If you attended the 22 Forever Spring Game, or watched it on TV, then it’s likely you walked away feeling pretty enthusiastic about the future of the program.
What Ute Fans Did See
On the offensive side of the ball, both familiar and new faces made their presence known, including QB Brandon Rose, RB Ja’Quinden Jackson, WR Money Parks, and WR Mikey Matthews.
Rose showed that his efforts as last season’s scout team quarterback paid off, as he commanded the White team offense throughout the first half with consistency and efficiency. He ended the day going 19-24 for 233 yards and a touchdown.
Parks and Matthews were hauling in passes all over the field. Parks led all receivers with 71 yards on five catches, and true freshman and early enrollee Matthews pulled in seven receptions for 59 yards in his first public appearance as a Ute.
Jackson showed that last year’s transition to running back from quarterback was not a fluke. In fact, he looked the part on Saturday, rushing for 17 yards on three carries, and making two receptions for 52 yards.
Defensively, Ole Miss transfer Miles Battle took an interception to the house, and another true freshman and early enrollee Jono Hall picked off a pass as well. Linebackers Justin Medlock and Josh Calvert also turned some heads, leading their teams with 11 and six tackles, respectively.
However, there were many exciting things we didn’t see in this game.
What Ute Fans Didn’t See
While it was intriguing to see the growth of several younger players on Saturday, what Utah fans didn’t see was most of the veterans that will play the bulk of the snaps this fall.
In fact, this team arguably has more depth than ever before. In a way, we could see some of that at the 22 Forever game, but there was so much more not being shown.
How Will the QB Situation Play Out?
The most notable absence was that of QB Cam Rising, but in his situation, it wasn’t due to precautionary reasons as it was for many others. It is because Rising is still healing from the knee injury he suffered in the Rose Bowl.
This offense is completely different without Rising under center, and his health and availability will be crucial to the team’s success this fall. Rose has taken impressive steps forward, and Nate Johnson has shown signs of progress despite being slowed by an injury in spring practices, but they are both far from being the polished passer and decision maker that Rising is.
If for some terrible reason Rising can’t go on August 31st against Florida, will the Utes once again turn to Bryson Barnes? It’s difficult to say at this point.
Will the Utes Add More Pass Catchers?
The Utes leading returning receiver, DeVaughn Vele, was absent from the spring game, and despite impressive performances from Parks and Matthews, it’s clear more help will be needed at WR and TE.
With the departures of Dalton Kincaid, Jaylen Dixon, and Solomon Enis, at least 1,335 yards of receiving production need to be replaced for this upcoming season. It appears that Parks and Matthews will be a part of that solution, as well as Thomas Yassmin, Brant Kuithe, and Indiana transfer WR Emery Simmons, but more depth is critical.
WR Makai Cope, TE Munir McClain, and TE Noah Bennee may also provide some answers, but with the recent transfer portal departures of receivers Ti’Quan Gilmore and Chris Reed, Utah needs to bring in more help.
One enormous addition would be that of the former five-star recruit and Oklahoma receiver Trejan Bridges, who attended the 22 Forever game as an official visitor.
There have also been several other quality options at both tight end and receiver that have entered their names into the portal from other schools, and it will be worth watching to see who, if any, the Utes bring in.
The Trenches are Covered
So much of a team’s success relies on the offensive and defensive lines, and for Utah, they are stacked with talent in both crucial position groups. Many of the projected starters sat out Saturday, so it wasn’t as clear then, but it will be this fall.
The offensive line will have several returners with starts under the belts, including Sataoa Laumea, Michael Mokofisi, Keaton Bills, Jaren Kump, and Johnny Maea. Falcon Kaumatule, Alex Harrison, Keith Olson, Zereoue Williams, Tanoa Togiai, and Spencer Fano should also fill in the gaps as needed.
The defensive line looks just as deep. The entire front four of Jonah Ellis, Simote Pepa, Junior Tafuna, and Van Fillinger should be back. Behind them, Logan Fano, Connor O’Toole, Aliki Vimahi, and Keanu Tanuvasa should all be a part of the rotation as well.
The Rest of the Defense is Solid
Don’t let the 38-28 final score of the spring game fool you. The Ute defense will be hard to put points on this season.
The losses of CB Clark Philips III and LB Mo Diabate are significant, but Utah did a great job replacing them with Battle and Stanford transfer LB Levani Damuni.
With both starting linebackers Lander Barton and Karene Reid returning, as well as several starters in the secondary (S Cole Bishop, S Sione Vaki, CB Zemiah Vaughn, CB JaTravis Broughton, CB Faybian Marks) the Utes shouldn’t have trouble slowing down opposing offenses passing attacks.
The defensive backfield will also get several key additions (Hall, S Tao Johnson, and 2020 safety starter Nate Ritchie has returned from his 2-year church mission) to add even more depth.
This Team Will Be Very Good, However…
They face a brutal schedule. According to ESPN’s initial FPI Top 25 rankings, the Utes will play six top 25 teams, opening with #18 Florida, followed by #23 Baylor, and then matchups against #24 Oregon State, #7 USC, #13 Oregon, and #21 Washington throughout the season. The rest of the games aren’t a cakewalk either with #41 UCLA, #51 California, #59 Arizona, #64 Arizona State, and #95 Colorado. Only FCS Weber State is outside the top 100.
For sake of comparison, the reigning national champions, Georgia, will play three top 25 teams, including #18 Florida, #16 Ole Miss, and #12 Tennessee, but start out with FCS UT Martin, #111 Ball State, #42 South Carolina, and #79 UAB. They also have #40 Missouri, #39 Auburn, #28 Kentucky, #73 Vanderbilt, and #65 Georgia Tech on their schedule.
Final Thoughts
The 22 Forever game was fun, but it really didn’t show much of what fans can expect to see this fall. It was nice to see the progress of the backup QB’s, the steadiness of the RB room with Jackson, Jaylon Glover, and Micah Bernard doing their things, and the overall quality of the depth of players on the team.
Nevertheless, to get a true feel of what’s to come, I’m afraid fans will just have to wait until August 31st.
Straight Up Utes 