Utes Spring Ball Recap: Defense Continues to Reload
Every good college football program has one thing in common, the ability to reload rather than rebuild. Throwing out the pandemic season, the Utes have concluded the past nine seasons with a bowl game, and that consistency has been due to several factors, but the team’s ability to replace talent with more talent has been a large part of that success.
“That’s the good thing here, we don’t have too much turnover, especially when we lose players, whether it’s to the NFL or transferring,” Ute senior linebacker Josh Calvert said. “We’ve got a good group of guys, and great coaches here that get everyone ready when we need to be out there."
Calvert is just one of several players that has been prepared to step into an opportunity and succeed when needed, and with the recent injury to Levani Damuni, he’s now getting that chance.
“There’s some young guys out here but obviously we have all of the vets that are coming back.” Calvert said. “I think it’s a good mix of young guys and new vets that are all learning together.”
For other players, like safety Johnathan Hall, who made his first start last season as a true freshman in the bowl game against Northwestern, the experience from past seasons is helping him feel more prepared to help fill in the holes left behind by Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki.
“(It’s been) slowing down, I’ve just been making more plays,” Hall said. "I think the first three or four practices I had two picks and two forced fumbles. I just feel free, and I feel like I’m making more plays, especially in the back end.”
In previous practices, head coach Kyle Whittingham was quick to point out the improvements of several other players that are expected to make an increased impact on the defense this upcoming season.
“Tao Johnson, we think is going to be really special,” Whittingham said back in March. “He's made the transition so far from corner to safety seamlessly. It appears that he's very comfortable there and barring injuries or unforeseen things, he's found a home at the safety spot."
Another part of the equation in this new era of college football is bringing in impact players from the transfer portal, and Utah’s new group of incoming players are hitting the ground running.
“(Gilman) adjusted fast, he learned the defense in a week or two,” Hall said of Stanford transfer Aleka'i Gilman. “He is very smart, very intelligent, fast and physical.”
Another transfer that has made a quick impact is Georgia Tech transfer cornerback Kenan Johnson.
"(Johnson) has made plays from day one," Whittingham said. "He was a great addition to our football team. He's really helped solidify that secondary."
Despite losing Bishop, Vaki, and DE Jonah Elliss to the NFL, the Utes defense once again appears to be in good hands.