LOS ANGELES – Thursday and Friday marked the unofficial kickoff of the 2022 Utah football season as cornerback Clark Phillips III, quarterback Cameron Rising and head coach Kyle Whittingham took center stage for Pac-12 Media Day at the JW Marriott.
The trio traveled to Los Angeles Thursday in time for lunch, before beginning a full slate of photoshoots and video features with the Pac-12 and national media.
It was then time for dinner, which for Phillips and Rising meant a trip to Fleming's Steakhouse with their fellow student-athletes from around the Pac-12, followed up by an exclusive tour of the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. Live.
Friday morning came with an early wake-up call as Phillips, Rising and Whittingham headed to breakfast at the JW Marriott. Just after 8 a.m. PT, the trio headed outside to the NOVO Terrance, joining the Pac-12 Networks set and talking shop with Ashley Adamson, Nigel Burton and Yogi Roth. It was a beautiful morning to be outside, with sunny California skies and temperatures in the low-70s.
Next up was the main podium, where local, regional and national media met with the group in a traditional press conference setting.
From there, Coach Whittingham and the student-athletes made their way down Radio Row to conduct interviews with stations from Salt Lake City, elsewhere in the Pac-12 footprint and nationally. The home stretch of the docket included filming another variety of segments, before the Utah contingent prepared to depart Los Angeles and turn their focus toward fall camp--slated to begin on Wednesday, Aug. 3.
Head coach Kyle Whittingham, far right, on the set of ESPN's College Football Live with (left to right) Joe Tessitore, Sam Acho and Rod Gilmore.
QUOTABLES: HEAD COACH KYLE WHITTINGHAM Opening statement…
"We've got some stuff going for us this year, a lot of good players back off of last year's team. Looking forward to getting into fall camp, like I said. We got a tough opener down in SEC country in the Swamp September 3rd. That's got our guys' full attention. Working hard to get ready for that football game. [But it's] great to be here. Media Day always signifies the start of the season, right around the corner. Excited, like I said, to get back on the field and do our things."
On quarterback Cameron Rising's leadership…
"Cam is a terrific player. He's First Team All-Pac-12. Also, he provided an instant spark, immediate spark, when we inserted him into the game, the San Diego State game, he got his first opportunity. He never looked back.
Cam means so much to our football team. Off the field he's the leader of the leaders, the alpha dog of our team, really sets the standard. You couldn't ask for a better leader. He's one of the best leaders I've ever been around."
On the importance to the Pac-12 of Utah's opening matchup with Florida…
"That's very important. Every game obviously is important. But when you have a chance to go down to SEC country, play a storied program like Florida with their history, a tradition, in a place like the Swamp, that's a challenge for our guys. It's important for the Pac-12 to make noise on the national scene whenever we get opportunities like that. There's several other teams in the league that are going to have similar opportunities. We have to make the most of it.
"If you want to gain respect, gain national attention, you got to come out and win some of those games. Hopefully we can go down there and play like we're capable of."
On the keys to Utah's front seven consistently being held in a high regard…
"We've had a reputation, backed up by statistics, defensively, to be pretty stubborn, particularly aagainst the run. Philosophically, I'm a defensive coordinator by trade. That was always my philosophy: You play great defense by first stopping the run.
"Everything we do in our system is geared towards stopping the run, putting teams in long-yardage situations, getting after the quarterback. That's the short version.
"We've been blessed with really good players. Put a bunch of guys in the NFL from our front seven through the years. It all rolls back to recruiting. Recruiting is really the lifeblood of your program. 80% of your success or lack thereof is tied to recruiting. That's something that I've maintained for years and years. That's been really the key, is getting the right kind of guys into our system, then developing those guys."
NEXT UP
With the Utes set to start fall camp in August, time is ticking down as Utah prepares to head to The Swamp in Gainesville, Fla. on Saturday, Sept. 3 to take on the Florida Gators. The game will air at 5 p.m. MT on ESPN.
FOLLOW ALONG!
To get an inside look at the Utah Football program, follow the Utes on social media (Twitter: @Utah_Football | Instagram: @UtahFootball | Facebook: Search Utah Football), along with visiting www.UtahUtes.com for news, schedule and roster updates throughout the season.
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