Utah Utes Recruiting Round-Up

Recent Commits

Delshawn McClellon, WR, 5-9/165 (**): the speedy wide out could not turndown the opportunity to play for Norm Chow

Trending on the Trail

Polo Manukainiu, DE, 6-6/250 (NR): although getting a ton of hype across the nation, Manukainiu list Utah and Arizona in his top four.

Top Commits for 2012

·         Travis Wilson, QB, 6-6/210 (***): can pass a decent long and underneath ball, but struggles with anything in between; a solid frame brews his potential further.

·         Austin Lee, S, 6-0/185 (***): has excellent awareness and understands when to look for the ball; can also deliver a strong hit.

·         Kiha Sai, OT, 6-5/300 (***): enormous size allows Sai to succeed on the pass and run; flexibility and quickness off the ball still need work.  

·         Chase Hansen, ILB, 6-3/198 (***): an ATH that could really play any position, Utah’s interests in Hansen lie at linebacker; don’t be surprised to see him somewhere on offense as well.


***Check out how the rest of the Pac-12 is doing on the recruiting trail here.  

Utah Utes: Can Utah Finish Above .500 in Pac-12 Conference Play?

To answer this question, you have to ask yourself, are you a BCS purist or a Mid-Major sympathizer?

The BCS purists are going to say that there is no way in hell a non-BCS team can join a major conference and expect to come out with a winning record.  The competition is exponentially tougher from top-to-bottom and gearing up to play huge games week-in and week-out will take its toll by mid-October.    

On the other hand, the mid-major sympathizer believes that there has been a “flattening” in the world of college football and that these mid-major powerhouses can recruit and play against ANY team. 

Utah Utes Spring Game Report Card

Spring Game Type: Red vs. White  (both squads were a mixture of 1st and 2nd team offenses and defenses)

Final Score: Red 7, White 0

Red squeaked out a victory in Utah’s yawner of a spring game.  Let’s hope that the Utes’ first season in the Pac-12 is a little livelier.

Offense:

With Jordan Wynn nursing a shoulder injury this spring, Utah’s offense looked quite horrific.

Although Utah’s spring game featured mostly unpolished members of the depth chart, a total of seven points by both the Red and the White is pretty shameful.

Freshman quarterback Tyler Shreve threw the only touchdown to Dexter Ransom, but connected on just nine of 20 passes. 

Harvey Langi, another true freshman, led the team in rushing yards with 63 yards on 10 carries.

It is hard to judge Utah’s offense solely on this spring considered the parts they were missing.  Don’t let this non-existent showing lull you into believing that this offense will not create some waves in 2011.

However, they did not do much from a spring report card standpoint.

Grade: F+    

Defense:

While both defenses only surrendered a total of one touchdown, it is hard to give them all of the credit when you considered the talent that was running the offense. 

Nevertheless, it is important to give credit where credit is due.

Junior defensive end and Michigan State transfer David Rolf batted down a game winning pass in the end zone for the Red squad, adding onto a day with a sack, a tackle for a loss, and another broken pass.

Sophomore linebacker Trevor Reilly also made a lasting impression with 2.5 sacks and a deflected pass.

All in all, the Utes’ defense looked pretty good, but they will have to survive much harder test in order to gain any kind of respect this season.

Grade: B+