#CampKyle Report: @Utah_Football Opens Practice Thursday

8/6/2015 12:00 AM | Football

Aug. 6, 2015

Kickoff at Rice-Eccles Stadium for the Michigan game is 28 days away and UtahUtes.com will have @Utah_Football fall camp covered every step of the way. Today was Utah's first on-field activity of the season so be sure to use #CampKyle to follow the Utes throughout the preseason.

Video, photos, quotes, social media reaction and behind-the-scenes tidbits can be found here to quench your football thirst before the Utes face the Wolverines on Sept. 3 at 6:30 p.m. MT.

Day 1 Overview ...

? First practice of the season held Thursday morning at the Utah baseball practice field.
? Team was in helmets without shoulder pads during the NCAA's acclimatization period. A tag was enough to bring a ball carrier or receiver down as the Utes installed basic strategic elements.
? The offense wore red practice jerseys (quarterbacks were in white), while the defense was in the black jerseys.

Commence practice one of #CampKyle. Follow along on Twitter, snapchat and periscope. pic.twitter.com/MfYSpwHkoC

-- Utah Football (@Utah_Football) August 6, 2015

Media Observation Period Highlights ...
? During the 20 minutes of the day's practice that was open to the media, full-team live work began from the offense's own 40-yard line. The first and second units took three series apiece.
? After the entire team met at midfield, the first and second teams went through conditioning drills in the north end zone, while third units broke off into two separate sessions of 7-on-7 drills.
? The workout concluded with full-team work for players who were not heavily involved in the earlier periods of practice.

'Wilson hands off to Booker' is a sight we hope to be seeing often this season! #goutes @Utah_Football pic.twitter.com/UefCjSQDcp

-- Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) August 6, 2015

From Coach Whittingham ...
On today's workout: "It's great to be out here. It was an okay practice, some good and some bad, but it's good to be back on the field getting after it."

On if the offense or defense had the advantage today: "You can't tell without pads. You're just out there installing, going through alignments, assignments and that type of thing. The execution on offense was pretty good today, relative to how much offense we have in."

On wide receivers: "It seems like we helped ourselves at wide receiver, but time will tell. With the addition of George Wilson and Tyrone Smith, who has obviously worked hard this summer, and Kenneth Scott, that group needs to step up. It looks like we helped ourselves from an ability standpoint."

On cornerback depth: "First of all, we have Reginald Porter, who is playing good football and had an excellent spring. Brian Allen is starting to emerge. Casey Hughes is doing some good things along with Tavaris Williams and Justin Thomas, who plays more inside than outside and is more of a nickel. [Jordan] Fogal looks like he is going to help us. Boobie Hobbs looks like he's gotten better. We had a lot of good young corners in the program last year. Obviously, they're one year older and will continue to progress."

Newcomers who made good first impressions:
? Freshman offensive tackle Darrin Paulo showed a lot of promise.
? Caleb Repp, who was originally scheduled to be a defensive end, is very talented and will have a shot at tight end.

Other notes from Coach Whittingham:

? Always good to have an experienced team with a lot of good football players who are coming back and taking leadership.
? Weren't out there for a long time, but while we were out there, there was good focus and energy. That's what we're looking for.
? Major position battles include: wide receivers, offensive line, corners and safeties.
? The defensive line is very deep and will have a rotation of players throughout the season like in the past, rather than clear-cut starters.
? The team has a lot of natural leaders like Jared Norris, Travis Wilson, Kendal Thompson, Kenneth Scott and Hunter Dimick. There's a lot of leadership on this team and that's critical.

Post-Practice Impressions from the Utah Assistant Coaches and Players ...

Assistant Head Coach Dennis Erickson
? Day 1 is always fun, a lot of enthusiasm and energy. The test comes about five days from now when you get a little worn out.
? Devontae Booker has all of the tools to be a great running back. Great attitude, works hard to get better every day. He has great speed, can pass protect and "can catch the football better than anyone I've ever had."
? Booker "is probably the best college back I've ever coached and I've had some pretty good ones."
? Found Joe Williams at ASA College in Brooklyn thanks to his recruiting contacts.

Defensive Coordinator John Pease
? Good to have three veteran and senior linebackers who can run the show, similar to a quarterback .
? There was a lot of energy at practice today. It was not perfect. There is a long way to go.

Co-Offensive Coordinator Jim Harding
? Looking for the offense to protect the football, make plays and execute in game situations.

Co-Offensive Coordinator Aaron Roderick
? We wanted to move fast in today's practice.
? Installed very basic offensive principles then really start picking up the pace.

#UtesCamp BTS ...

? Last names and numbers of each player's jersey in a new and larger font, same one found on the branding throughout the Eccles Football Center.
? Large multi-color squares of tag board were used to signal in offensive play calls.