Countdown 68 Days: Happy Mo Unutoa Day
Utah’s offensive line has gone from a big question mark last season to a fairly experienced and promising group. Boasting four returning starters from last season, Utah also has quite a few promising up-and-comers patiently waiting and putting the work in behind the scenes. One in particular, is offensive tackle Mo Unutoa. The lineman from Hawaii was part of Utah’s 2017 class and used his first year as a Ute to redshirt and better prepare himself both physically and mentally for the college game. Although he wasn’t exactly small when he arrived on campus (6-foot-5, 280 pounds) the redshirt year helped Unutoa to put on about 20 pounds of good weight, as he weighed in right around 300 pounds, this spring.
During spring ball, Unutoa saw most of his reps take place with the second team offense and he showed steady progress, although he’s still not quite ready for a starting role. Fortunately, with several experienced players ahead of him, he still has time to continue to learn and prepare himself to contribute on the line. Unutoa will be one to watch in fall camp to see how far he’s come over the past few months. He’s currently listed as Jackson Barton’s backup at left tackle, and if he can have an outstanding camp, offensive line coach Jim Harding, will find him snaps on the line this season. At the bare minimum, he should see a good amount of time on special teams as he continues to develop and learn, behind the seasoned veteran, in Barton.
Derek Tuimauga’s Take:
A promising future could be ahead for Unutoa, but first he’s going to have to soak up every minute of backing up Barton. This means, taking mental reps, even when he’s not lining up. Why? Because he came into the program talented, but a bit raw. With a solid frame and NFL bloodlines—his dad is a former Cougar who played seven seasons in the league—Unutoa also needs to live in the weight room to tap into his full potential. Barring injuries along the line, Unutoa’s chance for extended action will come in 2019.
Alex Remembers Unutoa’s Recruitment:
As a legacy-Cougar, the BYU program thought they had him in the bag, but Unutoa was a long-time Utah-lean. The Cougars tried to play up the legacy factor, and that initially swayed some of Unutoa’s family. The belief at the time was that Mo was torn, but his heart remained with the Utes, even after his BYU trip. In the end he had narrowed his schools down to Utah and BYU, but Oregon also entered the picture late. Playing in the Pac-12, being coached by Harding, and the large Polynesian pipeline all played factors in Mo’s decision to commit to the Utes.
There’s 68 days left until kickoff. Happy Mo Unutoa Day, everyone.