Lowering expectations

[Dresden_Stormblessed]

Just seeing if everyone feels the same way.

With everyone that’s declared for the draft and our misses/departures in the portal, my expectations next year are lowering. I genuinely thought we were going to hit the portal with a vengeance but I just don’t see it happening right now. Wide Receivers just don’t want to come here nor do they want to stay. This is not a WR-friendly offense (btw, humongous miss not offering Noah Fifita. He’s a legacy kid right?). I think it could be a WR-friendly offense and Vele’s performances later in the year just made me smack my head asking why tf have we not been passing to him more?

But hey, I’m a couch coach so…I get it. I know nothing. Just a humongous fan of something I have literally zero control over.

Anyway. We are thin at WR and CB imo. I don’t think CB will be a problem when it comes to the portal, especially with CPIII & Jaylon’s performance in the NFL this season. But I just don’t see that much of an answer coming at WR from the portal.

I really thought we’d already have some DOGS want to come and play with us but I’m surprised at the lack of bites as of now. We’ll see.

I’m obviously optimistic about the future but for right now, I’d say we’re a very good team (top 25 nationally) and have a few missing pieces to be top 10.

What do y’all think?

[Charlie]

A lot of good teams have more than one position that need to improve, getting down to one is not bad at all. USC and Colo have awesome WRs but have envy for our DL. Utah’s WRs need to improve but are not that far off. Still, being Utah’s featured receiver can get notice and can get drafted. I don’t expect the numbers to remain low as the QB position resets with the things lined up.

[Ghost of the HEB]

Next year will certainly be a grind. Three of our conference foes next season are currently ranked in the top 4 transfer classes – Colorado 1, ASU 2, TCU 4. Arizona will be primed for a big year with their current momentum & returning starters (and they have a good shot at landing Mikey Matthews).

Hopefully, we get some positive news soon. While typing this, I saw one of our JUCO safety targets committed to Cal. Miami is pushing for WR Josh Kelly as a packaged deal with Cam Ward. TE Carsen Ryan is visiting Utah today and will be at UW this weekend. RB/WR Raleek Brown is likely headed to ASU. Hasn’t been as much talk around USC WR commit Xavier Jordan flipping to Utah. Very much need an experienced safety or two to jump on board. Ritchie and Hall are good players, but it takes some strong red goggles to believe they alone can pick up where Bishop and Vaki left off.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Players like Bishop and Vaki are hard to find. Bummer we couldn’t get them to stay 1 more year to make a playoff run. Safeties are key to the defense.

[Utah]

Nah. First of all, we will have Rising. He put up almost 40 points a game last year in the PAC-12, a league that is much better than the Big 12.

Second, I don’t care how many transfers ASU and Colorado get, we will be better than they are. They still just suck and you can’t turn it around overnight.

Southern Utah – Win
Baylor isn’t great. Win
ASU – Win.
Colorado – Win.
Houston – Win.
Oklahoma State – Finally a team that can give us a game, but we should win with a healthy Rising.
At UCF – This will actually be a tougher game just because it is on the other side of the country. But defense travels. Should be a win.
Arizona – We are going to f**k them up. We had the middle of our defense hurt in that game and they took advantage, like they should.
BYU sucks.
TCU – good team, good rivalry.
Iowa State – Solid team but we should beat them.

3 losses next year would be slightly disappointing.