In today's UteNation Countdown to Kickoff there are 7 days left and that means special double-dose and, in this article, a closer look at no. 7 Van Fillinger. The sophomore defensive end out of Draper, UT played in all 14 games in 2021, starting 13 of the contests. Fillinger recorded 41 tackles, 9.5 TFL, and 5.5 sacks. Van led all Pac-12 freshmen in sacks, and he earned Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week vs. Washington State after being the first Utah freshman to have three sacks in a game.

Despite only being a sophomore, Fillinger is the leader and veteran of a young but loaded defensive ends group.

UteNation Take

Last season, Fillinger was thrust into the starting spot after the team learned Maxs Tupai and Blake Kuithe were not going to be a part of the Utes last season. By all accounts, the 6-foot-4 and 256 pounder had a great season, and he will be expected to build from that for 2022.

Fillinger has a high motor with great first step, and he won't be surprising any offenses this year, especially with Mika Tafua off to the NFL. In order to take his game to the next level, Utah will need him to continue to develop in his run defense.

FIllinger has been taking more of a leadership role this offseason while still being a sponge to learn as much as he can to improve. He has been focused on getting in better shape and leading by example.

No longer a secret, if he shows a more complete game in 2022, Fillinger will be firmly on the NFL radar.

Remembering Fillinger's Recruitment

The no. 195 overall player in the Rivals250 and the no. 10 strong side defensive end, Van originally committed to Texas, but flipped to the Utes along with Ty Jordan for the 2020 class. The 5.8 four-star prospect out of Draper held 19 offers in all, including Arizona State, Boise State, Cal, Colorado, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA, USC, Utah State, Washington, and Wisconsin. He flipped to Utah just before early signing day in December of 2019.