The top three players in each position group: Linebackers, No. 3 Mohamoud Diabate

While the Utes linebacker group took a significant hit with the departure of Devin Lloyd and Nephi Sewell to the NFL, the position is arguably one of the deepest and most stacked on the entire roster in terms of talent.

With that being said, its important to note where each individual player ranks amongst the rest of the talent, and what their contributions may look like for the 2022 season.

A recent transfer from the University of Florida, Diabate was a stellar addition to the Utah defense and should make a sizable impact this season. As the second leading tackler for the Gators last year, Diabate recorded 89 total tackles, 33 of which were solo and included 2.5 for loss. He also logged four QB hurries during his junior campaign.

While Diabate was sidelined for spring camp after undergoing labrum surgery, he was still mentioned by several of the coaches and received a lot of high praise.

"Been very impressed thus far in what he shown...His strength is impeccable, he’s a really strong kid...Another thing I've been really impressed with is sometimes he’ll run with us in some condition type of drills and he can run like a gazelle. And so I’ve been really impressed with how well he just can cover the field. And a couple good things you need, skill sets that you need to be able to play linebacker, number one is you gotta have very fast, lightning fast feet, right and from what I can see thus far he has that. You gotta be able to run, you gotta be able to process information, that’s what the two kids had last year. They could process information lightning fast and a lot of what we do is getting the D-line set, communicating with the safety’s you know and then reacting to plays, and so what I’m seeing thus far in Mo, he’s doing a great job," linebackers coach Colton Swan explained.

"We're excited to get [Diabate] on the field, but he's not able to yet. It looks like he's getting closer to being ready. He won't be ready for Spring, but we're excited to get him back in the mix. [Diabate] is a phenomenal player. Great range, physical, fast, aggressive, good instincts. He is the whole package," head coach Kyle Whittingham added.

Like coach Swan said, Diabate has great strength and speed, which will aid him as he becomes a primary contributor for the linebackers. Given his skill-set, Diabate should be coming off the edge a considerable amount and creating havoc in the backfield for opposing offenses.

Additionally, Diabate possesses some of the most experience in the linebacker room, especially playing in the SEC which will come in handy all season long, but particularly in week one when the Utes suit up against his former squad in Gainesville.

Facebook - @FanNationAllUtes

Twitter - @FN_AllUtes

Instagram - @fannation_allutes