Utah Footall Team Opens Camp On August 7

8/1/2006 12:00 AM | Football

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Aug. 1, 2006

SALT LAKE CITY -
A few notes on Utah's preaseason football camp follow. For the complete release, including the opening week practice schedule, please download the accompanying PDF.

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Second-year Utah head football coach Kyle Whittingham will welcome 56 returnees (35 lettermen) and 25 recruited newcomers to the 2006 preseason training camp ... Players report on Sunday, Aug. 6 and practice begins on Monday, Aug. 7 ... There will be 22 total practices, including three scrimmages, during the 16-day camp, which concludes on Aug. 22. Classes start on Aug. 23 ... Practices and scrimmages are closed to the public but open to the media (see left column of this page for the first week's practice schedule) ... Most practices during the preseason camp will be held at Ute Baseball Field--a tradition that began in 2003 to protect the grass on the Thomas McCarthey Practice Fields ... The schedule for the first three days of camp calls for split practices featuring different segments of the team. Two-a-day practices begin on Saturday, Aug. 12 and will continue other day until Aug. 21, excluding Sundays.

PRE-CAMP NOTES

A total of 91 players spent most of the summer in Salt Lake City doing voluntary workouts. Among those were 14 newcomers (see Head Start for more details) ... The Utes came out of summer workouts in pretty good health. Starters Brian Johnson (knee surgery) and Brian Hernandez (ankle surgery) have been cleared to practice without limitations. Offensive lineman Eric Pettit (back) might be held out some during two-a-days ... As of Aug. 1, the Utah ticket office had already sold 3,500 tickets for the season-opener against UCLA in the Rose Bowl ... Utah was picked to finish third in the MWC in the preseason media poll. The Utes received three first-place votes and 188 total points--four points out of second.

HEAD START

Some of Utah's newcomers won't be all that new when camp opens on Aug. 7. Fourteen newcomers, including 13 incoming freshmen, trained in Salt Lake City this summer under the direction of Ute strength and conditioning director Doug Elisaia. The group included junior college transfer Matt Sims and freshmen Neli A'asa, Joe Dale, Justin Jones, Pauli Latu, Mookie Murphy, Caleb Schlauderaff, R.J. Stanford, Stevenson Sylvester, Zane Taylor, Nano Tonga, Kenton Thomas, Walter Watts and Zeke Wily.

WEDDLE WATCH

Utah senior defensive back Eric Weddle (6-0, 200), was picked to repeat as the MWC Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-conference choice at the Mountain West Conference Media Preview on July 17. Weddle dominated the preseason publications, as well, making every all-conference team and several All-America teams and watch lists. More information on Weddle's preseason recognition can be found later in this release.

PRESEASON ALL-MWC UTES

Five Utes were named to the official MWC preseason all-conference team. Leading the way was Weddle--Utah's only returning first-team pick from 2005. Joining Weddle on the 2006 preseason team were: senior offensive lineman Tavo Tupola (6-4, 300), junior receiver Brian Hernandez (6-0, 175), junior offensive lineman Jason Boone (6-4, 300) and sophomore kick returner Brent Casteel (5-10, 193). Tupola was second-team all-MWC a year ago, as was quarterback Brian Johnson (6-1, 205, Jr.) and defensive back/linebacker Casey Evans (6-0, 200, Sr.).

HERNANDEZ GAINS A YEAR

Preseason all-conference receiver Brian Hernandez learned on July 18 that the NCAA had granted him a one-year extension to his college career, making him a junior in eligibility this fall. The NCAA allows for an extra year of eligibility if a player misses two seasons for reasons beyond his control. Hernandez lost one season to an injury and another for a family medical emergency. The Phoenix, Ariz., native signed with Georgia Tech in 2002 but was not cleared medically to play that season after suffering complications from a deep thigh contusion. At the semester break, family medical issues prompted him to leave Georgia Tech and move back home.