Spring Practice Primer: Utah
Spring football is in the air, and with our Spring Practice Primers the Eye On College Football Blog gets you up to speed on what to look for on campuses around the country this spring. Today we look at Utah.
Spring Practice Starts: Tuesday, March 20.
Spring Game: Saturday, April 21.
Returning starters: Nine on offense, seven on defense and two specialists.
Three things to look for:
1. Fresh face at offensive coordinator. Well, you see, Brian Johnson isn't really a fresh face around the Utes. After all, it was just a couple of years ago that he led the program to an upset of Alabama in the Sugar Bowl that turned heads as to what a non-BCS team could do. He is however the nation's youngest offensive coordinator at the ripe old age of 25 after taking over for Norm Chow and suddenly thrust into the spotlight. Johnson has picked up several different schemes over the past couple of years, dating back to when he was a player under Urban Meyer, so it will be interesting to see how he alters the offense with several starters returning.
2. A healthy Jordan Wynn. The oft-injured Wynn is apparently at 100% for spring ball and that would be a significant boost for Utah's hopes of making some noise in the
3. Star power. If you were looking for the reason Utah finished 8-5 last season despite their struggles on offense, it's easy to find defensive tackle Star Lotulelei walking around. The conference's best defensive lineman in his first year in the league, Lotulelei led a defense that was in the top 20 in several categories. Most of the line returns but depth isn't quite what it is a year ago so keep an eye out as to how this unit progresses, especially trying to find two starting linebackers behind them.
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