Utah Football Camp Kicks off on Aug. 1

7/20/2018 8:55 AM | Football

Pac-12 Media Day will Usher in Preseason Camp

Football Media Day Kicks off Preseason
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, linebacker Chase Hansen and center Lo Falemaka will represent the Utah football team at 2018 Pac-12 Football Media Day on Wednesday, July 25 in Hollywood, Calif. The Pac-12 Networks will cover Media Day and for Utah-specific content, follow @utahathletics (#goutes) on Twitter and Instagram.

Kyle's Corner
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, the longest-tenured coach in the Pac-12 Conference and the third-longest tenured coach at the same school in the NCAA FBS, has a 111-56 record in 13 seasons. With an 11-1 record in bowl games, Whittingham has the best bowl win percentage (92%) in NCAA history. His 11 bowl wins is tied for second among active coaches. Now in his 14th year as Utah's head coach, Whittingham is embarking on his 25th season on the Utah coaching staff.

Honor Candidates Head to Hollywood
Senior center Lo Falemaka (6-5, 295, West Valley City, Utah) and senior linebacker Chase Hansen (6-3, 230, Highland, Utah) are the Ute players attending the 2018 Pac-12 Football Media Day. Falemaka, a one-time walk-on, developed into an honorable mention All-Pac-12 center last season. Injuries cut short every previous season and he has been granted a medical extension for a sixth year from the NCAA. Falemaka has a bachelor's degree in sociology. Hansen, an honorable mention All-Pac-12 safety in 2016, moved to linebacker in the spring. The former Parade All-American signed with Utah as a quarterback and played both QB and safety as a redshirt freshman in 2015 before moving to defense full time as a sophomore. In Hansen's only complete season without an injury, he led Utah in tackles (90), passes defended (12) and pass breakups (9) while tying for second in the nation in fumble recoveries (4) in 2016. He will complete his bachelor's degree in consumer and community studies with an emphasis in financial planning and a minor in sociology this summer. He is a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

125 Seasons of Utah Football
Utah will celebrate its 125th season of football this fall. The celebration will include a commemorative patch on the jerseys, a video series highlighting each decade of football at the U. and special insignia merchandise.

Two-Minute Drill
Utah's preseason camp will run from Aug. 1-18 and is closed to the public. Please see sidebar on page 1 for media policies and availability. Classes and regular season practices will start on Aug. 20 … Just 10 teams in the country have more returning starters than the Utes, who have 18, including nine on offense, seven on defense and two specialists … Utah is the only school in NCAA history to have a Ray Guy Award winner (Mitch Wishnowsky, 2016) and Lou Groza Award winner (Matt Gay, 2017) on the same squad. Wishnowsky and Gay are first-team preseason All-Americans by Athlon and Sporting News. A Ute has won one of the nation's top awards for specialists four years running with former punter Tom Hackett winning the Ray Guy Award in 2014 and 2015, Wishnowsky winning it in 2016 and Gay taking home the Lou Groza Award in 2017.

In the Huddle
Nine of the 11 offensive positions, including quarterback, running back and receiver, as well as four offensive line positions, have starters returning. New starters will take over at left guard and tight end, where junior Johnny Capra and junior Jake Jackson are the leading candidates ... Britain Covey, a Freshman All-American at receiver and punt returner in 2015, has returned from a two-year church mission … The area hardest hit by graduation on the defense was the line where the only returning starter is All-America candidate Bradlee Anae at defensive end. Four players came out of spring ball as co-starters at the two tackle positions: Leki Fotu and Hauati Pututau at left tackle and Pita Tonga and John Penisini at right tackle … Chase Hansen's move from safety to linebacker was made possible in part by the return of strong safety Marquise Blair from injury.

Watch Out
The annual preseason watch lists have started to roll out for the major college football awards and several Utes are mentioned. To date, running back Zack Moss is on the watch list for the Maxwell Award (Player of the Year) and the Doak Walker Award (Nation's Top Running Back), defensive end Bradlee Anae and cornerback Julian Blackmon are on the watch list for the Bednarik Award (Defensive Player of the Year) and center Lo Falemaka is on watch list for the Rimington Trophy (Nation's Premier Center). For a complete list of returning Ute starters and honor candidates, please see sidebar on page 2.

The 10th Man
The new NCAA rule allowing a 10th assistant coach brought a familiar face back to Utah in January. Gary Andersen, who has spent the last nine years as an FBS head coach, is Utah's new associate head coach and defensive line coach. His previous FBS head coaching jobs were at Utah State (2009-12), Wisconsin (2013-14) and Oregon State (2015-17). He is in his 12th season overall at Utah with previous stints from 1997-2002 and 2004-2008.

This and That
The 18th-annual Fan Fest is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 18 from 6-8 p.m. at Rice-Eccles Stadium … A clear bag policy will be enforced at University of Utah athletic events held at Rice-Eccles Stadium and the Huntsman Center this season. For more information, visit https://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/safety-is-crystal-clear/?userType=faculty&utm_source=uFacultyStaffNewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=attheu&utm_content=safety-is-crystal-clear … 27 former Utes are on current NFL rosters. See sidebar on page 4 for a complete list of current NFL Utes … The Utes have played before 51 straight sellout crowds in Rice-Eccles Stadium dating back to the 2010 season opener, including 48 standing room-only crowds.

2017 in Review
Utah went 7-6 in 2017 (3-6 Pac-12) and beat West Virginia in the Heart of Dallas Bowl for the Pac-12's only bowl victory of the season. First-year junior kicker Matt Gay became the first Lou Groza Award winner in school history and was also a consensus All-American. Junior Mitch Wishnowsky, the Ray Guy Award winner and a unanimous consensus All-American in 2016, was a 2017 Ray Guy Award finalist. Both Gay and Wishnowsky were named first-team All-Pac-12, while receiver Darren Carrington II, offensive lineman Salesi Uhatafe, cornerback Boobie Hobbs and cornerback Julian Blackmon made the All-Pac-12 second team. Blackmon was named MVP of the Heart of Dallas Bowl and to the AP and ESPN All-Bowl teams.

Ute Scouting Report

Quarterback
Utah returns one of the best quarterbacks in the conference in multidimensional junior Tyler Huntley (6-1, 200). The electric playmaker ranked third in the Pac-12 in total offense last season behind two first-round NFL draft picks, averaging 294.8 yards per game (241.1 passing and 53.7 rushing). There is young talent behind Huntley in redshirt freshman Jason Shelley (5-11, 193) and four-star true freshman Jack Tuttle (6-3, 210).

Running Back
Doak Walker Award candidate Zack Moss (5-10, 217, Jr.) rushed for 1,173 yards (90.2 yards per game, 5.5 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore last season. He also caught 29 passes to tie for third on the team. Behind him, Armand Shyne (5-11, 210, Jr.) also has starting credentials. Shyne was averaging 74.6 yards per game in 2016 before an injury ended that season and the next.

Offensive Line
In a reverse scenario from a year ago when the offensive line had to replace four NFL draft picks, four starters return in 2018, along with three backups who saw significant playing time. A pair of senior all-conference candidates returns in left tackle Jackson Barton (6-7, 308) and center Lo Falemaka (6-5, 295). Other second-year starters are guard Jordan Agasiva (6-3, 320, Sr.) and right tackle Darrin Paulo (6-5, 313, Jr.).

Wide Receiver
Receiver might be the most improved position with Britain Covey (5-8, 170, So.)—the team's leading receiver in 2015—back from a two-year church mission and the debut of highly-touted freshmen Bronson Boyd (6-0, 190) and Solomon Enis (6-3, 193). Returning starters include Samson Nacua (6-3, 195, So.), Siaosi Mariner (6-2, 193, Jr.) and Demari Simpkins (5-10, 184, Jr.).

Tight End
Youth is the word at tight end, where only junior Jake Jackson (6-3, 245) has measurable NCAA experience. Perhaps the most intriguing signee of the entire 2018 Ute class will join the competition. Australian rugby player Thomas Yassmin (6-5, 242, Fr.) is an exceptional athlete, although new to American football.

Defensive Line
Junior defensive end Bradlee Anae (6-3, 254), one of the best edge rushers in the Pac-12 if not the nation, moves from right to left end to replace NFL draft pick Kylie Fitts. Four players are in a virtual dead heat at the two tackle positions, where Leki Fotu (6-5, 323, Jr.), Hauati Pututau (6-3, 296, So.), Pita Tonga (6-1, 301, So.) and John Penisini (6-2, 315, Jr.) could start for almost any team in the country.

Linebacker
Senior Chase Hansen (6-3, 230) brings honorable mention all-conference credentials as a safety, speed and athleticism from his old position to the linebacker corps. Senior Cody Barton (6-2, 230) and junior Donavan Thompson (5-10, 219) are both experienced starters.

Secondary
Headlined by All-America candidate Julian Blackmon (6-1, 190, Jr.) at corner, Utah's secondary compares favorably with the best in the country. The Utes will again have the services of explosive safety Marquise Blair (6-2, 195, Sr.), who was on track for all-conference honors before a season-ending injury in 2017. Sophomore corners Jaylon Johnson (6-0, 190) and Javelin Guidry (5-9, 190) were terrific as freshmen (Guidry started at nickel back) and senior Corrion Ballard (6-3, 200) is the returning starter at free safety.

Specialists
Never in NCAA history has a team had a specialist duo as talented as senior punter Mitch Wishnowsky and senior kicker Matt Gay. Both are first-team All-Americans and both have won the most coveted award at their respective positions: Wishnowsky won the 2016 Ray Guy Award and was a finalist in 2017, while Gay won the 2017 Lou Groza Award.

Utah Story Lines
Philip Afia grew up playing soccer and had never even seen a football game before trying out for his high school team as a freshman kicker (he plays safety at Utah) ... Bradlee Anae enjoys cliff jumping, surfing and hiking. His sister Adora Anae was a first-team All-America volleyball player for Utah … Jackson Barton and Cody Barton are among five members in their immediate family to play for Utah. Sister Dani is a sophomore on the Ute volleyball team and made the Pac-12 All-Freshman team in 2017. Their father Paul played football and baseball for the Utes. Their mother Mikki (Kane), a member of Utah's Crimson Club Hall of Fame, was an all-conference basketball and volleyball player at Utah and the 1993 Western Athletic Conference Basketball Player of the Year … Britain Covey's grandfather Stephen Covey authored the bestseller "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" … Nick Ford's heritage is black Portuguese and Native American. He enjoys playing the piano and guitar, swimming, surfing, biking, horseback riding, camping and science … Leki Fotu played on the USA Rugby Boys High School All-American team and trained with the London Wasps' rugby team in 2013 … Matt Gay's only football experience prior to his Lou Groza award-winning season in 2017 was one season of high school football in 2011. He played soccer at Utah Valley University in 2014 and 2016 before walking on to the Utah football team in August of 2017 … Malik Haynes enjoys Polynesian dancing, free diving and hiking … Batchlor Johnson became a professional songwriter while he was still in high school and he and his siblings (Shania, and brother Corey) have cut four music videos and one album as "The Johnsons" … Chayden Johnston has a congenital heart condition (Tetralogy of Fallot) … Rex Jordan attended a performing arts school and plays the piano and bass guitar … Sione Lund listens to Les Misérables before games … Alassane Niang was born in West Africa and speaks three languages … Ali'i Niumatalolo's father Ken Niumatalolo is the head football coach at Navy. His family was featured in the 2014 documentary Meet the Mormons. He plays the piano and cello … Josh Nurse is an impersonator and singer … Pita Tonga is the son of two former Ute student-athletes. Pita Sr. was Utah's tackle leader in 1994 while Susana (Tauteoli) Tonga was a first-team all-WAC basketball player and her 36 points against Fresno State set a school record at the time … Jack Tuttle enjoys hiking, biking, Ultimate Frisbee and reggae.