Three questions to consider going into Utah's Fall Camp
After more than 7 months since the last time the Utes took the field in Pasadena, Utah Football is back and prepared to build upon what they did in 2021. With 2022 being one of the most anticipated seasons in program history, there are several questions to consider as the Utes enter fall camp.
3. How's the linebacker room shaping up and who is really going to start in Florida?
Looking back at spring, camp finished with sophomore Karene Reid and Lander Barton running as the ones. While Barton was certainly a welcomed surprise and Reid picked up right where he left off from last season, fall presents a new and different dynamic.
According to sources, the linebacker room runs about five or six deep with guys who can really play this season. Counting Reid and Barton, that should also include guys like Mohamoud Diabate, Justin Medlock, Andrew Mata'afa and Hayden Furey. However, you still can't count out players like the Calvert brothers or Mason Tufaga. Like I said, this room runs deep.
So what is this going to look like come day one and how do the Utes approach such a stacked room? Will Barton and Reid maintain the starting positions? Will an experienced senior-transfer from Florida beat one of them out? Will there be more rotations in-game? And where does Ethan Calvert stand in terms of his health status?
Each of these questions should be answered over the next few weeks, but it will certainly be interesting to see how Utah reloads a room that just produced a first-round NFL draft pick.
2. Video Game Covey is gone, where does kick return and the rest of special teams go from here?
While the program certainly got as much out of Britain Covey as they could've before he spread his wings and joined the Eagles, his absence presents a significant question for 2022. Who is going to be fielding kick and punt returns now that No. 18 is finally gone?
When considering who might replace Covey, there are several names that come to mind simply looking at the wide receivers. Guys like Jaylen Dixon, Makai Cope, or maybe even Money Parks are some of the first that may be considered. Additionally, there are several newcomers like Ti'Quan Gilmore who had some experience in the return game at the JUCO level, while freshmen like Tao Johnson and Chris Reed have good speed and potential.
Unfortunately, In terms of kick returns, you're not going to replace a guy like Covey this season. But what they should be looking for is someone that could hold onto the ball, manage a few yards, and potentially even develop a few guys for the future. There's a lot of new athletes on this roster, it will be interesting to see where Utah goes from here.
In addition to the return game, Utah's special teams has got to be better this season than last. Opposite to their true nature, the Utes really struggled when defending against the return which cost them on multiple occasions. That simply can't happen in 2022. They can't go into places like Florida, UCLA, or Oregon and expect to win those ball games with those kinds of mistakes.
Overall, Utah has a lot of ground to make up on special teams and fall camp will be very telling as to how that unit is looking this year.
1. Who is QB2?
Following spring camp, the battle for QB2 failed to produce a frontrunner which means a heated competition for backup will resume this week.
As for the guys competing, it should come down to Bryson Barnes and Ja'Quinden Jackson as Nate Johnson and Brandon Rose just simply haven't had enough time in the program to throw their hat in the ring.
Looking at Ja'Quinden Jackson, the former Texas-transfer is an elite athlete with a lot of potential. While he understandably struggled last season, Jackson has significantly improved, especially in the passing game which he demonstrated during spring.
In the spring game, Jackson finished 11-17 for 138 yards and two touchdowns. His passes were confident, crisp and on target all game, proving himself to be a dangerous dual-threat.
On the flip side however, Barnes is a highly talented quarterback and showed what he's capable of on the games biggest stage in Pasadena.
He then followed that up during spring with 157 passing yards on 9-18 with two touchdowns and a game-high 47 yards on the ground in the spring game. Throughout his performance, Barnes demonstrated a veteran-like demeanor with calmness and composure. He simply makes the right plays at the right time and rarely takes dangerous risks.
While fall camp should produce a frontrunner, Barnes is my predicted QB2. After watching what he is capable of and hearing from multiple sources about how good he's looking, it should be Barnes to lose. With that being said, even if Barnes wins the position, we should still see Jackson in some wildcat formations.
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