that clearly has a lot of optimism surrounding it we've talked about that that's not a surprise to any Utah fan obviously or anybody else that's listening to this podcast that may not be a fan of the youths um but this is this is a team that you know if you're inside that top 15 I feel like you know there's there's a good amount of of expectations for a team anyone in that top 15 is easily eligible for the college football playoffs this year uh there's going to be a lot of expectations heaped upon them um and so you're going to see that with Utah right I I my my uh poll that I submit to the AP I had Utah 10 uh honestly I could see Utah anywhere from 8 to 12 there were a couple of Voters that had Utah as high as number five uh one had Utah as low as 21 you know it happens at at the end of the day like you're in that kind of General range of anywhere from 8 to maybe even 15 that's kind of where you you can kind of see the the bulk of of those those votes coming in either you know it's it's a good sign for Utah so we'll leave it at that Beyond Utah Oklahoma State in the AP poll is ranked 17th they were actually below Kansas State in the coaches poll um but above Kansas State here Kansas State comes in at 18 Arizona 21 Kansas 22 Iowa State West vir Virginia and Colorado all receive votes uh not many votes but they got some Colorado got literally one 25 uh 25th Place vote so uh you know good for them uh we we'll see how that goes but this this you know take take it for a grain as a grain of salt right it's it it means nothing it means everything it it it's whatever you want it to mean so uh I'll get people yelling at me all the time about my Ballot or or the fact that we rank teams this early it it's really just you know a projection it's really just a sign of of respect for these teams and kind of the trajectory that they're they're moving forward with so kind of fun uh last week I I kind of talked about the playoff scenario not really much changed uh Utah obviously as the highest Big 12 team would get that Auto buy they'd stay the number four seed nothing changed there Georgia Ohio State Florida State Utah get the buys uh all the same teams got the the at large bids except in the coaches poll Memphis would have gotten the the last remaining conference bid did uh Boise State in this one would get that one they'd be the 12 seed facing Oregon which would then face Utah for a Fiesta Bowl uh matchup um it it you know it would be a lot of fun I think Utah probably wouldn't want to face Oregon just after all the years of playing them but I mean any of these teams that Utah would have to play as the you know another round it's going to be tough you've got Texas Michigan who would then play Florida state in the Peach Bowl Alabama and Penn State the winner of that playing Ohio State in the Rose Bowl and M Miss and Notre Dame uh playing you know the winner of that playing Georgia in the Sugar Bowl none of those are easy games if anything the fifth seed you know Oregon which is the fifth seed they have the easiest path because they have to face you know a 12th seed uh meaning Boise State not to say that that's an easy path but then you also get the lowest of the the conference uh teams and you know if if Oregon as it stands right now is ranked third and then Utah is ranked 12th uh that that remains a competitive advantage in terms of how the rankings go and and kind of the perception of how that is so in theory that number five seed could actually have a very good Advantage going into this um you know Utah fans are going to say if it is Utah that that not that's not an advantage but uh we'll leave that at that so that's that's the AP poll we're not going to get too much into it I spent too much time on that that's all it matters but we're into fall camp and Utah had their first scrimmage last week if this this was the one that uh really is going to separate the you know the two deep versus the rest of the team right this is where the pecking order is going to come into shape uh you're going to get the guys that you already maybe know the starters because most of them have been kind of identified already there's still a few uh that the pecking order is still shaping up uh and then moving on beyond that it's really just kind of getting those reps and and getting it for the the ones and twos and then kind of whittling it down after that today actually about the same time that we're where I'm I'm doing this podcast the second scrimmage will be taking place um you know we we'll get some details potentially tomorrow we get a chance to talk to the assistant coaches tomorrow for the last time before the season starts and so we'll get a little bit of an update on kind of how they view the team uh but we got some good updates right I I think the biggest update and and Kyle prefaced his whole update on scrimmage of last week as really good um but the biggest part that he say is the best part about it was nobody went down with an injury so that was a positive a huge positive and you know every year year that's a positive but I think after what Utah experienced last year uh this becomes the biggest win of all you know it's it's something that uh Utah is very happy to have that's not to say guys aren't you know nicked up or there's not different scratches or bumps or minor injuries um but this is a team that coming out of their first scrimmage is relatively healthy uh you're going to see going into the second scrimmage there's there's going to be reps had from those ones and two guys but for the most part um you're not going to get anything too hard right they're not going to push these guys because they need them to play the season so they're not going to have a lot of uh drills that are are going to put them In Harm's Way that's not to say things can't happen but uh that's kind of where they're at so good news for that uh by and large the the scrimmage went well uh they were able to figure out a lot of the things that they needed to and that mostly being the depth chart uh you know we'll get a formal depth chart probably the week of uh the southern Utah game so that Monday maybe Sunday if we're lucky maybe even earlier if we're lucky I don't know uh it just depends but uh that that is that is the good news uh there's no injuries at least major injuries so uh Utah is coming into the season relatively healthy obviously there's a few guys that were banged up and and nixed from the season early on but that happened more in spring so uh they're good but I know the the biggest news of the day on Monday when Kyle talked to us as the media was the QB battle right like we we know that cam Rising is a starter that was never really the question uh the question was always who was going to be that qb2 you had Brandon Rose who'd been in the system for 3 years uh was really making a lot of of strides and and and by all accounts everybody said that he was doing the things that he needed to to progress right uh there was a lot of optimism last year that uh had he not got injured in Fall Camp maybe he would have been uh in the mix for the starting quarterback job that you know that injury changed a lot of things and even at the end of the season when he was relatively cleared he wasn't fully cleared but he was there he he he just wasn't ready right he he wasn't able to get through the the typical things that you need to do as a quarterback maybe going through progressions uh going Beyond just one read I think last year well I know last year we saw a lot of the quarterbacks they would get their one read and they'd have a hard time going through their progressions they couldn't see anything beyond that first read uh and so you know if that that's really what limited Utah a ton last year Beyond you know some some natural talent and different things that way but um this you know Brandon was making progress we'll just leave it at that so he he was in a battle a lot of people expected him to fight with Isaac obviously coming out of spring uh the two of them were were locked you know neck and neck as Kyle said uh and you know Isaac coming in as a freshman being locked in the battle with Brandon Rose was a good thing for Isaac but you could kind of say it was a bad thing for for Brandon right if you have a freshman coming in here pushing you on the Playbook pushing you in your talent uh that's that's not generally a good thing for you to be able to get the starting minutes then in the summer they add Sam Huard you know I talked about Sam last week and you can listen to kind of who he is and kind of his development and where he's at Sam obviously was behind it a little bit because he joined the program a month before fall Camp so that's not a lot of time a lot of leadup time to really get into the system to understand Addy Ludwig's Playbook which is very difficult to understand at times there's a lot available to you and you know it it it's easy Once I don't want to say it's easy but it's it's better once you can understand it the problem is is you're coming into this now having to go to fall Camp uh a month away You're jumping up from the FCS level back up to you know the FBS level a team that has a great defense this is a tough Challenge and so you know Sam was always going to kind of be in a disadvantage but with that to say you know there is a real uh possibility that he could be in that mix to to win that qb2 job you know he has experience he's he's played with some of the best players at Washington you know it it it was it was there essentially in the end though Kyle Whittingham named Isaac Wilson uh qb2 they feel like he has a lot of of what they need uh he said Kyle said Isaac continues to get better each day he's seeing the field better he's making better decisions he's got a live arm ball comes out of his hand like he's supposed to very mobile and that's another facet is that he's really that's really his strength that he's able to have a lot of escapability in the pocket he senses the rush very well able to get himself out of jams and he still is able to make a play on the move that that's a you know that's a glowing endorsement for Isaac Wilson especially coming in as a freshman anybody that's followed this program for a long time knows that Kyle does not just you know give praise to somebody just because he has to right he has to talk up his qb2 he he he's very honest in his approach and that's not to say that Isaac is the perfect player yet right and Isaac recognizes that he understands where he's at um but this is a guy that has really come out there and uh you know word out of Camp was that first week it was was It was kind of rough for Isaac as you would expect he's a freshman he's coming in here uh this isn't spring anymore where where things are going to be much tougher and and it was a little bit of a rough go but then as he kind of shook that off and came back into it he attacked it really hard and and and the separation was night and day uh Kyle made that clear you know it was it was a night and day difference with with Isaac he's got a good arm you know he's able to make those reads and those windows are still going to close faster than they were in high school and so that's something that he still has to learn but he's not afraid to take that right he's got to be able to to continue to finesse it a little bit but he's got that Moxy to be able to to move it forward and so any any you know nonseparation between the two or three quarterbacks that kind of levels it up a little bit for for Isaac where he's able to be that that player that's just going to say you know I'm going to go do it right at least he's willing to try it instead of being a little bit more timid and not willing to make that you need a quarterback that is going to be decisive you need a quarterback that's going to go out there and make those plays knowing that you're going to make mistakes right there's going to be an interception there especially when you're young uh you're going to find those windows that aren't aren't there that they were in high school but Isaac is willing to take that and you saw that in spring in Spring he gets out on the field and an instantly it was kind of like the cam Rising effect is how I kind of look at it a lot of the the team kind of rallied around him he just has that confidence where he goes out there he knows what he's doing even if he maybe doesn't know what he's doing he knows how to make plays right and and sure in Spring it's a it's a pretty vanilla defense and uh you know he he's making plays against a team that isn't really pushing it too much but you're seeing that level of of of talent there where he's not going to shy away from from whatever's at him you know and if you know whatever happens to cam if if Isaac were to get in there you know he's going to make those plays he's going to make mistakes right he's going to the first time you he throws an interception that's to me where you're going to see how he responds and everything that you know we've we've talked to him or anybody else about he responds well that that kind of fires him up to to get better you know it's part of the game where if you're going to be a quarterback you have to be willing to take the praise and you've got to be willing to take the criticism and when something goes wrong how do you respond are you blaming your team are you are you building them up are you saying that's on me you know whatever the the situation is Isaac has seemingly got that right we we won't see him probably unless it's garbage minutes or if cam gets hurt um but they feel confident that that's the case now what does that mean for Brandon Rose honestly if you're a fan I and I mean this in the nicest way like you shouldn't care right like if Brandon Rose can't beat out a quarterback in three seasons it doesn't matter right like you want the guy that's going to be in there right and maybe that lights a fire under Brandon maybe it's like you know that that helps him but at the end of the day you want a guy that's going to be in there and and fight for it I'm not saying Brandon didn't fight for it I think everything that we've read about him and talked to him about and everything about who he is as a person he's supremely confident in himself but he hasn't been able to win that job and so if you're still having some Brandon Rose you know love and and you want him to do well sure that's great like you should want him to do well but at the end of the day you want the quarterback that's going to step up and if Brandon can make those strides and be qb3 and kind of help the team in that facet great if he decides to transfer I don't know that that hurts Utah obviously depth you want depth because all it takes is you know one quarterback to go down after another and that has happened in teams before but at the same time you want a guy that is able to to be in the mix that that is going to fight that battle once again I don't think that Brandon hasn't been willing to fight that battle I just don't think he's been able to understand ludwick's system the way that they want which is why he keeps getting passed over from Bryson Barnes uh Nate Johnson now Isaac Wilson you know it's going to be a much tougher challenge now Sam Huard that that's that maybe is a different story because he's coming into this new you want to Su you want him to succeed right you want that battle next year for the quarterback where you have Isaac Wilson you have Sam Huard assuming that he decides to stay on the roster Brandon Rose if he decides to stay you know we'll see that I I would have to imagine he probably looks to go elsewhere if he wants to play football and then you bring in Wyatt Becker a freshman now you're going to have a battle for that starting job and and Isaac will obviously have that that that lead start especially if he gets you know significant minutes this season where he's able to be in garbage time or or injury play uh you know that that helps him regardless this becomes a great battle next year and that's where Sam kind of fits in in my opinion he comes in he can fight that battle to me it still feels like Isaac is the future you know I know I'm I'm going so far out on the limb right here but I think everything about this kid uh kind of Screams the future he he's learning under cam Rising he's humble he's receptive he's got that fire under him where he's going to do whatever he can that says a lot when you're a freshman quarterback that you can come in there and be that level of of talent where everybody's kind of looking at that so I you know i' I've gone on a long time about that but I think this is a great sign for Utah right you you've got your quarterback of the future in theory right there for you I I I think he's got a great leg up you know as long as he continues to keep working and continues to get in that system keeps getting that mentorship from cam Rising who understands you know defenses and scheming them so well if you can get just a little bit of that and give that to Isaac that sets Utah up for tremendous amounts of success moving forward once again it still has to be done on the field right like you can't just say Isaac is a apparent and everything's going to be great he's going to take his lumps and there's going to be things that happen but he clearly has the brightest future of this this group uh and I think you're going to get a lot of of talent that kind of comes around that right you're going to find people that want to play for Isaac because he's already kind of rallied The Troop so to speak a lot of people talk about him as the guy that is a great thing to have and and you hear in football uh teams a lot where captains aren't necessarily like a a coach can name a captain but captains often are generally just kind of I don't want even say assumed but it kind of they rally the teams rally around the captains right they're the guys that everybody's drawn to maybe they're the vocal type maybe they're the ones that just exude confidence whatever the reason teams rally around certain players and quarterback's an easy position there but that doesn't always happen right guys at the quarterback position aren't always the most vocal and they're not the easiest ones to get along with with uh cam you know you got a lot of that you saw the difference when he was inserted into that San Diego State game years ago everything changed for Utah I'm getting that sense with Isaac and I don't want to get too far out here and say that you know Isaac is is on the level of cam or could be but I think you know the the the steps are being made and I think that's a good thing for Utah it's a great opportunity for the team to be able to have that already set um and it's it's a good situation to be in so you know we we talked to Isaac after that uh it was It was kind of fortunate that uh we we all kind of saw this coming I requested Isaac to uh talk to that day I'm sure many other people I don't go around to the other media and asking who they picked but uh we did get Isaac and I'm going to play the interview that that we got with him um he you know he remains very committed and he remains is you know very eager to learn but he's a humble kid right he's he's ready to learn and he wants to be able to understand that there's still more right he's got that job as the qb2 but there's still more to learn so I'm going to play that and uh we'll go from there Isaac Kyle named you qb2 today at least publicly to us I mean how does it feel coming in your first year to have that I mean it's just a great opportunity even be here um the offensive staff everyone's been doing so much for me and I'm just trying to give back by being on top of my place helping around but um I mean of course it's a good feeling but I got to keep working what what pushes you all of it my teammates my family just playing this game I mean all of it really Isaac what's been your mindset throughout Camp I got to work I just to keep working I'm just a freshman I haven't earned anything yet and the coaches always say we need the team more than they know uh they need us and I I I stand true to that so I just want to come out here and ball do my best learn everything and uh just have fun K Kyle said there was no way you'd even be in contention if you weren't here in the spring how much did your spring experience help you to where you are now oh my goodness um you guys must know coach coach L's offense this is a very complicated but it's needed this offense is everything you need and um just coming here early learning everything X's and O's um has really pushed me forward I think and all this extra like our bread and butter plays aren't that bread and butter about most people but just getting here early really boost me forward true freshman aren't supposed to be able to come in here this fast and learn a complex offense like that what what what strength you have that enabled you to and kind of absorb all this so quickly I felt like I was put in a good position um by my family and my coaches in high school um having my older brother Zach of course um he's been helping me throughout this whole journey and I mean he's been going through his own Journey too so we're working through this together I mean my coach coach in high school coach car um he got some of these concepts for from Utah so it's it's been a journey you have to like what what Isaac said there right like he he remains remains humble he understands where he needs to be uh even in Spring you know after a great spring game he talked about needing to learn a ton more right that's what you want as a quarterback you you want him to have the Swagger kind of like Rising does where you're going to go into battle and he's going to be the one to lead the charge he's going to he's going to not shrink from that fight um but he's humble enough to know that that he's able to do uh whatever he needs to to be able to get better and so I think that's that's a great situation for Utah you've got a great quarterback there uh it was interesting to kind of talk about uh that that point that that Daniel Green brought up about how he was able to get into the mix as a freshman um Kyle Whittingham had said he would not have had the opportunity to start this fall in my opinion if he had not had the spring experience in the summer experience for that matter and it's to the point now where roughly 50% maybe a little more of high school recruits are midyear guys it is such an advantage academically as well as football-wise that's a big reason why you're starting to see a lot of these players especially the players that there's uh an expectation where they can potentially play that first year that that fall where they're coming in in spring right you're getting that system you're getting those offseason workouts where you're not trying to pick up all of what Utah wants you to do in the summer they're giving you stuff right like Utah's once you've signed they're giving you stuff and helping you and trying to say okay here's what you need to do but it's it's a difference when you get into that spring camp and you're you're actually learning the system and sure those those defenses are uh watered down you know for for the offensive guys when you're playing against them but this is an opportunity for them to understand what it's like to acclimate so to speak and and get there so that by the time fall Camp comes you've acclimated to a point where you understand it it's not going to be perfect especially for the Freshman you know that speed changes things uh the game you know everybody talks about it slowing down that takes time and it's going to take time even if if Isaac is named the starter at one point but you you get into that where you understand it especially in Andy lwig system where you need to have that leadup time or else you're going to be behind and I think that's where where you're kind of getting some of that with Isaac and how he's able to compete obviously there's there's more beyond that right Brandon's been in the system for three years and he's still not there yet Isaac has done it in you know what seven months whatever that time frame is that shows kind of his intellect his ability to kind of digest that stuff his Moxy to be able to just keep moving forward that confidence that Swagger whatever you know adjective you want to describe for that that's great I don't want to sit here and spend all this time you know hyping up a a backup quarterback you know the backup quarterback is always the the favorite is is is that phrase but I I think at this point this is a good thing for Utah you know we'll see how it goes we'll see what kind of play he gets I know some people worry about red shirt freshman you know can you you red shirt him I don't think it matters if you're the qb2 you you're going into this knowing that you get to play and so if there's a chance that you talk and save him for those four games great you know then you get him for a full four years after that at this at this level that doesn't really happen guys either aren't staying for four years generally uh especially ones that are are kind of projected to be talented where they're at right now you know Isaac being named qb2 he's probably going to have a future beyond that if he's able to get to that level uh that that is quicker right maybe he has four years but I don't think red shirt needs to be of concern Utah will do whatever they can to put him in a position to succeed they want to do everything they can to preserve his eligibility but at the same time you need a guy behind cam you know where you're one play away where he's in into that game so uh we'll see how that goes uh I think it'll be a lot of fun to be able to see how that is I would have to imagine uh that we see Isaac Maybe by halftime in that southern Utah game I think that would be the IDE deal plan for Utah is that they come into that they they dictate the the terms of that game get a huge lead and let Isaac and maybe some of the other quarterbacks finish out the fourth quarter so uh we'll we'll see how that goes so some other updates from from Fall Camp uh really more just the tight ends uh tight ends you know it's in it's insane how many tight ends that Utah has this year uh Kyle says that they confidently have six tight ends that they plan to use this season uh Freddy Whittingham had said they have various packages where two different uh tight ends will be used in their 12 Personnel they can go big they can go you know uh where they're trying to get uh more of a jumbo package where they're trying to get more of a a route you know running package uh there there's whole bunch of packages that they can use in just that base 12 Personnel for the team with these six different tight ends you know some of them are going to just stay in and be blockers some are going to be route Runners you know pass catchers you know there's there's just so many ways that you can mix and match this and they're really excited about that because all of them have such a unique skill set that allows Utah to be able to really be diverse right you you can put brt keithy out there which is is going to be one of the smaller tight ends on the team he's going to be in that slot position where he can still be kind of your traditional tight end where he can be on the line and block although Utah doesn't use him as much there especially with them having a bunch he becomes a mismatch where he's a bigger bodied uh receiver who has a lot of of shiftiness and and and an ability you have a bunch of these other guys I mean you've got a Caleb loner who's coming in and learning football essentially for the first time at 68 you know he's a huge body then you've got you know Carson Ryan who's done it at at UCLA Lon King who's obviously done it at Utah and has become a fan favorite and everybody sees his potential Miki sugar Raga you know Kyle called him one of the most consistent tight ends in everything he does this fall last year he made the switch from the defensive side to tight end and it was kind of a tough experience for him it's it's it's tough to be able to learn that and learn how you need to to move and in that time period you know he took his lumps last year he took his lumps and near at the end of the season you started to see him catching uh you know I remember him catching a touchdown and he was making some progress he's essentially made tremendous strides over the year and is going to be a problem he's he's going to be great for Utah uh you know you've got a lot of of opportunities in this room and you know say what you will about the wide receivers which have obviously increased as well even if you just had this tight end group I think Utah has enough to be able to do what they need to so all good things for Utah the fact that you're getting Caleb loner progressing Kyle said he's doing a great job and he's ahead of the curve you know it's more than what they've expected there's still some technique things like getting his pads down making sure that he's not kind of uh too exposed uh in terms of of kind of players taking advantage of him it's it's more of the leverage uh and so you'll you'll kind of get him learning that a little bit more uh but that comes with being a bigger bodied athlete and trying to understand how that works with pads and and not just uh saying I'm going to go catch that ball he has a huge catch radius uh if you've seen any of the social media videos loner I think caught two of the touchdowns if I'm not mistaken uh the very least he caught one uh it's an athletic catch this is a guy that uh is willing to do everything he can to be able to get that ball so uh we'll we'll see how he develops that's another name that I'm really um curious to to to learn uh not curious to learn his name but see him on the field and uh understand kind of how he develops as as a tight end so this is this is shaping up to be arguably Utah's best uh I think they've got great opportunities here to be able to mix and match uh you're going to see like I said that base 12 personnel with two tight ends out uh they're going to go 13 probably 14 personnel as well try to mix a lot of these guys in so you're going to see a lot of packages that may be unique to this season just because of the talent they have uh regardless Andy lwig is going to have a Heyday uh with the the mismatches that he has you know bringing guys in you know who do you who do you guard you got brt keithy or Carson Ryan Landon King Caleb loner you know which guy are you going to guard uh and then how do you kind of mix and match that is that DB going to be able to match up with them that nickel the safety linebacker whatever you want to put on them it becomes a mismatch and it's not an exactly easy scenario so uh it's it's going to be a great situation for Utah in terms of tight ends so then there's the the running back depth there's a lot here we're talking a lot of offense today so running back depth you know going back to uh even last year I mean even when J quindon Jackson was on the team he was he was clearly the starter but he hadn't fully separated himself yet in terms of being able to just really take the bulk of the carries and yes a lot of that had to do with his nagging ankle injury that he continually dealt with all season you know he'd go in he'd get a couple plays and have to go back out tape it up a little bit more take a shot I don't know what he had to do to like uh make sure that uh you know he was able to get out there and play and kudos to him for getting it done he he found a way to do it and and led Utah in rushing and and was a great asset for Utah after that though they they they didn't really have a guy right like you had maai Bernard you had jayen Glover you had some other guys that that are in the room and they're talented and they're you know they have veteran experience and they're learning but there hasn't been a guy yet to separate coming into fall Camp Kyle had said that he wanted to be able to have uh well he didn't necessarily spell out that he wanted a Bell cow back right that every downb he was more curious on what it was going to be were they going to be a running back by committee was a guy going to step up Quinton ganther said similarly the same thing you know he I think they all want a guy to step up because that's easier for a team right it's easy to say we're going to give this to ex player and allow him to kind of take the bulk and then we can mix and match some of these other talented backs in different packages to kind of help that right now there really isn't any separation uh Kyle said there's there's some tear you've got tier one which is essentially maai Bernard Jaylen Glover and Mike Mitchell uh if you remember he's a red shirt freshman coming in there there's been a lot of talk about Mike Mitchell and I'll get into him in a little bit um and then tier two there's Hunter Andrews who moved over as a linebacker uh Charlie Vincent who's a walk-on who continues to show out uh he's been in the system for a long time and is has been a great asset as well as dejon Stanley he's a smaller bodied back uh he he'd be used in in much different situations than any of those guys uh ahead of him uh still has some some skill sets you know his speed especially that will allow him to uh be utilized in a way that that can kind of help Utah U maybe you put in two backs and he's one and and you kind of mix and match how that works honestly you could use any of these tight ends as kind of a fullback in some respects and uh utilize any of these running backs in that way so you know there's a lot of of things that you can once again mix and match but focusing on that tier one those are going to be the three guys that at least initially well and I don't even think initially I think those three guys are going to be the ones that get the bulk of the carries right I think going into to the game unless something changes today with their their second scrimmage or in the next you know weekish you I don't I don't imagine that to happen this is going to be how they kind of approach it my my guess is and this isn't a you know a tough guess to have but it's you're going to go into that southern Utah game and you're going to find which guy kind of dominates right you're going to go into it and you're going to say Makai Bernard is kind of the guy we'll start with assuming that's who we start with then it's Jaylen Glover or Mike Mitchell whichever that is and whoever is able to kind of separate themselves from the pack in the games you're going to start to see that kind of coales around them right you see that from time to time Tavon a few years ago he he hadn't done the things in practice to really get where he needed to be to be named the the starting running back but once he got into the games he did everything that he needed to to be able to separate right you saw it was a clear difference that he was the best running back out on the field there were obvious you know issues beyond that and and we're not going to get into that but I think once you get those bright lights on and you get in the game and they're going up against defenses that aren't your own and they understand your you know your traits and your personalities this becomes a different challenge right Makai Bernard has the best advantage of anyone anybody because he's been in the system for a long time he knows how to do it he's one of the team's best pass blockers you know he's kind of your complete back you've got then Jaylen Glover who is really starting to develop last year still needs to have some more Vision he talked about how Kyle wanted him down more around the 200 range and he said that's actually help help him a ton he's been able to really feel like a much better athlete he feels like he's able to do what he needs to uh he had a little bit of a a hamstring issue earlier this year and and or in the camp and had to sit out the first few days but he's he's ready he's going uh by all accounts he should be in that mix as well and then there's Mike Mitchell you know he's he's a bigger bodied guy and by bigger you know he's he's slightly taller than the other two well more taller than Jaylen but he's he's taller and he's he's got a bigger body right like you look at him and he's your traditional running back he gets in there he's he's got that ability to do it the biggest question around him though is more just about him not having that experience there's no questions about his talent there's been a ton of talk from the coaching staff and and and players that say he is the guy right he is the guy that that there's a lot of optimism around and if he is able to kind of take that to the next level and he's has that vision and he's able to do what he needs to there's a lot of optimism in that staff that Mike Mitchell could be the guy right you have this red shirt freshman who can come in and be the guy and and that would be a huge Boon for for Utah if you can get a guy with a lot of young you know a young guy coming in there who's got several years of Eligibility and he can establish that as being the rb1 I mean that's that's huge and so I you know I I think that's really their hesitation it's more just seeing what he can do in actual games they they don't doubt his talent he's in that mix uh there's always been kind of this subtle uh Mike Mitchell is the guy without fully quite saying that officially type Vibes um if you ask Quinton none of them ready so I mean he's he's hard to please and and for a good reason because he wants these guys to succeed but um Mike Mitchell there's a lot of optimism around in him once again we talked to him as well and I'm going to share that that uh interview because I think it kind of shows his approach to the game I think you see somebody that is hungry to play you know he's he's I don't want to call him satisfied if he's not the number one running back but he will do whatever the team needs to but this kid really wants to play he wants to get out there he's doing everything he can to be that complete back to be able to see the field so I'm going to play that one now and and kind of hear how how he's approaching the game mik we've heard a lot of good things about you this year how are you feeling personally just about where you're at right now um right now I'm really comfortable I'm getting comfortable with the offense and right now I'm just I'm fighting for a role and as a as an underclassman I didn't play last year a freshman I'm trying to get that number one role so I'm I'm working my way up the depth chart and I'm just trying to bring my a game to practice every day what's been your what's been your mindset all offseason um offseason I mean my off season was everyone's at at home on a break I'm here I'm here in Utah just working out practicing trying to trying to be the best me CU if I can be the best me then I can contribute to the team so I'm just I'm trying to be a contributor so that's really where really where our mind's been the offseason what was your red Shir season like and and how did that help you um my red shirt season um I I was on Scout uh I took I took it to the chin I I just gave myself on to the defense I put I made it seem like a my game day on Saturdays my game days were during the week in practice so that's how I really thought about my my red Church season so like I knew I wasn't going to get play in time but I made sure the defense felt me they knew who I was so by the time when I could when I can in my names called I'd be ready where do you feel you've improved the most from last year to now um on the field I believe my my eyes got better my just just being around a college team and being in college I feel like just my senses got better knowing knowing which hole to hit knowing knowing on the the person of the defense end knowing the the uh the pros and cons I can when I run the ball and who's in front of me like if K is in front of me I know what I have to do to get K cuz he's a vet if someone else is in front of me I can just run right over so out there how how are you sort of approaching this competition with with guys that you're close with like Maki and and Jaylen um first I look I look up to those dogs they're they're they're my older brothers so I always look at them as you're my comp but at the same time I'm learning from you guys whatever whatever you guys do I have to I have to do it 10 times better but at the same time I to learn from the mistakes that they do and I and I make and I I really look at him as older brothers to me so when did you when did you sort of learn that you were going to get this opportunity to be running back one this season and and how did it change your approach from last season um I to be honest I was told I was told after after last season how many after jinon left I took it I took it as it's my chance it's my it's my time so I really I really approached this Camp I wanted to come in hot make make my presence felt and that's really where I came in I'm like I want the rb1 spot I don't want to I don't to be two or three if I have to I will but rb1 spot is where I want to go for this is a guy that absolutely wants to play right and and that's any player like I don't want to sit here and be like other guys don't want to play uh but this is a guy that's hungry for it right he's doing whatever he can to be able to put himself in a pos position to succeed uh you have to like what he says where you know he he's he's staying in the offseason working out uh he's he's he's getting in the mix of things where he wants to do whatever he can to learn from the guys ahead of them who he has tremendous respect for right like obviously like he said they're my competition I have to beat them to be able to be the you know the top running back but at the end of the day like he's doing whatever he can to be able to get that top job and that this you know this room like they they understand it right they all want to be that guy um but they they they work together they help each other this is a team uh as one person succeeds the rest of them succeed so we'll see what happens with Mike I think there's a lot of of optimism Intrigue um around who he can be because there's there is tremendous Talent there you know in spring when we got to watch a little bit more that once again we're you know we're not doing full uh going up against the defenses that that they're going to see in in the fall but he's he's breaking off runs and he's got some Vision that you know is is really reminiscent of some of Utah's great running backs and so if he can put that together in an actual game I think this this you know is a huge win for Utah you've got a guy that that could be your leading guy for a long time uh you mix and match that with Makai Bernard Jaylen Glover uh that's that's only great news right you get Hunter Andrews who's another bigger bodied guy who's who did it really well at the high school level uh he's you know trying to learn the system kind of similar to what Mike was last year I wouldn't be surprised if Hunter uh becomes kind of that scout team running back where next year he's competing uh with Mike and and and Jaylen to be able to kind of uh be in that mix as well but uh this is this is a team that right now there there really is no clear set Direction on where they're going to go right it it really is more of a running back by committee instead of that every down back and for the first little bit that's fine right I I think as the season de vels the hope is that one of those guys separates and and becomes that every down back that they can rely on them that they can do that and and maybe that's Mike Mitchell maybe it's somebody else um but I I I don't think there's some worry right I know there's been some uh some angst amongst the fans about you know what this running back room will look like the the the question isn't you know a problem of of Talent OR ability it's really just a matter of how it's going to be you know diagrammed on the offensive play sheet right how is Andy Ludwick going to use them is is it going to be more of a mix and match is it a guy that's going to get the bulk of the carries uh you know even you know even if we go into the game you know on that Thursday against Southern Utah there's a good chance one of these guys they throw out there to be kind of that rb1 just to kind of see how he handles it how does that work and kind of move it forward it it's all going to be it's all going to be figured out I I don't think there's a lot of of worry there so uh this will be this will be fun right like I think if you're a Utah fan this offense provides a lot of optimism you're excited about it you want to see kind of how this works and and granted anything could be better than last year after sputtering to uh what Utah did still you had wins over USC you had uh took Washington you know the the reigning Runner UPS to down to the wire and and in theory should have won that game I still contend that if Utah had a pulse in that second half they win that game um but this is this is a team that that has a lot going on for it uh barring you know injuries or anything that goes that way this is a team that that's going to be hitting F or the season uh with a lot of of expectations right and we we've seen this right like everybody gets excited from Fall camp and everybody is excited and then they go sputter against Southern Utah and you're wondering okay why is the offensive line not blocking and why is the wide receivers dropping passes and why is Cam throwing interception whatever it may be there's going to be those things right like you're going to go to that first game and you're going to be so hyped and everything's going to be great and then there's going to be some things don't look great or maybe this is the year where Utah pieces it together and they just steamroll right they don't look like they have a weakness I don't know football is a fun sport because you get those week- toe things that's what I love doing as a reporter is kind of seeing how a team develops right those first few games of the Season that is kind of those preseason games you get into it you see how things go uh how players kind of interact with each other what kind of chemistry do these guys have on the field what is adversity what adversity are they going to face and how do they answer it you know sometimes that adversity is themselves in the sense that they buy into their own hype and then they you know you drop that bayor game or you you you squeak out a win against a Baylor team that you should be doing better against there there's a lot of things like that that you know we're going to see um but I think everything is setting up for a great season right I know we've said that a ton I know it's kind of the the the expectation but I think you every position group has those guys that you you know Utah feels supremely confident in this is a team that by and large probably has the best talent all around that they've ever had and so they should be better the fact that Utah's been able to do what they've done with Talent Less in terms of you know rankings and recruiting and other stuff like that and still get to championship games and still be at the level where they're at where I I think Kyle's only had like two or three losing seasons in his entire 20-year career that says a lot for what Utah's able to do now they're getting these higher level guys now what can they do with them is this just you know more of the same or or what's going to happen that to me is where the Intrigue comes this year and I'm I'm excited to see it I'm excited to report on it and and continue to talk about it each week so uh that's that's it for this week uh you know I'm I we're going to get more we're going to get the the coaches like I said tomorrow uh kind of see how they break this down we I don't know we we'll see sometimes these sometimes coaches especially position coaches are are tough to please because they want to see a ton more progress right and and that's a good thing uh other times you know they're they're excited about their POS they're they're all excited don't get me wrong but you you know we'll see kind of their um optimism about the team based on kind of how they say things or maybe they don't have optimism maybe they think they're going to suck right no uh but I think this is a a good spot for Utah and so we'll we'll get that next week is expected to be an off week for media we will probably get a chance to talk to some players but um it's it's generally the week where they allow them to move into school kind of get ready and acclimate to that uh they're still doing their practices and doing everything there uh it's just not going to be a a media session for us generally and then we go into game week so we're we're right there uh stay tuned because we're we're close we'll continue to get some get some stuff going on I'm hoping to get a a guest next week that that'll talk about things so uh we'll go with that and and uh I'm excited to continue this going and and and kind of having this this season progress I think there's a lot of fun that could be had if if everything goes as planned so we'll catch you next week and with that I bid ad do [Music] [Music]