What Are Your Concerns for Utah Football Going Forward?

[The Miami Ute]

Here are mine:
1. Whitt is much closer to the end than the beginning. No doubt that’s going to be used early and often by other programs as they try to influence recruits.
2. Utah is at a recruiting disadvantage. Texas Tech just pulled in Micah Hudson, the #7 recruit in the nation. Will Utah ever even come close to recruiting someone of that level? Baylor and TCU can also recruit well and have deep pockets plus they’re in Texas, so recruits from that state don’t even have to go far. I will also say that, with competent management, all three of ASU, Colorado, and Arizona can be problematic for Utah’s future. I love Utah and Salt Lake City but if I’m an inner-city kid from Texas, Florida, or California, I’d probably be all about Tucson, Boulder, or Phoenix over SLC.
3. There’s going to be an adjustment period in the conference. Sure, some of the teams there are bad to mediocre. However, at the same time, there’s quite a few teams that are well-sourced, have fanatical fanbases, and are located in areas that are recruiting hotbeds (UCF, Baylor, TCU, TT, ASU, etc..). If those teams start developing good to excellent seasons, it makes it harder to draw recruits (both HS and portal) to SLC.

[Utah5410]

Whit has one more year (my opinion) but also based off of what he’s said. That being said I think he wants to go out on top and get the team to the playoff much more realistic next year.

No. Recruiting wise. However, the state of Utah is solid with HS recruits. Utah is a unique place with RM also. Until Whit is gone we will never get elite WR. But college football is made with a QB and on the lines. Out lines are usually great.

Our oline needs to be elite in 2024. Way underperformed this year.

[Utah#1]

To me, Last night’s Vegas Bowl game showed me the beginning of the end of the Whittingham Era. Whitt looked beaten and out of touch with reality. He looked lethargic; no energy, fire, or passion to be there. Regardless of QB availability between Barnes, Rose, and the other QB, Whitt was dead set on winning or losing with Barnes no matter if the guy threw eight interception in the game. I know injuries has taken its toll on the team as well as the coaching staff. I hope that’s what it is and not the fact that he’s ready to hang it up. Unfortunately, this doesn’t send a good message to the 2024 class who signed and future recruits that Utah doesn’t look like a good solid team anymore, but a team losing its luster, its mojo and regressing. IMO, perception is everything. If I was the athletic director and the school president, I would start looking at a replacement for Whittingham, because I see it coming very soon. Like next year soon, if that. What also doesn’t help is Whitt has a history of poor offenses, but great defenses. That simply isn’t going to cut it going forward and recruits see that and why Utah has struggled to recruit 4-star QBs, receivers and OL, because history proves the offenses under Whittingham for years has been pathetic. That tells me Whitt is a control freak and afraid to change up and try new things which over time has caused his offensive production to suffer greatly losing games they probably could have won or should have won. Just my observation. I believe he’ll be considered a good coach but not a great one, having lost two Rose Bowls and missed out on a few opportunities to play in the CFP, and maybe even win a national championship. He’ll win you conference championships, but short of winning the big big games on the biggest stages of college football.

[The Miami Ute]

IMO, perception is everything.

In life as in the movies, perception is reality. All teams, no matter who they are, have a rough time replacing a legendary coach. Look at Alabama when Bear Bryant left (and Saban in the near future). Look at PSU when Paterno left. Look at Nebraska when Osborne left. Look at USC when Carroll left. Look at Ohio State when Woody Hayes left or Michigan when Bo Schembechler left. Even those bluest of blue bloods had down periods. You could almost make the case that the harder task isn’t to hire a legendary coach but his replacement.

[alUmnUs]

Wide receivers. We need elite ones.

I’m not interested in any other chicken little theories.

[The Miami Ute]

Great…thanks for your always brilliant contribution.

[alUmnUs]

You’re welcome. It will be shocking to see longtime Big12 teams start to develop good seasons.

And since hardly anyone here will recognize how historically poor Utah WR corp has been and continues to be, I just chalk it up to low football IQ since everyone would much rather hand-wring about the disadvantages of SLC as a desirable destination as opposed to places like Tucson & Waco. I mean, Boulder and Phoenix have just been too much to handle in the PAC12 era, right?

Also, your quip about “inner-city” kids is ridiculous. For example, if the athlete is black and good and from out of state, they must be inner-city kids that are looking for a way out? That’s ridiculous. Lots of recruits of color are not just coming from s**t places and circumstances while they’ve worked their asses off in a resource filled world (which their families do invest in to the athletes benefit) to become recruitable football players.

[The Miami Ute]

I don’t know…I firmly believe that teams like TT, Baylor, and TCU (for starters) have plenty of potential to have good seasons. I mean, TCU was in the NCG last year…all those schools have plenty of money, great facilities, good traditions, and are in fertile recruiting grounds. I would also add UCF to that mix as a newcomer…they have tremendous facilities, are located in a very attractive city (for entertainment purposes), and need I say Florida recruiting?

Regarding your WR comment…well, what you see if what you get. Doubtful that will ever change under the current regime.

My quip about “inner city kids” is ridiculous? LOL…spoken like a white, middle-aged, out of touch dude from SLC.

[alUmnUs]

I’m a non-Mormon, POC thriving in Utah. Thanks.

[The Miami Ute]

Ditto…

[Ute Dub]

I’d take a DT like Star Lotulelei or Leki Fotu.

[EagleMountainUte]

Generally speaking it is NIL landscape with a whole bunch of things going on that contribute to that.

[PhiladelphiaUte]

My concerns are the growing trend of athletes opting out of the postseason. Because if they’re not expected to play, why are “we” expected to show up in support? And if “we” don’t show up to the games, we won’t get the good ones. It’ll be like the WAC years all over again, where we were easily bowl eligible, but left out of the postseason. Or like the MWC where we’d deserved “Auburn” in the “Sugar”, but got stuck with “Pitt” in the “Fiesta”.

One of Utah’s biggest advantage had been our “culture”. But what kind of “culture” will we have if “we” stop supporting the team?

[The Miami Ute]

Personally, I don’t think we’re going back to NFL eligible athletes or portal entrants playing routine bowl games. I’m with you though. If the Utes don’t make the CFP, why would anyone travel hundreds (or thousands) of miles, with all of the associated costs, to support a B squad in what’s essentially a meaningless exhibition game? Truth be told, after going to Vegas and seeing the product out on the field, I had kind of buyer’s remorse, and I wasn’t the only one. I think something that coaches sometimes forget is that, yeah, winning is best, but winning and being entertaining is better. Do you think that if people knew we had another year of Barnes or a Barnes equivalent, RES would sell out every game? It would be a test for sure. All I can say is that yesterday’s first half was the most boring and visually painful half of Ute football (given the competition) that I’ve seen since probably the beat downs by TCU in 2010 or Bosie State in 2006.

[lgt4141]

My buddies and I drove to the Vegas Bowl from SLC. We had a great time together and had fun but the game left a lot to be desired.

We all agreed that it may be a log time before we go to the bowl game. One of them had been to both Rose Bowls and the Vegas Bowl and is over going to bowl games to leave with a loss. I am sure he is not the only one.

I love the Utes and will support them but the Vegas Bowl left a lot to be desired.

[The Miami Ute]

I went with my youngest daughter and we had a great time in Vegas. I also enjoyed the experience of walking to the stadium and exploring all of its futuristic features. It truly is a great place to watch a football game. The actual game, not so much…I’m just glad the contest was in Vegas, where there are ton of things to do, and relatively close to SLC, so we could drive. Because I’m going to tell you what…if the Utes get future bids to some of these bowls outside the driving sphere, they can count me out. I actually feel that once college football goes to the 12 team playoff system, it’s going to kill the bowl system and scheme. Besides possibly the fans of the teams playing them, who’s going to watch low rent bowls if you have a legit playoff system sucking up eyeballs and attention? Not me…it’d be like watching NFL exhibition games at the same time the playoffs are taking place.

[lgt4141]

I couldn’t agree more.

[Charlie]

Going forward, Utah fans will be fine. Fans of winning will struggle much more. Not all of us are one or the other and even as a mixture of both it is hard to see yourself as a fan of winning. Both like a quality product on the field but the differences come into play during adversity. A fan of the UofU is more likely to see this year as less then the two previous but simply starts looking forward to next year.

This has a feel much like ’19. We went down to Santa Clara for the CCG and got worked by Oregon. The mood leaving the game was awful, many suggested the gap between Utah and Washington or Oregon was just too much to overcome. Lots of analysis of their advantages and our disadvantages. As it turns out, even good programs have periods of adversity. There were questions around these players, these coaches etc.

Going forward, sure we may need to deal with all the Big 12 teams and their advantages. Or the Big 12 teams may need to deal with what Utah has going. May as well find a way to enjoy the ride.

[RUUTES]

1) NIL/Portal are going to make Utah a prime ground for farming by the SEC and B10. Utah can scout and develop the crap out of players, but we won’t keep the ones that shine in this current broken system. That’s not just us but since we have always been a team that thrived on finding and polishing diamonds in the rough it will hit us particularly hard.

2) When Whit does leave, reality is going to hit a lot of people very hard. He has been a once in a century coach for a team like Utah based both on his ability to win and his willingness to stay. We may see a year or two with a fresh Urban type but finding someone to really sustain as Whit has done is so damn unlikely that it makes me sad to even contemplate.

3) Injuries…something is going on. Either the worst luck of all time, or we have some kind of issue. The lack of transparency around injuries and healing is problematic this year. We can’t treat injuries like we have this year. Rising, Kuithe, Bernard, JJ, and on and on is probably a whole different thread but it’s a big concern for me if we don’t see a big change next year.