LINK REMOVED
I see it cascading into some real recruiting momentum. If I am a 3-start or better athlete with a good work ethic and a dream to play at the next level, Utah is going to be on my list of schools.
Now, hopefully the coaches can keep coaching up their current players so the NFL keeps coming back to the honey pot. It all hinges on that.
Can I just pay you directly for access to your site? my credit card number is 4923 8542 3569 1584 4682 exp March 2019
Not sure what is going to “effect”, but it will likely affect something. Oh, what is “…recruitment inside”? 🙂
Post the article or go away.
This is very strange. How did this person post? Did they register, post, then delete their account?
I am very confused about what just happened. I thought it may be due to my being blonde, but I see others found it strange as well.
Anyway, go Utes!
Yeah first it was a double post of the same article. Seems like someone just trying to get traffic to their site or something. Linking is fine, but joining just to link, then leaving makes you a spammer.
Utah, second in the south, fourth overall.
That usually means about 8 wins. Seems about right.
I think Stanford may be a little overrated but who do you bump up to knock them down?
I think USC and Washington both have 10+ wins.
I think Stanford, Utah, UCLA, WSU and Oregon make up tier two. They all have 7 to 9 wins.
ASU and OSU are tier three, with 5 to 7 wins.
Arizona and Cal have 3 to 5 wins.
I think the “spoiler” team this year is OSU. If their JC QB pans out, I could see them getting 6 or 7 wins and wrecking a couple team’s seasons.
I am with you about OSU. Even though people lament not playing the ”cupcakes of the north” this year, a loss to Stanford or UW is more easily explained away than a loss against OSU.
Amen. And Gary would be gunning for Utah. I’m glad we don’t play them this year. They will be a lot better than they are getting credit for.
I for one am eager to play Wazzou. We should be better than 2-2 against them.
Last time in Salt Lake, looked like a blowout (up 21-0 early) but Cougars rallied to come back and bite us.
That game was so painful to be at. Pissing rain, the stadium was rocking early and then it all just fizzled out.
Luke Falk is a helluva QB. I’m hoping our pass-rush will be able to rattle him early, throw him off a bit and stifle the offense somewhat. I know their defense has improved, but I still think it’s probably middle of the pack at best in the conference. Combine that with a rowdy MUSS/Stadium and I like our odds in that game.
That was the equivalent of last year’s cal game. Awful.
Stanford returns 16 starters from a team that went 10-3 last year. They also are consistently among rhe top recruiting schools in the league. I think Stanford I’d very underrated. Thr
They are overrated. Against USC, Washington, WSU and Colorado, they went 1-3. And their win over USC? They had a bye before and Darnold didn’t play.
And they lost McCafferty.
They are right about where we are, but they get more credit than we do.
Several teams after $C will tie conference records. Highly doubt tbere will be clear cut 2nd-6th. Based on schedule and graduations I think Utes finish in 3rd tier of the ties.
In North, Stanford, Wazzu, Ducks battle for runner-up. My guess Furd, then Ducks, Wazzu in tie.
So, you have Utah with 5 to 7 wins?
I do. I predict 6-6, +-1. It’s not a reflection on team strength, but loss of talent, a brutal schedule, and installing a new offense. I think Utes defense will give up the most on average points per game since joining PAC12, again based on loss of secondary, and an up tempo offense that won’t sustain long drives time wise. All the above leads me to believe Utes finish middle of South.
I hope I’m very wrong.
Here are the week “0” and week 1 games I’m looking forward to.
Week 0, August 26th – This isn’t the greatest slate of games, but there are still some interesting match-ups if for no other reason than they feature Ute opponents and/or conference rivals.
Saturday, August 26th
Oregon State @ Colorado State
Portland State @ BYU
South Florida @ San Jose State
Stanford vs Rice
Week 1, August 31st – September 4th – Now the season is officially in full-swing! And there are some really good Week 1 match-ups.
Thursday, August 31st
North Dakota @ Utah
New Mexico State @ Arizona State
Friday, September 1st
Colorado State vs Colorado
Utah State @ Wisconsin
Saturday, September 2nd
Michigan vs Florida
Florida State vs Alabama
BYU vs LSU
Sunday, September 3rd
Texas A&M @ UCLA
West Virginia vs Virginia Tech
Monday, September 4th
Tennessee vs Georgia Tech
I can’t wait for OSU vs CSU. That game is a great game for Gary. If they win, they have a shot at a bowl game. If they lose, Gary’s seat gets really hot. Great game.
Also, if CSU beats OSU, then they go into week 2, looking for blood. Time to take down another PAC-12 team. That should be a great game as well.
Michigan/Florida, FSU/Alabama and BYU getting the p**s beat out of them by LSU. Should be a great Saturday.
Curious to see Chosen Rosen as well.
What a great opening couple of weeks.
Also, it sucks Utah not playing in week 1.
I think OSU goes 3-0 in non-conference play and then they have a good chance to pick up 3 more wins in conference. They play @ Cal, @ Arizona, vs ASU, and @ Oregon to finish the season. Aside from 3 of the 4 being on the road, that is a nice stretch of winnable games.
They also get 2 bye weeks this year, so they should be relatively healthy heading into that final stretch of games.
See tweet below. Yes it’s respect for us, but I still can’t stand seeing USC get so much love.
For the 33rd time in conference history, USC is predicted to win the 2017 #Pac12FB title! More: https://t.co/eDgEfgjnQ5 pic.twitter.com/nTH2y5AByY
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) July 26, 2017
How many times es has ISC been predicted to win the title since we’ve been here?
ISC? I suck? Something like 33 times in total. I just read that somewhere. Since we’ve been here? I’m guessing 75% of the time.
That’s funny. That’s exactly how I ranked each division in the PAC-12 Facebook polls. Hmmm…
Wow! I thought we would be picked 3rd at best, 5th at worst, and 4th most likely. That is some major respect considering how much talent we lost to the NFL and graduation.
I think the last minute pickups of Nurse and Carrington probably bumped us up a spot or two. I was also surprised to be picked #2.
U$C has certainly been overhyped in seasons past, but I think this year they are actually back to full strength and the road to the conference title runs through the Coliseum. Darnold is a stud, and I think most coaching questions have been washed away after their dominant run last year (after they played us).
October 14 is gonna be huge.
I’m dreading October 14 to be perfectly honest.
Funny. I’m dreading the TDS-P game way more than U$C.
Or maybe I’m just dreading the lead-up to that game. The week before is always filled with so much anxiety and vitriol. Once kickoff happens, I’m usually okay.
The chance of a win in the Coliseum this year though, that has me excited.
Did you not see the USC vs. Washington game in Seattle? Also SC beat a very good Penn State team going 17-0 in the fourth quarter to win the ball game. They are by far the best team in the conference and by a decent margin.
Defense: we run a classic 3-4 scheme with smallish hybrid OLBs that can rush the passer and cover. This allows us to defense most personnel groups with our base defense. We are very deep on the DL and sub platoon style early and often. Our D coordinator is VERY aggressive and will run all sorts of blitz packages from every possible angle. We rely on disrupting the timing against the pass and have been very stout against the run the last 4 years. We allowed an average of 91 yrds/game on the ground last year. We forced a ton of turnovers last year, 20 ints and 10 fumbles.
DL: Jr. Tank Harris 6’3″ 300lbs- classic NT. Plugs up multiple gaps each play and allows the LBs to clean up the mess. He does the dirty work and is a stout dude down low.
– Sr. Drew Greeley 6’3″ 240lbs – high motor lunch pail DE.
– Sr. Brandon Dranka 6’2″ 240lbs – another high motor DE with a nice first step.
– So. Mason Bennett 6’4″ 240lbs – twitchy edge rusher with immense potential. Played a ton last year and just looked different coming off the ball than our other DL.
– Jr. Austin Cieslack (Sea-zlack)6’4″ 290lbs – mammoth DE with strength and twitch. This guy is a monster with heavy hands. If he wasn’t playing small time HS ball in ND he would be a B1G player. Classic dancing bear type DL.
– Sr. Nick Schmidtz – 6’4″ 280lbs – farm strong and versatile enough to play inside and out.
– Jr. Steve Greer – 6’1” 290lbs – classic former wrestler interior DL. Just nasty and greasy and disruptive.
LB: So. Jade Lawrence 6’2” 200lbs – played a ton as a RS Fr last season and made a ton of plays. He’s a little light but very quick and has great instincts. Tough to know what he or anyone on the roster currently weighs because our coaches tend to not update weights until media day.
– So. Donnell Rodgers 6’1” 230lbs – was our #3 ILB as a RS Fr last season and he is going to be a stud. Lightning quick first step and plenty of thump when he gets to the ball. He is going to be fun to watch for the next 3 seasons.
– Sr. Jake Disterhaupt 6’1” 210 lbs – former stud OLB who made huge plays had to slide inside due to one of our captains having to retire from a concussion after a cheap shot by a Southern Utah player. Jake is a former safety so he has wheels and coverage skills. The hope is that enough young ILBs step up so he can slide back outside.
Now for the unproven guys….. who we will rely heavily upon….
– Sr. Dijon Murray 6’ 220lbs – didn’t see the field last year after transferring in due to injury. If healthy he could make a big time impact. His JUCO film was very impressive and he reportedly ran a 4.4 40 this spring. He needs to be healthy.
– Fr. Ray Haas 6’5” 210lbs – he’s got length and size and most importantly tons of speed. He was a playmaker in spring ball and the coaches are VERY high on him. He has future star written all over him.
-Fr. Noah Larson 6’2” 230lbs – it’s all but assumed he will have his RS pulled this fall. He is a stud and is already build like a grown man. If Noah and Dijon can step up our LB group could be really good after losing 5 guys to graduation/retirement after last year.
CB: This is where I thought I would talk about Deion Harris….
– Jr. Tyus Carter 5’11” 180lbs – initially started opposite Harris last season before suffering a season ending shoulder injury. Really solid player who has the type of grit you wish every player had.
– So. Torrey Hunt 6’1” 185lbs – explosive and silky smooth. Possibly the best athlete on the team. Very raw. Was thrown into the fire as a true fr after Tyus went down and at times was special other times looked like a fr. Was named a fr All American. The sky is the limit for this guy.
Blazing fast white guy alert…
– So. Evan Holm 5’11” 180lbs – also played as a true fr last season and made some plays. Played on the national U-18 rugby team last summer so you know he can tackle. Possibly the fastest player on the team. Nearly as much potential as Hunt, just not as long.
– Fr. Andre Randolph 6’ 190lbs – former HS QB who showed some serious promise this spring. Great ball skills and sudden feet.
S: Fr. Jaxon Turner 6’2” 200lbs – moved back from LB super smooth rangy athlete who will be a playmaker for years to come. May make an appearance on PR this year.
– Sr. Chuck Flowers 5’11” 190lbs – played a ton last year as our #3 safety. He decent.
– Jr. Tamas Stewart 6’ 195lbs – JUCO transfer who missed all of spring ball with an injury. His JUCO film was excellent but nobody has seen him play in person yet. Could be the key to the defense this year.
-Fr. Jordan Canaday 6’2” 195lbs – another smooth rangy athlete who had a great spring. He’s a bit of a ball hawk but can also lay the wood in the run game. Another fr with great potential.
-Sr. Cole Reyes 6’2” 220lbs – reigning conference defensive player of the year, many time All American, pre season defensive player of the year, and pre season first team All American. Cole is good at football.
We have obvious question marks at LB with all of the young guys that need to step up. Other than that and the FS position we’re pretty solid and deep.
This is fantastic @geaux-sioux thanks for posting. It’s great to have this info.
This is awesome. So fun to read. Thank you.
If you have any questions, fire away.
Your front seven sound pretty decent for an FCS school and you should be proud of your selection as the top team in the Big Sky but our OL looks like this:
LT – Jackson Barton 6’7″ 312 lbs
LG – Darrin Paulo 6’5″ 312 lbs
C – Lo Falemaka 6’5″ 287 lbs
RG – Jordan Agasiva 6’4″ 345 lbs
RT – Salesi Uhatafe 6’5″ 320 lbs
Size matters. Trust me because when we made the leap into the PAC 12 from the MWC it took 3-4 years to get our OL up to the size of the PAC 12 and also the athleticism. Now flip things around and our front seven of D will likely see 4 guys go to the League next year. One of them in the first round for sure.
This is a big reason this is a great game for UND to play in. Bowling Green last year wasn’t any good and we played like trash and still only lost by 1. Playing against elite players will make our guys better and more hungry. Iron sharpens iron and it appears you guys have got your fair share of that.
And I feel the same way towards you guys. We match up very well, ie, our weaknesses match up vs your strengths.
It will be fun to see them battle, and hopefully both teams come out better and firing for the rest of the year.
I remember what it was like when USC first came to town. Our line looked like boys among men. It’s nice to see that we are now competitive in this regard.
I for one worry about this game. It’s a classic set up game. We instilling a new offense, replacing much of our defense and it’s the first game of the year. ND can ball. Do they have the size and speed? probably not. But they do have the heart and experience. I could easily seeing the Utes put them away early, but I could also very easily see this going down to the last minutes and Ute fans everywhere crying about it.
The staff better have the boys ready for this one.
I don’t think it is. They’re offense hinges on the run game. Very few teams can do that on us. We’ll be fine.
This. Worst case scenario is a 24-10, type game. Worst case scenario.
If we get any sort of offense going, especially with Carrington at WR. Singleton, Simpkins and Carrington are great WR’s.
UND won’t face a RB like Shyne.
This year we won’t rely on the run game out of necessity like we have the past couple of years. Our passing game should be pretty decent this year.
This guy put the daggar in our heart last year and now he’ll be playing for us. Speaks a lot to respect for our program seeing that he could have gone anywhere and Utah was on his radar.
Makes me wonder what aspect was the selling point. A progam that has taken on talented and troubled athletes before and done well with them? Immediate ability to contribute? NFL draft history? Coaching? Combination of multiple?
Whether he plays as many downs as Josh Gordon at Utah or becomes a solid contributor, I like that Utah takes chances on kids and believes in second chances.
Some would argue this isn’t a second chance for him as he’s had multiple incidences in his past, but I’d argue getting kicked off a team and finding another chance at D1 is the epitome of a real ‘second chance’
It would be interesting to know what the criteria was. My guess is familiarity with relation to being in the Pac-12. Perhaps interaction with our staff after the last game or prev games. Facilities perhaps? Of course the NFL pipeline would make a lot of sense. The U is selling that angle harder and harder, as they should.
Very well said. Oregon never gave him a second chance. He messed up at Oregon multiple times and was disciplined for those indiscretions. If he had been kicked off the team, or done something that normally results in someone being kicked off the team, and then Oregon let him come back or stay, then you could say he already had a second chance. But that never happened, at least not to my knowledge. Utah is his second chance.
Carrington missed 7 games due failing the NCAA drug policy including the biggest college football game he’d ever play in his life.
last year he assaulted a dude and broke his arm while being quoted saying “I’m Darren Carrington!” In which he was forced to sit out the 1st quarter of the remaining 5 games of the season last year including the game in Salt Lake.
Quit trying to justify his stupidity by trying to word it in a way to make it seem as if Oregon didn’t handle it correctly to not get Carrington on the right track.
He’s been arrested or in trouble with the law on 4 different occasions and was also highly suspected of an on-campus theft. He has been given ample chances and opportunity. Being kicked off the team and forced to go somewhere else is not the “epitome” of a 2nd chance, That is the “Epitome” of a “last chance.”
I hope he can do it and find success at Utah, just don’t be surprised if he lets you all down.
Sounds like the guy has zero self control. I hope he is able to be turn it around. The good thing is that the U won’t tolerate his behavior for one second. Based on what you are saying it will be interesting to see if he makes it to the first game.
I wish he had been suspended for the 4th quarter of those games…
**edit** and the worst thing about the altercation with the fan is that guy was a Ducks fan who travelled from Texas to watch the game.
Carrington is phenomenal when he is on. Unfortunately, he is not a leader. His best season was as a freshman with Mariota throwing to him and a guy like Bralon Addison mentoring him. He was consistent, he made huge plays, he was always open. He played diciplined because his teammates forced him to. then he got suspended by the NCAA along with 2 other WR’s who got hurt against Florida st in the playoffs, Mariota had no one to throw it to in the title game. Oregon never had a chance in large part due to his selfishness.
Once Mariota and Addison left, Carrington hasn’t been the same since. You can see the talent is there, he has shown it countless times on individual plays but he has no interest in team chemistry and only played for himself which coincides with his off field antics.
That being said, if theres any team who could tame him and teach him to play for the team and to get over himself, its probably Utah. But I could very easily see him getting 2 or 3 games into the season and realizing that its too much for him.
Thanks for the comments @skywalker11 – I’m one of the cautiously optimistic ones. I hope we can keep him under control. Otherwise we will look like idiots for bringing him on.
I don’t think we look dumb. We’ve been through this before with Josh Gordon. He will have a strict set of guidelines. If he follows them, great, we just found an amazing WR with NFL talent. If not? He will quietly not dress and then fade away.
How do you know he will “quietly not dress and then fade away” if he messes up? Sure, that would be the ideal way for it to play out if he gets in trouble, but I’m guessing there will be news reports about him leaving the team for disciplinary reasons at a minimum. And if he gets busted for DUI, assault, or drugs, you better believe that will make the news.
Josh Gordon showed up just in time to start classes in Sept, never really dressed for the games, left the team in early November, and declared for the draft in Jan. He didn’t even attend his classes and tried to get away with the same garbage he learned at Baylor.
If Carrington misses any classes, or any training sessions, or ever dogs it in practice, then Whitt/Troy Taylor/Guy Halliday will kick his ass to the curb faster than he could ever imagine. They won’t tolerate any crap from Carrington, and this is obviously his last chance. If he works his butt off and shines through it he will be playing on Sundays next year. If not, then he will have a tough time. He HAS to realize this.
And you are correct, any slip up will make the news. And the zoobs in the state will never let it go.
I agree with this, I don’t think theres anything wrong with giving him another chance whether this be his 2nd or 5th as long as the leash is short.
Carrington being dismissed had as much to do with Willie Taggart having to set the tone as a new coach as much as it did Carrington being an idiot. Not quite charlie brown level at texas but Taggart inherited a bunch of undisciplined talent, He had no other choice.
Mark Helfrich was a terrible coach, a terrible leader, and a terrible disciplinary. Taggart made it clear when he was hired that the program was ran amok under the previous staff and stated very clearly that none of that would be tolerated but that he knew that some players would “test him”. Carrington did and paid the price.
That being said, this whole situation doesn’t need to be painted as anything other than what it was. A kid who was given several chances and opportunities to succeed at the school he chose after high school and would still be at if it were his decision. Ultimately being given one last shot by another program after his own antics let him down. This isn’t his 2nd chance, this is his last chance.
Michelle Bodkin has confirmed on Twitter that it was official last night. No official announcement coming though as he wants to just get to work. Love it.
ya thats what he said after getting suspended for the 2015 college football playoffs and first 6 games of the 2015 season for failing the NCAA drug policy… and after he was charged for theft, then after he assaulted a dude and broke his arm. And now he’s saying it after his DUI
I’ll be shocked if he plays a down before he gets into more trouble.
This is very possible, that’s why I’m not getting hopes up at all. I suppose there is also a chance that he could thrive in a different program/environment, but I’m skeptical.
Ironically first two pics on his GoDucks page are versus Utah:
He better not screw this up.
I’m sure Whitt and Carrington have had the discussion. One and done I’m sure.
Last Chance U.
Hope that former Duck can straighten out and fly right. I do wish him the best and hope he can contribute to the team. Whitt had better keep him on a tight leash and if there’s any nonsense or any action detrimental to the team — show him the door.
Cool down papa don’t you blow your top.
Ha, maybe I should clarify some. I think he really has a chance to help the team be successful, and it’s a definite need for us at WR. I trust Whittingham and am sure that he’s had a conversation with Carrington about what is going to be expected of him. He’s a Ute now, he’s got my support but he might have to earn some trust given his past.
I was just messing with you. I couldn’t help but throw in some song lyrics in response to your fly right comment.
NEW POLL ON CARRINGTON – VOTE NOW
I’m suddenly feeling really optimistic about our receiving group! Singleton showed some good things last year, so did Simpkins. Nurse is tall and fast and appears to have good hands and excellent blocking. Carrington is a proven talent.
Imagine if our O-line hits the ground running. There is a lot to be optimistic about this year!
Yeaahhh….. if you could go ahead and suspend Mr. Carrington for a game due to his DUI that would be grrreat.
Lol. My first thought was, “who is this guy?”
Then I saw your name. Nice.
Stick around after the game.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see him sit for the first game. Just to send a message (to Carrington and his teammates) that the coaching staff doesn’t take such things so lightly.
As for Game 2 … no holding back!!
I’m interested to see how Whit plays this.
On the one hand, I’m sure part of the discussion in bringing him here was that this will be a fresh start, so maybe there won’t be any suspension at all. I mean, he has already been punished by being kicked off the Oregon team. So why would the coach who is giving him a second chance punish him further?
On the other hand, I can see Whit wanting to send a message like you said and suspending him for anywhere from 1 to 3 games.
Good point, but I would really relish him catching a game-winning TD against byu after all the holier than thou comments their fans will make/have likely already made about this situation. It would just taste so much sweeter than a normal game-winning TD.
I would rather see him catch 3 or 4 TD passes in a blowout over BYU, but your scenario works too. 🙂
Oh for sure I’d love that, but given the history of this rivalry methinks the last second TD is more likely. Sigh.
I was thinking a game winning catch over Oregon.
It doesn’t need to be cast as a “suspension”, just something akin to a “time out”. Also out of respect to the players who have been Utes all along get starts in the home opener.
You know this is going to be a major line of questioning at the Pac-12 Media Days.
Yes for sure.
Also, speaking of lines, has the line moved yet for the rivalry game in our favor?
Last I heard it was zoobs -3. I checked the normal sites and am not seeing it. Just curious.
This is great news. We’ve rehabbed some guys successfully and made their lives better because of it: Marty Johnson, Nai Fotu etc. We also gave a shot to someone talented who squandered the opportunity: Josh Gordon. He never saw the field at Utah as far as I know and still made the NFL for a bit. Speaking of legal issues, where is Johnny Lang?
If he keeps the rules while he’s here, what’s not to like?
Personally I really hope we let that Charles West thing go. Not a fan of holding a knife to the throat of your housecalling performer while doing things she didn’t agree to. Allegedly. Nevermind the KVN thung, watching the prigs down south acting judgmental about Carrington with the recent history of defending a rape charge for a recruit is just so them. I for one hope they let all the Holiday talk about bringing him here go.
Go utes.
The whole West thing is…overblown. He was going to BYU, got in trouble. Holliday was his big recruiter.
Holliday came here, so everyone assumed West would follow. I don’t even know if West ever set foot on Utah’s campus for a visit.
If Holliday wasn’t a Utah coach, he never would have even been mentioned in the same breath as Utah.
Yeah I kind of figured. As to the facts of his case, per my memory of the newspaper, he hired an escort service to send someone to do “fetish show” or some thing and there was an issue so she tried to leave through the garage where he allegedly trapped her. It wasn’t a formal rape charge, aggravated sexual assault or something but it allegedly involved a knife and it allegedly involved sex. Maybe it wasn’t rape because she was an alleged sex worker and the DA thought it would confuse a jury over questions of consent?
As I recall it, he pulled the knife on her when it was time to pay her for the footjob…
No hints or breakdown?
Sent you a private message.
It’s positive.
Michelle Bodkin broke on Twitter that Carrington is a Ute!!!
Makes sense. After our first 4 games we have Stanford, USC, UCLA, Az St, Washington, Washington st, Oregon and Colorado. If we don’t win the first 4 it could be tough to get to 7. If we win the first 4 then that shows our team is pretty solid and I could see us getting 7-9 wins. Anything more than that and we had a great overachieving season.
I’m sitting at 7 or 8 wins this year. The schedule is pretty tough, new offense (again), and a lot of talent to replace. I think we can do it!
I’ve had 8-4 for a while.
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