Jake Hatch: The Deepest Utah Team the Current Staff Has Ever Had | Utah Football

Jake catch someone we've gotten to know over the last four years covers Utah and also BYU BYU will start their workouts practices on Wednesday but Utah today Jake with KSL Sports Zone joins us on 365 Sports Jake thank you very much for your time as always I I believe you and I when we were on the phone as I was headed to the studio mentioned that there were were some assistant coaches available maybe some interesting nuggets anything other than what normally is the first day of practice in Access well I guess the biggest thing to take away from their availability today that I would add is that these coaches are very confident in this Utah Squad I had a chance to talk with a number of the assistants and we don't get to talk to them all that often it's about twice during a training camp to catch up with them and uh Luther Ellis Lewis Powell and a couple the other the assistant coaches all Express that they believe that their position respective position groups are the deepest they've ever had at Utah and they think that it will contribute to Utah being as good as maybe they've ever been as they enter the Big 12 this fall Jake what was the reaction to Morgan scall for the second time being promoted to head coach and waiting and and what I mean I guess is is that sort of starting a ticking clock in some people's minds that Kyle whittingham's not long for this world I I do think that there is a timeline yes that a lot of people are envisioning of how long Kyle whittingham's going to be on the job uh I think it absolutely has caused that clock to begin kicking now does that happen after this season but has that happened three years from now I think it was a very natural thing for Utah to designate Morgan scall once again as his successor I think it'll ensure that they continue to uh be able to have that stability on the coaching staff obviously keep the continuity there when it comes to recruiting but it's not a big surprise to anybody up here in Utah that he's been designated as the successor but yes the clock is picking now as to how long Kyle Whittingham is going to be head coach at Utah right he has been so consistent and probably and and have had and has had some really really good teams what what do you think is it he's he seems like he's 20 years younger than his age do you think some of the changes in college football like the realignment he's even said to us twice that hey we're not done there's more changes to come do you feel like it's that or he just feels like it's time maybe in the next two or three years to move on I think so I I think he realizes that he has kind of run his course now you guys for you guys weren't aware this will be his 30th year at Utah both as an assistant defensive coordinator and obviously the head coach of the University of Utah football program there are not many coaches in the sport of college football who been able to enjoy 30 years at the same University and a coach like K Winningham has it's been an incredible run I just think he sees that he's gonna be 65 soon uh his father passed away relatively young in his early to mid 60s so he's kind of I think looking at the thing saying you know what maybe I want to spend some extra time with my grandkids and my family and enjoyed the The Good Life he's made a lot of money as a head coach obviously so he's not hurting for cash at all so yeah I I do think he's looking at maybe some of the changes on the horizon and saying you know what maybe it's a time for me to step aside let a younger coach take the range here Jake as you know a lot of the focus especially for for those like like us that are covering on a more Regional or national basis we're not in the the nitty-gritty in the weeds like someone uh as yourself is on a daily basis with Utah so we're talking you know big picture stories are uh camera returning from Health how healthy is he but what is something that is a bit more in the weeds and detailed about this Utah team that not a lot of people are talking about but that you find to be one of the more important topics about this team uh how deep and talented their defense is particular defensive front they've got legitimately guys I think six defensive tackles alone I think are NFL caliber guys and that that obviously going to lend itself to them being extremely physical and extremely tough to run the football on uh they have the same see similar situation at defensive end I think that defensive line is a Hallmark of what Kyle whittingham's 10e Utah has been as they've just traditionally pushed out a defensive linemen who are NFL ready but it's about as deep and talented a defensive front as I can remember in my 15 years in sports radio here in Salt Lake City and if they are really that talented on the defensive front it's going to lend itself to the linebacking core and the defensive secondary being that much better because they don't have to necessarily worry as much about having to rush the pass with extra blitzing players do they let cam Rising loose or do they still kind of like have him in bubble W uh are you talking are you talking in practice or we talking in game well I mean in games you gotta go right I mean I I there's no question they got to let him go full throttle and sometimes you get hurt if you don't go Full Throttle yeah Andy Andy lwig spoke to the media today and we asked him a similar question to that and he said you know what we're going to try and make sure that he is as protected as it can make him in practice but there's just an ele to being able to go out there and do the things you do as a quarterback to go out there and make plays and that's exactly what cam is he described him as a playmaker and they said they're going to coach him up to say hey you got to be maybe a little bit smarter because he suffered two really debilitating knee injuries at Utah that have really hampered his time there they're coaching up saying hey you've got Playmakers at tight end at wide receiver you got some good running backs behind you in an offensive line that looks very very talented get the ball into the hands of your Playmakers it doesn't have to be be all on you all the time yes there's going to be time that he's going to obviously tuck it and run but they are saying they're going to be very judicious with regards to getting him hit in practice and more particularly uh calling quarterback designed runs and the like Jake uh between the transfer portal and just traditional recuring who do you feel is the most important new face on the roster this season well that's a good question I would say you have got you've got a pair of freshman tackles offensive tackles Caleb lomu and Spencer Foo who both got experience last last year but they're going to really I think emerge into their own this year you don't traditionally see two I know that they're going to designate I think lomu as a red shirt freshman I think uh fono might be the same class they didn't play a ton last year due to some injuries and other things but when you have the confidence to start two guys at offensive tackle who are red shirt freshman or sophomores at the oldest that means you have got a lot of talent you believe on that offensive front particularly on the outside because those guys have to exist on an island and go up against some of the best pass rushers in the entire country all know that the Big 12 got some very very good pass rush Specialists across this league so I think those two offensive Lin I know not necessarily official newcomers to this team but keep an eye on those two tackles Caleb lomu and Spencer Foo is there any doubt that of the four schools that have moved into the Big 12 and I think it's official August the 1 later on this week or sometime that first couple of days in August that Utah is separated well separated from Arizona because the questions in the coaching change even with faita and McMillan back Etc and then Arizona State and then Colorado the unknown because we just don't know how much they've improved yeah I think you absolutely nailed it I think Utah they're Far and Away the most accomplished and obviously designated as the favorite in the Big 12 according to that media poll that came out ahead of Big 12 media days they are the class of the newcomers obviously Arizona number two I would say Colorado three because you you are say a little bit of a wild card we don't know what we're going to get with Coach Prime but there's a lot of confidence there in Boulder that he's going to be better in year two uh with the buffal and then yeah Arizona State I think it's an uphill climb still for them down in the desert but uh don't be surprised that Kenny Gillingham in the next two or three years uh really emerges with a pretty good team but you have to give him the time to get his guys in place we know that there's been a little fun back and forth uh between Utah fans resistant about the move to the Big 12 and you know the the other side of the Big 12 fandom of you're lucky to be here and all of that and a lot of that's just kind of having fun Jake but what is kind of the Feel For Better or Worse from the Utah fan basees we start to get a month out from the season and you start to actually get ready for playing some games uh are people excited about it are they hesitant how would you describe the mood around the youths and and being in the Big 12 this year I think Utah fans are excited to be the favorite in the conference they want to come in and make a statement obviously and yes there's been that Back in Forth you seen the fan bases on social media every has seen it out there but I I think the overarching theme I have sense from Utah fans both online and also people that I know in my day-to-day life is that they're excited to be part of the Big 12 they believe that they should be and will be the favorites to win the Big 12 title this year they're hoping to go to the college football playoff and if they accomplish all th all those goals I think the Utah fan base would be very happy and content members of the Big 12 Conference so we mentioned scoty uh Craig brought that up and we know that he had been kind of ready for that earlier and then they had to wait a little bit kind of a a downtime tell us more about about Morgan scall that maybe most people don't know too much about uh Morgan scall is about as Utah man as you're G to find grew up Utah guy played there was an allconference safety for the Youth then went into coaching and he's been coaching Utah the entire time he's been a coach he's I'm telling you if you want a like for like replacement as much as you possibly can get with Kyle Winningham at Utah it's Morgan scell he bleeds red quite literally and he will put on for that University unlike many people will it's kind of a similar situation to what k as a BYU Kanani grew up a BYU fan played for level Edwards in Provo and then the whole Venture he made in his coaching career was to get where he's at right now as the head coach of BYU so assuming when Morgan scell ascends to the top job there at Utah you're gonna have two of the best alums from these respective universities going head-to-head and yeah Morgan scall he is as Utah a man as you are going to find out there it's football season basically Jack Jake with all the the practices beginning 16 schools in the Big 12 uh just the three today um in your opinion of the schools among the 16 give me a team that perhaps you think is in the middle of the pack that has the best chance of when we get to Mid November late November playing for the Big 12 Championship if a lot of things go well if things go well watch out for UCF I think I think KJ Jefferson at quarterback I think with Gus malan's offense they've got a lot of things going for them now the question mark for for UCF is that defense Ted Ru takes over as the defensive coordinator I might be co-defensive coordinator but uh he comes in with a lot to prove on the defensive side of the football but I think that UCF offense if they things break the way that they could that could be an offense that can score with anybody now they may give up some points along the way as well but uh it would not surprise me if UCF gets off to a hot start you could see that carry on and obviously with eway and Utah both traveling down there to Orlando to take on the knights they're going to be a player when it comes to the big 12 R thank you Jake appreciate your time KSL Sports Zone both the Utah BYU we had them on of course when they Chang in football coaches at Utah State J cats with us on 365 Sports I uh I like