"…the wealth of underclassmen set to return next season give the Utes ample

[gUrthBrooks]

optimism this coming offseason.” Good article looking at position groups going into next year.  – Highlights the improvement Julian Blackmon is going through.

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/utah-utes/2017/12/27/fresh-off-their-latest-bowl-triumph-utes-already-thinking-about-next-year/

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/utah-utes/2017/12/24/no-longer-under-the-radar-utahs-julian-blackmon-stepped-into-the-spotlight-in-2017/

[ladyinred]

I listened to a lot of the postgame interviews this year, and I have to say Julian Blackmon stands out as one of, if not the best, interviews on the squad. He is really articulate and insightful. Nice to see him have success and get those 2 picks yesterday!

[BD]

I had the exact same impression of Blackmon when I heard the interview. Dang that kid talks well, is intelligent, confident, and respectful. Seems like a model of what you want your college-age kids to sound like. 

[AlaskanUte]

I keep hearing that incoming 2018 recruiting class might be limited to 15 due to the number of returning missionaries. How many are coming in and who are they?

[FtheY]

I have the same question. The only one I know of for sure is Covey. 

 

[NarfUte]

We only graduated ~20 scholarship seniors. Added Mika Tafua and Sione Lund. Tafua is on scholly now and won’t count toward the 20 available

 

We get Covey, Fotheringham (unless fotheringham follows AROD to byu), Keaton Bills, Semisi Lauaki (Mid year next season) Rj Hubert, Fua Pututau, and Johnny Maea. 

 

That puts us at <15 signees unless we lose some players or there are more missionaries I don’t remember

[FtheY]

Thanks Narf, that makes more sense. I don’t know many of these names as I didnt follow recruiting until last year. I heard good things about that RJ kid though. 

[NarfUte]

It’s a pain in the ass to follow the mission kids, so I could be way off. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be as a coach planning around RM’s, RM’s who don’t come back, and the scholarship limit

[GameForAnyFuss]

It’s not difficult if you’re a BYU-P coach. You just look for what position you need help with, see which missionaries play that position, get them an honorable early release for “medical reasons”, and then have them miraculously healed in time for spring ball.

[Staples]

The BYU mission is a wonderful thing, works well in basketball too.

[TexanUte]

Perhaps with the abundance of returning talent we should be positioned to challenge for the South title next year? Let’s put it another way fellow Ute fans – at what point in the next 4 years do we get frustrated with extreme mediocrity? I would propose that if we don’t win the South after 12 full seasons in the Pac 12 then it would certainly be time for an organizational change. This means sometime in the Tuttle era we should win the South or else…. Once the sample size gets large enough e.g. somewhere between 10 to 20 seasons you should luck or happenstance your way into at least one division title in my estimation – see Colorado.