WIth 79 days left until the Utah football season kicks off, today we discuss the first offensive lineman of the UteNation countdown to kickoff — no. 79 Alex Harrison. The former Viewmont HS (Bountiful, UT) standout has been buried in the depth chart his first few seasons at Utah, seeing a little time on special teams.

With Braeden Daniels in the NFL and Paul Maile transfering, Harrison will have an opportunity to break into the two-deep this season, but he has some tough competition to beat out.

UteNation Take

The emergence of other lineman during his first couple years on campus has kept Harrison from truly breaking out as the former no. 4 ranked recruit in Utah, but that is not to say it still cannot happen. He was a beast in high school and he has worked at both guard and tackle spots the past year.

The question is if Harrison’s progression is ready for the next step and he becomes another mainstay for the O-Block in his final two years. His footwork was the main development piece when he got to campus, and this should be the year that all those reps start to really set in and click.

Remembering Harrison’s Recruitment

A longtime Utah lean after growing up a lifelong fan, Harrison’s final five were Utah, USC, Oregon, Nebraska and Utah State. In the end, it was between the two Pac-12 South foes, Utah and USC, but there really never was any doubt or suspense in his recruitment. Utah had anticipated him as part of their class long before his December 12th commitment in the 2020 class.