The sun was out, the shoulder pads were on and it was another competitive practice up on the hill. With the NCAA acclimation process allowing more contact today, the University of Utah’s offense struggled a little bit when matching up against the defense, especially on the outside. However, with time, this offense will surely adapt to Andy Ludwig’s system and Ludwig will adapt to the playmakers he has at his disposal.

Theme of the Day: Communication

With so many changes over the years at the offensive coordinator position, it is tough for Utah to keep the same terminology and words. This means that communication will be crucial in this spring camp, so the team can build a solid foundation moving forward. Coach Ludwig likes to use tight ends and multiple running back sets which will boost the run game, but there was a bit of a learning curve today. The offensive line was confused at times and this resulted in some false starts and missed assignments. This period of transition from Troy Taylor’s system to Andy Ludwig’s will likely be a smooth one because the Utes have so many players coming back. I mean, it shouldn’t be too hard to know that Zack Moss should touch the ball 25+ times next season. Nevertheless, the offense has a lot of competition going around and whoever grasps the new plays calls in the spring, will have an advantage throughout the summer and going in to next season.

Key Moment

The play of the day belonged to running back TJ Green. He has bulked up since last season and still has that nice burst of speed on the outside. The defense beat the offense on most of the plays today, but Green took a stretch-handoff for 30 yards down the sideline after making a cut that fooled the whole defense. As soon as he hit the second level he burst down the sideline and showed off his speed. Green needs to continue to have these moments in the spring to be able to earn some reps in the fall. He has the perfect skill set to be a change-of-pace back to Moss, if he can just add a little more toughness.

Standouts

Wide receiver Bryan Thompson had himself another great day at practice. He finally looks like he is 100% and continues to make his case to be Utah’s number one option on the outside. He is also one of the few guys that has really put up a fight against Jaylon Johnson—which might almost be the best compliment you can give someone at spring camp.

The leadership and communication from Orlanda Umana was also impressive today. He is starting at center and has taken a lot of the young guys under his wing to help them understand the offense. Tyrone Young-Smith has probably been the biggest standout for the offense this spring. He is lining up on the inside, where Samson Nacua had success last year. He has been great over the middle and has shown an impressive catch radius.

Quote of the Day

Nick Ford on how intense practice gets when he goes up against a defensive line Bradlee Anae, Leki Fotu and crew:

“It makes games easy and going up against them every day is just like getting game experience.”