What linebackers coach Colton Swan said during week five of Utah's spring camp
Q: What have you learned now that you didn't know a month ago when camp began?
Swan: "I've got some young talented guys that is for sure. You know I assumed that kinda coming into it and just put ya know a little bit of action to it and that’s exactly what I thought I had. It’s true, I got a lot of kids...the culture is good in the room. Guys that are running around, flying, even older kids you know and Andrew Mata’afa, Josh Calvert, you know guys like that are competing. I told them with as much experience as I had get up and leave the room, you know somebody has got to take those seats you know and so the competition is high and I think each and every one of them, old to young are competing for the job."
Q: What stands out about Lander Barton and Justin Medlock as 18 year olds and freshmen?
Swan: "Their knowledge of football, right, they’re willing to compete, they're very savvy players now they’re in 14 practices they’re picking up on scheme and all the little nuances of technique and things of that nature and they’re learning at a very fast rate. Are they there right now? No, they’re not. But I’m happy and really pleased with their progress."
Q: What have you seen from Andrew Mata'afa and Josh Calvert in leadership?
Swan: "You know I don’t want to leave out a guy like Karene Reid, right, he’s a guy that comes to mind as well. Josh Calvert, Andrew Mata’afa, Hayden Furey, he’s played multiple reps now, so a little bit of some older crew in there that they’re doing a good job. They understand that hey, the voice in the room has left in Devin [Lloyd] and Nephi [Sewell] and somebody’s got to speak up. Andrew’s a very outspoken type of personality, he’s a great young man and so he’s taken that more of a vocal type of role where Karene Reid, you know he’s kind of a little bit quieter, but you get a work horse out of him. So they’re all competing and like I said, they’re doing a great job."
Q: Can you picture or envision what [Mohamoud] Diabate can give you on the field based on the tape you watched and also meeting with him even though you haven’t had him on the field this spring?
Swan: "Been very impressed thus far in what he shown, now obviously he’s very limited in what he can do coming off that shoulder surgery but everything’s moving good. As far as his progress in rehab, they’re allowing him to lift now, you know putting his arms above his head, things of that nature. So he’s really starting to progress. His strength is impeccable, he’s a really strong kid. You look at him and you think no way because of how skinny he kind of looks but he is extremely 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."
Q: How do you do things so the young guys are gonna develop and blossom, and the old guys are getting the attention?
Swan: "It's a brotherhood is kinda how I do it, they foster one another. Whether it’s taking reps together as an older guy, it just helps them generate that hey this is what it sounds like, this is what it looks like, this is how we align and so that’s kind of what I do as an older brother mentality method you know to kind of help them bring that mentality along and build that culture within them."
Q: How is Ethan Calvert looking in his recovery?
Swan: "He’s been doing really good, I’ve been really impressed. He pushes himself to the limit, he is not a kid that’s looking for excuses. He’s got to be one of the harder working workers in the group and if it was up to him he would take the knee brace off and he would be going full speed live right now, he’s a freaking animal. I love that about him and I expect good things moving forward through the summer and in fall camp from Ethan for sure."
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