Pac-12 Media Days July 14-15 in Hollywood

7/12/2016 11:24 AM | Football

Utes Attend Pac-12 Football Media Days
Utah's contingent to the 2016 Pac-12 Football Media Days includes head coach Kyle Whittingham, offensive tackle J.J. Dielman and defensive back Justin Thomas. This year's event is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, July 14-15 in Hollywood, Calif., at the Hollywood and Highland Center.

Watch the Media Days Live
Live coverage of the Pac-12 Media Days will be broadcast on Pac-12 Networks, Pac-12.com/live and the Pac-12 Now app on Thursday (10 a.m.-2 p.m. MT) and Friday (10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. MT). Utah coach Kyle Whittingham will be interviewed live Thursday at 10:55 a.m. MT, followed by players J.J. Dielman and Justin Thomas at 11:09 a.m. MT. Digital followers will see exclusive graphics and content on Twitter (@Pac12Network), Facebook and Snapchat (@pac12conference). For Utah-specific content, follow @utahathletics (#goutes). More information and a complete Pac-12 Media Days' schedule can be found at http://pac-12.com/football/media-days.

Two-Minute Drill
Utah's fall camp opens on Aug. 4 and concludes on Aug. 20. Scrimmages are tentatively scheduled for Aug. 11 and 16 in Rice-Eccles Stadium … The Utes return 14 starters from their 2015 Pac-12 South Division co-champion team (6 offense, 7 defense, 1 kicker) … Three first-team All-Pac-12 Conference players return in junior defensive tackle Lowell Lotulelei, junior free safety Marcus Williams and senior placekicker Andy Phillips (2014) … Utes on preseason watch lists to date are: Lotulelei (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Outland Trophy, Bednarik Award), Williams (Nagurski, Jim Thorpe Award), Phillips (Lou Groza Award), senior defensive end Kylie Fitts (Nagurski, Bednarik), senior offensive lineman J.J. Dielman (Outland) and senior defensive end Hunter Dimick (Nagurski).

In the Huddle
Five seniors are preparing for their fourth season as starters: kicker Andy Phillips, defensive end Hunter Dimick, cornerback Justin Thomas, offensive lineman Isaac Asiata and snapper Chase Dominguez. Phillips has done 100-percent of Utah's placekicking over the past three seasons and Dominguez has handled every snap for punts and field goals … For the first time in five years, a new quarterback will call the signals for the Utes with the graduation of four-year starter Travis Wilson. Three QB candidates will enter fall camp in a dead heat: junior Brandon Cox, junior transfer Troy Williams and true freshman Tyler Huntley … Utah must replace All-Pac-12 players at running back (Devontae Booker), linebacker (Gionni Paul and Jared Norris) and punter (two-time Ray Guy Award winner and two-time consensus All-American Tom Hackett).

Get to Know J.J. Dielman
All-America candidate J.J. Dielman (6-5, 300, Sr.) has started all 26 games over the past two seasons at right tackle. He was an All-Pac-12 second-team selection in 2015, when he led Utah in cuts with 32 and his 804 snaps played ranked second on the offensive line (in 11 graded games). After redshirting in 2012 and playing in one game in 2013, he emerged as a key figure on the offensive line as a sophomore. He is on schedule to receive a bachelor's degree in economics in December. Fun fact: Dielman failed to make the junior varsity basketball team in high school when he didn't have basketball shoes for tryouts.

Get to Know Justin Thomas
All-conference candidate Justin Thomas (5-8, 180, Sr.) is preparing to start for his fourth season at nickel back. Thomas, who also sees action at cornerback, has started 22 of his 37 career games played. He finished with 48 tackles (1.0 TFL), three interceptions and six pass breakups in 2015 and was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week against Michigan. Nicknamed J.T., he is on schedule to receive a bachelor's degree in sociology in December. Fun facts: In his spare time, he likes listening to the music of J. Cole and playing Madden on PS4. When Thomas goes home to Orange, Texas, he pays regular visits to a long-term care facility and interacts with the elderly residents.

Offseason Moves
Safeties coach Morgan Scalley was promoted to defensive coordinator, veteran coach Guy Holliday was hired to oversee the wide receivers and Freddie Whittingham left his position as Utah's director of player personnel for his first coaching job (tight ends). Second-year Ute assistant coach Lewis Powell moved from the tight ends to the defensive line, where he played as an undergraduate at Utah. Cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah and linebackers coach Justin Ena were appointed co-special teams coordinators, with Shah managing the return teams and Ena overseeing the coverage units. Head coach Kyle Whittingham will continue coaching the punters and kickers. Position changes involving players included identifying Cory Butler-Byrd and Caleb Repp as full-time receivers. Butler-Byrd played mostly at cornerback last year and Repp was classified as a tight end. Marcus Sanders-Williams moved from running back to linebacker.

New and Improved
The Utes will christen a new artificial turf practice field at the Eccles Football Complex during their August camp. The new practice field is adjacent to both the current natural grass field behind the Spence and Cleone Football Center and the turf field inside the Spence Eccles Field House. In other facility news, a new video board rising 137 feet above the plaza behind the south stands of Rice-Eccles Stadium was installed in the summer. The overall LED display size of the board currently ranks among the largest in the country at 122 feet wide by 64 feet tall. The high definition display has a 16:9 aspect ratio, allowing video to be shown fully without cropping or stretching. Another feature of the $13.5 million project (funded by the Department of Athletics and Auxiliary Services) is a distributed sound system that uses a series of speakers mounted around the top of the stadium and directs the sound downward, rather than outward, to improve the quality of the sound for those inside the stadium and reduce noise for the surrounding community.

2015 in Review
Utah tied for the Pac-12 South Division title with a 6-3 conference mark. The Utes finished 10-3 overall with a Las Vegas Bowl win over BYU to culminate the season. Utah was ranked in the national polls for 15 straight weeks and in all seven College Football Playoff rankings, finishing No. 17 AP, No. 16 Coaches and No. 22 CFP. The Utes won their first five games, rising as high as No. 3 in the AP poll, before their first loss. During that stretch, Utah beat No. 13 Oregon (62-20) and No. 23 California (30-24). The 2015 Utes also earned their first win ever against Washington, 34-23 in Seattle, and beat Arizona State for the first time since 1976. Utah led the Pac-12 and ranked No. 6 nationally in rushing defense and was second in the Pac-12 in total defense and scoring defense.

Offensive Scouting Report

Quarterback
Competition is fierce at quarterback with the departure of four-year starter Travis Wilson. The three-way race to replace Wilson includes junior Brandon Cox (6-2, 205), junior transfer Troy Williams (6-2, 200) and true freshman Tyler Huntley (6-1, 190). The southpaw Cox is in his third year at Utah, but has appeared in just one game. Williams—the No. 1 dual threat quarterback recruit in the nation by Rivals.com out of high school—played in five games (starting one) as a redshirt freshman at Washington in 2014 before transferring to Santa Monica College. Huntley, the 2015 Florida Gatorade Player of the Year, came to Utah in January and impressed in spring camp.

Running Back
Two-time All-Pac-12 running back Devontae Booker—who accounted for more than a third of Utah's combined rushing and receiving yards over the past two seasons—has graduated to the NFL. Joe Williams (5-11, 205, Sr.) stepped in late last season when Booker was injured and averaged 133 yards rushing in Utah's final three games. Williams, the fastest player on the team, runs a 4.35-second 40. Back in action after a year on the injured list is junior Troy McCormick (5-9, 178).

Offensive Line
Utah's offensive line should again be one of the best in the Pac-12 with four starters returning, among them 2015 second-team All-Pac-12 tackle J.J. Dielman (6-5, 300, Sr.) and fourth-year starting guard Isaac Asiata (6-3, 323, Sr.). Utah landed the top overall junior college prospect in the country according to Scout.com in five-star recruit Garett Bolles (6-6, 296, Jr.), a 2015 NJCAA All-American out of Snow College.

Wide Receiver
The leading receivers from a year ago are gone, but the current group showed an ability to stretch the field in the spring with its size and speed. Tim Patrick (6-5, 210, Sr.) has recovered from an injury that kept him out of 16 games over the past two seasons and internal roster moves brought talented Caleb Repp (6-5, 210, So.) and fleet-footed Cory Butler-Byrd (5-10, 180, Sr.) to the position on a full-time basis. Tyrone Smith (6-4, 205, So.) started as a freshman last year.

Tight End
An unexpected set of circumstances created by season-ending injuries a year ago has led to three starters returning. Seniors Siale Fakailoatonga (6-4, 255) and Evan Moeai (6-2, 230) are the early favorites to reclaim the starting job despite missing most of last season and all of spring camp with injuries. In their absence, junior Harrison Handley (6-5, 250) tied for the team lead with four touchdown catches and led the tight ends with 21 receptions for 286 yards.

Defensive Scouting Report

Defensive Line
Utah's defensive line is one of the best in the nation every year and 2016 should be no different. A first-team All-Pac-12 selection as a sophomore last year, defensive tackle Lowell Lotulelei (6-2, 310, Jr.) is treading the same path as his brother Star—a former Ute first-team All-America defensive tackle and first-round NFL draft pick. The younger Lotulelei is one of four preseason honor candidates on the line along with senior ends Kylie Fitts (6-4, 265) and Hunter Dimick (6-3, 272), and junior tackle Filipo Mokofisi (6-3, 278). Beefing up the line further is four-star defensive end Maxs Tupai (6-2, 245, Fr.)—the No. 1 overall recruit in the state of Utah by Rivals.com.

Linebacker
This is the most unknown aspect of Utah's defense as the Utes must replace their two leading tacklers from 2015—All-Pac-12 linebackers Gionni Paul and Jared Norris. Junior Sunia Tauteoli (6-0, 220) and sophomore Cody Barton (6-2, 232) hope to make the jump from special teams to starting roles. The position will get stronger come August when heavily recruited four-star JC transfer David Luafatasaga (6-4, 232, Jr.) joins the fray.

Cornerback
The entire two deep is back from a year ago when Utah led the Pac-12 in passes defended. Dominique Hatfield (5-10, 175, Sr.) tied for third in the Pac-12 in interceptions with four picks, Reginald Porter (5-11, 185, Sr.) led Utah and tied for second in the Pac-12 with 11 pass breakups and nickel back Justin Thomas (5-8, 180, Sr.) had three interceptions and six pass breakups in 2015. Senior Brian Allen (6-3, 205) had an exceptional spring and will see significant playing time as well.

Safety
Utah may have the best free safety in the Pac-12 in junior Marcus Williams (6-1, 195). Williams, who was first-team All-Pac-12 last year as a sophomore when he had five interceptions and five pass breakups, has started since he was a true freshman. Other playmakers at the position include Chase Hansen (6-3, 212, So.) and Jason Thompson (6-2, 208, Sr.).

Kicking Game Scouting Report
Andy Phillips, an All-America candidate and three-time Lou Groza Award semifinalist, is already Utah's career record-holder for field goals made, attempted and points scored and has made 84-percent of his career field goal attempts. A first-team All-Pac-12 kicker as a sophomore, Phillips was honorable mention last season and the only kicker ranked in the nation's top 10 to make all of his field goal attempts inside the 40 (15-of-15). He led the Pac-12 in made field goals from beyond 40 yards (8-of-12). Like his heralded predecessor Tom Hackett, incoming sophomore punter Mitch Wishnowsky comes to the Utes from Australia. Also like Hackett, Wishnowsky can boom punts with pinpoint accuracy. He placed 30 of his 63 total punts (47.6%) inside the 20-yard line as a freshman at Santa Barbara Community College in 2014 before sitting out last year.