With the first week in the books and Florida just three weeks way, the Utes have been busy making progress over the last few days as they prepare for the Gators. Before heading into a scrimmage on Thursday, several more players had an opportunity to chat with the media.
Lander Barton
Following an incredible freshman campaign that earned him Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year honors, linebacker Lander Barton is on track to not only fulfill a starting role, but take his game to the next level in 2023.
"Mostly the speed of the game and the reads are starting to slow down for me,” Barton said. "It's a big help being out there, because there's a lot of reads you have to make at linebacker. To be able to slow that down, it's been good."
As one would expect given his natural abilities and how quickly he developed in-season last year, a full offseason within the program has slowed down the game for the young linebacker. In addition to his 15 pounds of added weight and an ability to process the game more quickly, Barton could be absolutely lethal defensively in just his second year. Top that all off with this next quote, and Utah fans should be ecstatic about what lies ahead.
"(I'm a) completely different person. It feels way different being out there now," Barton said.
Miles Battle
After joining the program earlier this year and participating in spring camp, cornerback Miles Battle has continued impressing the coaches despite having to quickly adjust to Utah’s man coverage.
"Here, we run a lot more man coverage, so it's a lot more running across the field, traveling with receivers. Where I came from, we were running more zone concepts like cover-4 and cover-3. (I'm learning) being able to play man longer…That was a big reason why I came here, was to play a lot of man and show that I can do that at the next level," Battle said.
As several others have pointed out, the secondary has had to pivot without the contributions of Clark Phillips III who was taken in the NFL Draft earlier this year. Despite losing such a game changer, and as Cole Bishop shared last week, Utah is figuring out how to make that transition and possess the talent to make it happen.
"We're headed in the right direction. We've got a lot of chemistry with each other already. The communication's been great, on and off the field. I think we're building a great unit," he added.
Mycah Pittman
Another new transfer to the program, Mycah Pittman possesses a lot of potential at receiver and could make a difference for the offense. As he continues to acclimate to the program, Pittman shared his health status and how appreciative he is to finally be healthy, unlike the vast majority of his college career.
"Not being injured is something that's nice…every single year of my college career, unfortunately, has humbled me. I've been injured most of the time. It's finally nice to have a healed labrum, healed arm and a healed collarbone. It's great being able to be out here with the guys, competing and just practicing smarter. That comes with age," Pittman shared.
Having been with the group for some time now, Pittman has also been able to gather a solid assessment of the group. While some of his insights come as no surprise, he also shared some inspiring information about a few of the younger receivers, namely Mikey Matthews.
"A lot of guys stand out. (Devaughn) Vele is Vele. The fact that he is such a big body and can move…he's agile and can easily move. That's really good,” said Pittman. “Mikey Matthews is a young guy who's learning. He's wanting to always get reps in the front. It's great that he's wanting to push himself to that. You always want that out of freshmen. We've got Money Parks, Money's a burner guy who can take it deep, especially if he wants to run. Everyone brings a different skill set. Makai Cope has one of the best releases I've seen from a big man. Vele's always going to make those contested catches. There's so many of these guys, Jett Meine's strong and knows when to get off the block.”
Emery Simmons
Another of Utah’s newest receivers, Emery Simmons has been a solid addition to the room and has even been compared to former Ute Demari Simpkins.
According to Simmons, he eventually chose the Utes due to their pro style offense, which has been mentioned by just about every offensive recruit over the last few years as it replicates the NFL and is preparing many to reach that level.
"That was one of the reasons why I came (to Utah), because I knew they ran the pro style offense,” said Simmons. “One of the next things I'd like to do, of course, is going to the NFL. That's the main type of offense they run—why not come from somewhere where they run it and train in that environment?"
