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The University of Utah Athletics
Coaches’ Corner: Freddie Whittingham and Colton Swan
8/31/2022 11:44 AM | Football
Utah’s tight ends and linebackers coaches share insight on their position groups heading into Florida
SALT LAKE CITY – Game week is finally here, and the anticipation is high heading into No. 7 Utah's season opener at Florida. The Utes and Gators are slated for a 5 p.m. MT start from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 3 with the matchup televised on ESPN.
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With the new season comes the return of Coaches' Corner, as UtahUtes.com visits each week with the football coaching staff for an inside look at position groups across the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham and linebackers coach Colton Swan kick off the series ahead of the matchup with the Gators.
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Tight Ends Coach Freddie Whittingham
On entering game week…
"I'm feeling great anticipation. Can't wait to see these guys on Saturday in Gainesville. I know they're excited too. I thought Fall camp was successful and that we got done what we needed to get done. All the attention this last week has been turned toward preparing for Florida. Like I tell my guys, we just have to get better every single day with this game plan. I thought we got better today."
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On any particular tight ends who made strides during camp…
"Thomas Yassmin has continued to come along. He was new to football, had never played before he got here, he was a rugby player. He took another big step forward this offseason. He's expected to help us out considerably. Logan Kendall from Idaho, same thing, he's going to come in, see time and help us out immediately. Behind them, Munir McClain provides good depth and can do a lot in the throw game. Taniela Pututau also provides depth and is more that line of scrimmage, blocker-type tight end. Those are the six guys that will travel with us."
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On preparing for Florida and a new staff…
"Great question. We are looking at the schemes from Louisiana, because it's the same defensive coordinator, same defensive staff coming over. We feel like they're going to go with what they're comfortable with. And then we try to match that up with the same type of scheme with Florida players. You have to search both the Florida film and the Louisiana-Lafayette film, and try to match up some of the Florida players run some of the coverages, some of the fronts, some of the pressures, things like that; so they can see the actual guys they're going to be blocking and running routes against. But the scheme primarily is being derived from what Louisiana-Lafayette did."
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On learning from the Rose Bowl and that type of environment for this game…
"It's a season opener, but it feels a lot like the Rose Bowl felt, as far as the anticipation and excitement, the opportunity to go into SEC country and play one of the perennial powers in the SEC. We keep talking about how it's harder to stay on top than it is to get on top. We're taking that mentality that this is a new team, new season, and we're out to prove ourselves in game one."
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On what expectations are of success heading into Florida…
"I see success if we play a clean game, if we can play with great alignment and assignment, coming off the ball, fundamentals and technique. Most of all, if our guys play hard from start to finish from the snap to the echo of the whistle, every single play of the game. If we do that, I really believe that we're going to come out and show well."
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Linebackers Coach Colton Swan
On the anticipation level around Week 1 at Florida…
"[The anticipation is] pretty high. It's game week, I'm losing a lot of sleep at night. It's a good thing. It makes you want to prepare even harder and work even harder."
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On the leadership brought to the linebackers room by Mohamoud Diabate…
"You go down to Gainesville, Florida, he's been there, done that. That's for sure. He is a natural leader by who he is personality-wise. He's done a great job. He's coming into a new system, new culture. The expectations are really high for him. I think he's handled all of it. He's a great kid. You mix that with his good personality and a good work ethic, you've got something good."
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On what he is most confident about with this team…
"I think we're jelling in the three phases of offense, defense and special teams. Iron sharpens iron. We come out and compete against one another; offense is awesome which is going to make our defense even better. We've got a lot of really talented guys running around. You throw special teams in there, that's really what our quality is, iron sharpens iron."
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On Lander Barton's ability to make an impact early…
"Lander's a special player, a special kid. He's got a very high skill level, he's very smart. He's got a really good pedigree and he works his butt off. He's an extremely hard worker and he's going to put himself in a position to be successful."
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NEXT UP
Time is ticking down as Utah prepares to head to The Swamp in Gainesville, Florida, on Saturday, Sept. 3 to take on the Florida Gators. The game will air at 5 p.m. MT on ESPN.
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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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Game
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) August 30, 2022
Week
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Game 1#22forever @Utah_Football @SolomonEnis pic.twitter.com/V0YTT6t02D
— UtesEquipment (@UtesEquipment) August 30, 2022
With the new season comes the return of Coaches' Corner, as UtahUtes.com visits each week with the football coaching staff for an inside look at position groups across the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham and linebackers coach Colton Swan kick off the series ahead of the matchup with the Gators.
Â
Tight Ends Coach Freddie Whittingham
On entering game week…
"I'm feeling great anticipation. Can't wait to see these guys on Saturday in Gainesville. I know they're excited too. I thought Fall camp was successful and that we got done what we needed to get done. All the attention this last week has been turned toward preparing for Florida. Like I tell my guys, we just have to get better every single day with this game plan. I thought we got better today."
Â
On any particular tight ends who made strides during camp…
"Thomas Yassmin has continued to come along. He was new to football, had never played before he got here, he was a rugby player. He took another big step forward this offseason. He's expected to help us out considerably. Logan Kendall from Idaho, same thing, he's going to come in, see time and help us out immediately. Behind them, Munir McClain provides good depth and can do a lot in the throw game. Taniela Pututau also provides depth and is more that line of scrimmage, blocker-type tight end. Those are the six guys that will travel with us."
Â
On preparing for Florida and a new staff…
"Great question. We are looking at the schemes from Louisiana, because it's the same defensive coordinator, same defensive staff coming over. We feel like they're going to go with what they're comfortable with. And then we try to match that up with the same type of scheme with Florida players. You have to search both the Florida film and the Louisiana-Lafayette film, and try to match up some of the Florida players run some of the coverages, some of the fronts, some of the pressures, things like that; so they can see the actual guys they're going to be blocking and running routes against. But the scheme primarily is being derived from what Louisiana-Lafayette did."
Â
On learning from the Rose Bowl and that type of environment for this game…
"It's a season opener, but it feels a lot like the Rose Bowl felt, as far as the anticipation and excitement, the opportunity to go into SEC country and play one of the perennial powers in the SEC. We keep talking about how it's harder to stay on top than it is to get on top. We're taking that mentality that this is a new team, new season, and we're out to prove ourselves in game one."
Â
On what expectations are of success heading into Florida…
"I see success if we play a clean game, if we can play with great alignment and assignment, coming off the ball, fundamentals and technique. Most of all, if our guys play hard from start to finish from the snap to the echo of the whistle, every single play of the game. If we do that, I really believe that we're going to come out and show well."
Â
Linebackers Coach Colton Swan
On the anticipation level around Week 1 at Florida…
"[The anticipation is] pretty high. It's game week, I'm losing a lot of sleep at night. It's a good thing. It makes you want to prepare even harder and work even harder."
Â
On the leadership brought to the linebackers room by Mohamoud Diabate…
"You go down to Gainesville, Florida, he's been there, done that. That's for sure. He is a natural leader by who he is personality-wise. He's done a great job. He's coming into a new system, new culture. The expectations are really high for him. I think he's handled all of it. He's a great kid. You mix that with his good personality and a good work ethic, you've got something good."
Â
On what he is most confident about with this team…
"I think we're jelling in the three phases of offense, defense and special teams. Iron sharpens iron. We come out and compete against one another; offense is awesome which is going to make our defense even better. We've got a lot of really talented guys running around. You throw special teams in there, that's really what our quality is, iron sharpens iron."
Â
On Lander Barton's ability to make an impact early…
"Lander's a special player, a special kid. He's got a very high skill level, he's very smart. He's got a really good pedigree and he works his butt off. He's an extremely hard worker and he's going to put himself in a position to be successful."
Â
NEXT UP
Time is ticking down as Utah prepares to head to The Swamp in Gainesville, Florida, on Saturday, Sept. 3 to take on the Florida Gators. The game will air at 5 p.m. MT on ESPN.
Â
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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Players Mentioned
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