Football Opens Spring Practice

3/2/2020 3:53 PM | Football

Utah Football Spring 2020 Media Guide

The Utah football team opens spring practice today for the first of 15 spring practices.

All practices take place either at the Eccles Football Center practice fields or Rice-Eccles Stadium (see schedule below) and are open to the public. Practices held indoors will be closed due to space.

Spring ball is here ?? pic.twitter.com/8ME4v7zf7F
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) March 2, 2020

RETURNING PRODUCTION
Utah returns seven starters on offense in 2020, which includes four of the five starters up front (Braeden
Daniels, Orlando Umana, Nick Ford, Simi Moala) along with big-play receiver Bryan Thompson and Utah's talented tight end duo of Cole Fotheringham and Brant Kuithe. On defense, fresh faces will be the theme with only two starters returning in linebacker Devin Lloyd and defensive end Mika Tafua, while all three prominent spots on special teams return intact with punter Ben Lennon, kicker Jadon Redding and snapper Keegan Markgraf back in 2020.

RETURN OF COVEY
After redshirting in 2019 to more fully recover from a 2018 injury, junior Britain Covey returns to full strength to provide a spark on offense and special teams. He played in the first four games of 2019.

2020 NEWCOMERS
Between Dec. 18 and Feb. 5, the Utes added 27 newcomers to the 2020 roster that included 25 freshmen, a graduate transfer and a junior college transfer. According to 247Sports, Utah finished National Signing Day with the 29th-ranked recruiting class in the country and the No. 5 class in the Pac-12.
• Of the 27 newcomers, seven will participate in spring camp as mid-year enrollees. That number includes graduate transfer quarterback Jake Bentley, returned missionaries Hunter Lotulelei, Taniela
Pututau and Tennessee Pututau, and recent high school graduates Clark Phillips III, Ben Renfro and Caine Savage.
• Utah's 27 new additions include seven four-star recruits and 18 three-stars.
• The Utes added 18 players on defense (8 DL, 4 CB, 3 safeties, 3 LB) and nine on off ense (4 OL, 2 WR, 2 QB, 1 RB).

ROSTER CHANGES
Heading into spring ball, junior Nephi Sewell is one of two known position changes from the way the 2019 season ended. The junior is moving closer to the line of scrimmage and will begin practicing with the linebackers. He played in three games in 2019, starting at safety against Texas in the Alamo Bowl. Redshirt freshman Maxwell Cotton will switch from DB to WR.

TEAM LEADERS
Each fall and spring, the team votes for its team captains and chooses the leadership council.
• The 2020 Team Leadership Council: Devin Brumfield, Britain Covey, Solomon Enis, Nick Ford, Cole Fotheringham, Brant Kuithe, Ben Lennon, Devin Lloyd, Hauati Pututau, Cameron Rising, Mika Tafua, Bryan Thompson and Orlando Umana.
• The 2020 Spring Captains: C Orlando Umana, WR Solomon Enis, LB Devin Lloyd, DE Mika Tafua and P Ben Lennon.

For more, continue to our 2020 Spring Media Guide.

DATE	TIME	NOTES
Mon., March 2	3 p.m.
Tues., March 3	3 p.m.
Thu., March 5	2:30 p.m.
Tues., March 17	2:30 p.m.
Thu., March 19	2:30 p.m.
Sat., March 21	9:30 a.m.	*at Rice-Eccles Stadium
Tues., March 24	2:30 p.m.
Thu., March 26	2:30 p.m.
Sat., March 28	9:30 a.m.	*Scrimmage at Rice-Eccles Stadium
Tues., March 31	2:30 p.m.
Thu., April 2	2:30 p.m.
Fri., April 3	3:30 p.m.	*Scrimmage at Rice-Eccles Stadium
Tues., April 7	2:30 p.m.
Thu., April 9	2:30 p.m.
Sat., April 11	11 a.m.	*Red-White Game at Rice-Eccles Stadium