Utah Utes Message Board

Can he kick a football?

This is really my only concern. Not the 0 line – not the backers, our place kicking. It could lose us a game or two.

wow… I don’t blame him, but it must have been really bad if it came to this. I can’t imagine that these issues were presenting themselves in practice over the last two years, otherwise Whitt would have done something about it. The pressure must have really got to him. Just craziness.

6 FGs against Oregon last year including a 55 yarder and a 41 yarder. Different game with a below average kicker. Hopefully it won’t matter this year but it probably will.

Considering how dominant Utah has been in Special Teams the last decade, how brutal would it be to have our best team not reach their potential because we have mediocre special teams?

Who is the backup – er, starting – kicker?

Is it too late to receive a transfer? Maybe there’s a decent kicker sitting on the bench somewhere else that sees an opportunity.

We have one guy Jason Redding. Missed a 31 yard kick in the spring game. This is a real problem.

Maybe this will make the offense more aggressive? Knowing they don’t have the safety net of an automatic 3 points. I’ll gladly trade more touchdowns for another all american kicker.

Joshua Rowland , another Texas Longhorn, is a grad transfer available.

Good thing for him. Bad for Utah but could have been worst possibly if Utah depended on him. Overall bad outcome that needs to be fixed and feels incredibly ironic.

after thinking on this, I wouldn’t be surprised if he left knowing that there was someone else that was for sure better than him. I wouldn’t be surprised if the coaches have been looking for outside help for the last few weeks at least.

Time to check with the Ski Team.

Sounds like Johnston was a head case and this is a way to save face before facing a crowd at RES. We were in desperate need of a kicker who could make field goals two weeks ago, so this doesn’t really change anything. 

Crazy to think what might have been for him had he made that first kick in the first game of the season a few years ago. He may not have made that announcement had he simply made that kick.

Hopefully this was an amicable force out and Whitt has someone better coming. I’m not too worried yet whit has a way of pulling kickers out of his hat…

I’m just as worried as everyone else about the kicking game. But I have to wonder (and hope) if during his exit interview after spring ball, that Whitt told him they were going to go in another direction. If that’s the case maybe it’s not as bleak as it seems right now. This is all speculation but I can hope right?

How they can so consistently miss wide open threes is beyond me.

Wait, it’s a quarter and Houston has 12 foul shots?

Clean out the lockers. Utah is done. Pure garbage.

Rubio is just worthless on this team. That Conley trade if he stays healthy would have helped a lot.

Rockets are everything I hate about the nba. Not blaming it entirely on the refs don’t get me wrong. Jazz are passive little high school JV team compared to the rockets intensity right now. 

So many wide open shots missed. Like same looks as Houston just misses. 

I don’t know if it’s a concerted movement but I do love it. My favorite uniform is the “throwback” that they introduced some years ago. I wish it was our normal uni.

I also like it, but wouldn’t want to lose the drum and feather either. 

Yes to #1. Most thumbnail logos are the interlocking U…maybe it just displays better as a small image? Could be intentional, who knows? 

Yes to #2, and hope we see a super cool helmet design this year that’s better than the field goal hands or swoop wings. Didn’t care for either of those, although I could see why folks liked them. 

There’s definitely an intentional effort to move away from the Drum and Feathers. I don’t like the move. The interlocking U’s reminds me too much of Oklahoma and Houston. 

I do like the throwback uniform, but it would be so much better if they did the same uniform with the Drum and Feather. 

I like the interlocking U. DnF is a clean unique look that I don’t think is going away. Marketing the way it is you have to be flashy. Look at the amount of professional team logos. 

I really liked the spring game helmets. The number on one side and interlocking U on the other looked sharp. Maybe use feather stickers hanging from the U for certain accomplishments. Captain, Dean’s list, degree, etc..

I like the DnF in concept, but it is in dire need of an update.

It is seriously one of the most poorly rendered logos still in wide use.

I think that relates to some of the appeal of the clean and orderly interlocking U’s.

Correct me if I am wrong but if they just remove the drum and keep the feather we have no problem with any Native American backlash.

Like clockwork this topic pops up every year

Some of the transition seems to not necessarily be away from the drum and feather, but also away from the block U (especially TV graphics.) In my opinion the interlocking U’s and the D&F are both preferable to the block U. I’ve held off getting a U of U license plate for years because the only option at the moment is the block U. If they went back to the either of the other logos I’d order one in a heart beat.

Good for him. I was expecting him to go to a G5 school. I hope he can get the playing time he’s looking for.

To my grave, I will remain convinced that had he received the final carries against Cal in 2016, Utah would have scored and won–and potentially changed the trajectory of that season. He was running so well that game.

Wish him all the best.

Based on our history with late qualifiers/transfers, I’m guessing neither one will be with the team this Fall.

Darren Jones isn’t going to make it. Will probably go Junior College and hopefully Utah will get back with him at that point. Lacolby Tucker is confident that he will make, but we will see.

It’s a tough call right now. Most of the kids in these spots are overly optimistic and are afraid to give completely truthful information because of the pressure they’re under from parents, coaches, friends etc. No new update today. Still a couple months left in the academic calendar but if they’re not cleared at this point there is obvious risk in them not showing up. About half of the academic risk kids make it. Wait and see is all anyone except the kid can do.

What I’ve always found interesting is that in most cases the pressure of the extra school work becomes too much and they give in knowing they have a JC option. Not that they don’t have a work ethic it just mentally wears them out and they give up. They’d do gassers all day if they could but just can’t seem to translate that effort to the school work necessary. It’s weird.

It doesn’t look like he was really recruited.  He stated he went on an LDS mission when interviewed.

Whoa! I know this kid. He was in my ward in San Diego.  He’s a great kid, was a star at RB high when they won the State championship.  I remember asking him his Senior year about the next level a he was hoping to land at a Pac-12 school but there wasn’t much interest – I don’t think he was highly recruited much.  I did tell him he needed to land at Utah!  So he went on his mission and that’s the last I heard of him as I moved away. 

So he’s got great talent, great size, and just a really great and well-raised kid. I hope he develops into a star at the U. 

He used to coach under Majerus

I assume that means that Jones is taking the vacant coaching position, has anyone seeen an announcement of that?

They had 4-5 WRs transfer this offseason(one after 2 weeks on campus).  Plus 2-3 DBs also transferred.  Helton will be gone after this season, but hopefully we can steal one on the road before they upgrade coaches.

I thought the top 4 there were considered the best group they’ve ever had. If so, I could see why a lot of others transfer.

They would have canned Helton this offseason but they didn’t want to pay his $15M buyout.