Cole Bishop is proving himself a bonafide superstar with 'his best days ahead of him'
With spring camp now past the halfway point, players and coaches are beginning to get a really good feel for how the team will look in the fall and who the leaders will be. As one of those individuals stepping up, sophomore safety Cole Bishop is having a fantastic spring camp and loves being back out on the field.
"Its good to be back out there finally," Bishop said. "Instead of just regular workouts and conditioning, to play football again and hit some people, its going good."
Now moving into his second season, Bishop is prepared to take his game to the next level which bodes well for the program and Utah fans as Bishop was an absolute stud in his freshman campaign. For the year, Bishop finished with 54 tackles in just 10 games for sixth most on the team. For his efforts, Bishop was rewarded with a lot of playing time which he attributed to his early success.
"Getting to be here for a year really helped me experience wise. Instead of running around, trying to figure out where you are really going the whole time, you know where you are going already and you are just able to worry about your job," Bishop stated.
While a good portion of the defense consisted of underclassmen like Bishop last season, the experience they gained was invaluable. While most of the defense will yet again be young from an age standpoint, they're nearly veterans in terms of experience and success.
"Yes, definitely [we feel comfortable]. At least in the secondary and the linebackers like Karene Reid, myself, Kamo'i Latu, everybody, last season really helped people develop."
Speaking of RJ Hubert, he has now fully returned from injury and offers some much needed experience and true veteran leadership to the secondary. Now a senior, Hubert has been looking great during camp and according to head coach Kyle Whittingham, he and Bishop are doing good things.
"Cole Bishop is having a tremendous spring, picking up right where he left off in the fall," Whittingham said. "What’s really encouraging as I mentioned last week is RJ Hubert. He’s back to 100% and is doing real well."
Additionally, defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley has also taken notice of Bishop and his comments about the sophomore safety should come as no surprise.
"He's everything you want," Scalley said. "You can go in the safeties room right now and he's watching film. He eats, sleeps and breathes football. He's a great kid. He's a great leader. His best days are ahead of him."
Overall, what Scalley said about Bishop is certainly true. Last season, he instantly became a big time playmaker and demonstrated some truly impressive abilities. Despite his young age, he has an unbelievable IQ and a sixth-sense for the ball. With his elite ability to read plays and predict the outcome before it happens, Bishop will be a major contributor for the Utes for the next few years.
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