Upcoming Event: Football versus Idaho on September 3, 2026
Football
vs Idaho
.png&width=31&height=31&type=webp)
The University of Utah Athletics
2023 Camp Kyle: Day One In The Books, Coaches Chat With Media
7/31/2023 5:27 PM | Football
SALT LAKE CITY – The Champs were officially back on the gridiron today, finishing up the first day of fall camp at the Spence and Cleone Eccles Football Center.
With depth returning at virtually every position, the atmosphere on the field was exactly what fans would expect out of a veteran group – confidence, passion and hunger for the ball.
Off the field, preseason watch lists have begun to pour in for the Utes with quarterback Cameron Rising being named to the Maxwell Award Watch List after earning semifinalist status last season. Rising and several other Utes have already earned preseason honors with UtahUtes.com providing an awards tracker that is updated regularly.
With a new season nearing closer, the media had lots of questions for the Utes with all 10 assistant coaches and head coach Kyle Whittingham meeting with local media throughout the day.
COACHES CORNER
Kyle Whittingham | Head Coach
On his first impressions of the newcomers today…
"They were very good. Mycah Pittman looked really good today. He has a good skill set, soft hands when catching punts and excellent hands out of the slot on offense. Emery Simmons had a good day and our new tight ends did as well. Defensively it was that same crew as we had in the spring, so yeah we are pleased so far."
On what he is most confident in right now with the team…
"I would say the defense overall. At every level we are talented and we are deep. The front is physical and athletic, the linebackers are active and tough, and the secondary has a bunch of ballhawks back there with some really good tacklers at safety. So I think the defense really has a chance to be a standout for us this year."
On what he is expecting out of Lander Barton in his second year…
"Lander is going to be even more impactful than he was last year. He is 15 or 20 pounds heavier than he was and hasn't lost a step. He is big, physical and tough. We expect that he is going to be a very good player for us again, even better than last year."
Andy Ludwig | Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
On identifying his main focus entering this season…
"First and foremost, solidifying the quarterback position, identifying the skillsets and abilities of the new players in the program, and designing and implementing the scheme around those players."
On assessing the strengths of the offense…
"I really think the offensive line is a strength with all the returning snaps that those returning players have accumulated. There's a lot of experience up front, a lot of big, physical athletes up front. Couple newcomers that I'm excited about, we've got Spencer Fano who was with us in the Spring and Caleb Lomu who just joined us this Summer. Couple really good-looking athletes up there. I think that would be the strength of the unit."
On the running backs room…
"I feel really good. Obviously with the growth and development of Ja'Quinden Jackson after we made that switch (to running back)…you're seeing that skillset just scratching the surface. He is highly motivated and showed great improvement in the Spring. I really like his growth and development in that position. Micah Bernard is such a versatile weapon for us, feel really good with what he brings to the table. Really good runner, catches the heck out of the ball out of the backfield and is our best pass protector. Jaylon Glover showed great growth, thrown into the fire as a true freshman in the Pac-12. No joke, handled that and had an excellent Spring. Couple younger guys are coming in and I'm anxious to see what they're about."
Morgan Scalley | Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
On the on-ramp from Fall Camp heading into the season…
"Spring is a lot more for experiment; Fall camp is all about getting ready for game one. We kind of have an idea what the depth looks like. These first few weeks, we're going to go ahead and have some great competition because of the depth that we have. Doug Elisaia and the strength staff have done a great job getting our guys prepared and ready. And we have leaders that have been running player-run practices and making sure we hit the ground running. (Camp) should not be a day one, day two, get a feel for things. We've gotta go."
On replacing impact players like Clark Phillips III…
"Same way we've replaced other great DBs that we've had here. You recruit, you develop and you manage. That's our job, recruiting. That's the number one thing that we do—identifying those that fit our culture, those that physically can do it and getting them ready mentally."
What challenges do you see ahead as a defense?
"The offenses we're going to play. This is, without a doubt, probably the best talent the Pac-12 has ever had; particularly at the quarterback position. We've got our hands full. We need to play well defensively. We've got very good quarterbacks in this league, very good coaching in this league. The great thing is that we've got good players too. We've got good players, we've got good coaches. There's a lot that goes into having a season and remaining healthy is a big part of that. Got to be smart in how we prepare. At the same time, we need to hit and we need to find out who's who."
With depth returning at virtually every position, the atmosphere on the field was exactly what fans would expect out of a veteran group – confidence, passion and hunger for the ball.
What @officiallyyjay1 said - we back pic.twitter.com/eV003wgi5K
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) July 31, 2023
Off the field, preseason watch lists have begun to pour in for the Utes with quarterback Cameron Rising being named to the Maxwell Award Watch List after earning semifinalist status last season. Rising and several other Utes have already earned preseason honors with UtahUtes.com providing an awards tracker that is updated regularly.
.@crising7 named to the Maxwell Award watchlist ??https://t.co/TqkwezsEIn pic.twitter.com/8kTrsBwAuY
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) July 31, 2023
With a new season nearing closer, the media had lots of questions for the Utes with all 10 assistant coaches and head coach Kyle Whittingham meeting with local media throughout the day.
COACHES CORNER
Kyle Whittingham | Head Coach
On his first impressions of the newcomers today…
"They were very good. Mycah Pittman looked really good today. He has a good skill set, soft hands when catching punts and excellent hands out of the slot on offense. Emery Simmons had a good day and our new tight ends did as well. Defensively it was that same crew as we had in the spring, so yeah we are pleased so far."
On what he is most confident in right now with the team…
"I would say the defense overall. At every level we are talented and we are deep. The front is physical and athletic, the linebackers are active and tough, and the secondary has a bunch of ballhawks back there with some really good tacklers at safety. So I think the defense really has a chance to be a standout for us this year."
On what he is expecting out of Lander Barton in his second year…
"Lander is going to be even more impactful than he was last year. He is 15 or 20 pounds heavier than he was and hasn't lost a step. He is big, physical and tough. We expect that he is going to be a very good player for us again, even better than last year."
Andy Ludwig | Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
On identifying his main focus entering this season…
"First and foremost, solidifying the quarterback position, identifying the skillsets and abilities of the new players in the program, and designing and implementing the scheme around those players."
On assessing the strengths of the offense…
"I really think the offensive line is a strength with all the returning snaps that those returning players have accumulated. There's a lot of experience up front, a lot of big, physical athletes up front. Couple newcomers that I'm excited about, we've got Spencer Fano who was with us in the Spring and Caleb Lomu who just joined us this Summer. Couple really good-looking athletes up there. I think that would be the strength of the unit."
On the running backs room…
"I feel really good. Obviously with the growth and development of Ja'Quinden Jackson after we made that switch (to running back)…you're seeing that skillset just scratching the surface. He is highly motivated and showed great improvement in the Spring. I really like his growth and development in that position. Micah Bernard is such a versatile weapon for us, feel really good with what he brings to the table. Really good runner, catches the heck out of the ball out of the backfield and is our best pass protector. Jaylon Glover showed great growth, thrown into the fire as a true freshman in the Pac-12. No joke, handled that and had an excellent Spring. Couple younger guys are coming in and I'm anxious to see what they're about."
Morgan Scalley | Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
On the on-ramp from Fall Camp heading into the season…
"Spring is a lot more for experiment; Fall camp is all about getting ready for game one. We kind of have an idea what the depth looks like. These first few weeks, we're going to go ahead and have some great competition because of the depth that we have. Doug Elisaia and the strength staff have done a great job getting our guys prepared and ready. And we have leaders that have been running player-run practices and making sure we hit the ground running. (Camp) should not be a day one, day two, get a feel for things. We've gotta go."
On replacing impact players like Clark Phillips III…
"Same way we've replaced other great DBs that we've had here. You recruit, you develop and you manage. That's our job, recruiting. That's the number one thing that we do—identifying those that fit our culture, those that physically can do it and getting them ready mentally."
What challenges do you see ahead as a defense?
"The offenses we're going to play. This is, without a doubt, probably the best talent the Pac-12 has ever had; particularly at the quarterback position. We've got our hands full. We need to play well defensively. We've got very good quarterbacks in this league, very good coaching in this league. The great thing is that we've got good players too. We've got good players, we've got good coaches. There's a lot that goes into having a season and remaining healthy is a big part of that. Got to be smart in how we prepare. At the same time, we need to hit and we need to find out who's who."
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
CB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ FootballCrimson Corner with Bill Riley - College football analyst Yogi Roth
Wednesday, May 06
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Utah Football Head Coach Morgan Scalley
Wednesday, April 29
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Utah Football legend Brian Johnson
Friday, February 20
Utah Football Head Coach Morgan Scalley Introductory Press Conference | 1.06.25
Tuesday, January 06