Over the last several years at the University of Utah, the number 28 has come to be associated with one thing- speed. From 2015 to 2016, Joe Williams wore 28, and left a lot of defenders staring at the back of his jersey as he raced towards the end zone. After Williams graduated, a new speedster joined the team and donned number 28, and has since frustrated opposing receivers, who have struggled to get open and create separation from him. With 28 days left until kickoff, it’s time to take a closer look at Javelin Guidry.
For the last two years, ever since he was a true freshman, Guidry has been a vital piece of Utah’s secondary at the nickel position. Although he didn’t begin his freshman year as a starter, it wasn’t long into the season before he had won the job, and he made his presence known quickly, picking off a pass against Arizona and taking it back for six. Guidry is one of the smaller players in Utah’s defensive backfield, but don’t let that fool you. He possesses a great combination of open field speed, along with elite recovery ability and instincts which allow him to shadow even the shiftiest of slot receivers. Now entering his third year as a starter, Guidry will no doubt be looking to build on what he’s already accomplished, and with a standout year, he could explore early entry to the NFL.
Andrew Fronce’s take
Guidry is everything you want in a nickelback. He’s speedy and agile enough to cover the smaller, shifty type of receiver you often see lining up in the slot, but aggressive and physical enough to play press coverage against bigger receivers, too. One thing that Guidry probably doesn’t get enough love for is his tackling ability. Guidry is one of the most reliable open-field tacklers on the team, but also has no qualms about coming up to take on a running back or taking a shot at blitzing the passer.
Of course, that which is most impressive about Guidry is his speed. Guidry recently ran a 6.59 second 60 meter dash, and was clocked at 10.13 seconds in the 100 meter dash back in high school. That open field speed is fun to watch when Guidry has the chance to use it, however, the more functional aspect of it is his recovery speed and change of direction ability. Guidry can catch up to receivers even when they manage to get a step on him, and has shown the ability to bait quarterbacks into making risky throws. While he’s only come away with two interceptions so far in his career, Guidry was second only to Julian Blackmon last year in pass deflections, with nine. Watch out for him this season.
Alex remembers Guidry's recruitment
Early in the process, Guidry had committed to Tom Herman at Houston, before Herman took the job with Texas. From there it opened up to San Diego State, Utah, Arizona State, and Texas. The ultimate decision would come down to the Utes and Longhorns. What helped Utah was the fact that when Guidry decommitted from Houston, the Longhors didn’t immediately offer. However, when they did Guidry’s mom was pro-Texas, until she sat down with Sharrieff Shah and Morgan Scalley—the former, in which Guidry's family had past ties to, from all their days in Los Angeles. In the end, Shah’s persistence was what ultimately paid off.
