Switching over to the defense, it’s time to talk about a guy who may need to step up and provide some help earlier on in his career than anticipated, thanks to the surprise departure of Manny Bowen. Quinn Fabrizio, a local product out of Alta HS, played safety at the prep level and started there upon joining the Utes after his mission, but injuries forced him to redshirt. While recovering, he started working toward putting the weight on to be a linebacker.

Now fully recovered, Fabrizio is up to 230 pounds, and has a very similar build to a former Utah great, current Seahawks linebacker Cody Barton. The Utes won’t necessarily need Fabrizio to make major contributions on defense this year, but if he can make an impact on special teams and be ready to give quality reps when the starters need a spell or in case of injury, all the better. Thus far in his career, Fabrizio has had more than his fair share of injuries, so hopefully those are behind him now and he can begin to unlock his potential.

Andrew Fronce’s take

It's evident that Fabrizio put in work in the weight room this offseason, despite having to deal with the recovery process from an injury which forced him out of action, last year. As a true freshman, he was pushing 215 pounds at the most, and now he’s up to a solid 230. In high school, before an injury caused him to miss most of his senior season, Fabrizio was known for being a sure tackler with good closing speed that could lay a big hit on a receiver coming into his zone. Though he lacks the speed to take away half the field as a safety, his athleticism and skill set are perfect for linebacker, where he can make plays in run support and use his coverage skills to take away shallow routes across the middle. The only question is, can his knees hold up? Fabrizio is a hard worker that deserves a break.

Alex remembers Fabrizio’s recruitment

Throughout his recruiting process, Fabrizio had no shortage of options—including from Ivy League schools. Ultimately—as numerous Pac-12 schools were after him—the Utah local just never felt like he wanted to leave the state. The three-star recruit was recruited by the Utes initially through Kalani Sitake and Ilaisa Tuiaki for the role that Chase Hansen and Marquise Blair have perfected the last few years, as a hybrid safety/linebacker.