Breaking down Utah's depth chart ahead of spring practices


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SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah football program released its projected depth chart Friday for the upcoming spring practices that start next week.

Spring will highlight several familiar faces, with most of the incoming freshmen and junior college transfers joining the team in fall. Additionally, some players may be held out from participating in spring as a result of injuries.

The following is a breakdown at each position ahead of spring practices:

Quarterback:

Despite being a three-year starter, senior Travis Wilson will continue to battle it out for the top spot on the offense. For now, Wilson is listed as the team’s starter, but the lack of consistency in this position will allow many quarterbacks on the roster to compete for this job. Senior Kendal Thompson split duties with Wilson last season and is expected to push Wilson for the starting job again ahead of others.

However, Utah has several young and talented quarterbacks that could push both Wilson and Thompson out of the role if the coaching staff is looking to go to a quarterback that will give Utah consistency for a few years. Donovan Isom, Chase Hansen, Conner Manning and Brandon Cox are all young and capable of taking that top spot.

Expect Utah to stick with Wilson going into fall. He’s had the most experience at this position and has an offensive coordinator that has his back. Utah will likely utilize Thompson in a similar capacity as last season, but Wilson will be the starter.

Running back:

Breaking down Utah's depth chart ahead of spring practices

Utah fans rejoiced when Devontae Booker decided to stay at Utah instead of trying his hand at the NFL. There is no surprise that Booker will get the starting role for Utah. He’ll likely be one of the top backs in the Pac-12 and will draw a lot of attention as long as he can sustain the workload and stay healthy.

Troy McCormick is listed as the team’s backup over senior Bubba Poole, and for good reason. McCormick has the speed required to compete against many of the teams in the Pac-12. Utah didn’t utilize him much until the end of last season, but he showed how talented he could be at the position. If McCormick can hold onto the ball and can show great field vision, there’s no reason he can’t be the future for Utah moving forward.

Utah could see some success in a two-back system, using Booker, McCormick and Poole, but Booker will likely be the guy Utah relies on.

Wide receiver:

Senior Kenneth Scott, sophomore Jameson Fields and junior Delshawn McClellon all get the early starting role nod. Scott will be the biggest name, other than Booker, on the offense. He should see an increased role on the team, but there are several other receivers worthy of attention.

Fields and McClellon have the talent to be starters, but we haven’t seen enough of their work to get a clear sense of how effective they can be at this position under Utah’s system. Sophomores Monte Seabrook and Kenric Young and freshman Raelon Singleton could push Fields or McClellon for a starting role, particularly with their speed.

However, once Tim Patrick recovers from an injury he sustained in the USC game last season, he’ll likely take the starting role from Fields. My projected starters going into fall camp would be Scott, Patrick and McClellon.

Tight end:

Utah is not where it has been in recent years at this position. Jake Murphy and Westlee Tonga made this position a major asset for the offense to utilize. However, that’s not to say that Utah can’t find success here behind Siale Fakailoatonga and Evan Moeai. As it stands now, Fakailoatonga is the better option, but struggled to hang onto the ball last season. Fakailoatonga has all the intangibles necessary for this position, but it will depend on how it all comes together in spring and fall camps for him.

Offensive line:

Utah returns a lot of experience on the offensive line and shouldn’t see a significant drop in production with this group. J.J. Dielmen (LT), Isaac Asiata (LG), Siasi Aiono (C), Salesi Uhatafe (RG) and Sam Tevi (RT) are the projected starters going into spring and likely into fall.

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Redshirt freshman Jackson Barton (RT) and junior Hiva Lutui (C) are seemingly guys that have the most potential moving up into a starting role. But Andrew Albers, Lo Falemaka and Nick Nowakowski all have the talent to slide into a starting role if called upon. Pending injuries, Utah should be set on the offensive line, particularly with freshmen coming in the fall to add more depth.

Defensive line:

The defensive line lost Nate Orchard, but there shouldn’t be a huge drop in production from this group. Utah returns Hunter Dimick, Filipo Mokofisi, Lowell Lotulelei and Jason Fanaika — a group that could be even more dangerous this year than last year. Each played a huge role for Utah last year and there’s no reason to suggest there will be a drop in production from this group.

It helps having Pita Taumoepenu, Clint Shepard and Stevie Tu’ikolovatu backing up this group. Each are good enough to start on this line, which gives Utah a lot of options moving forward.

Linebacker:

The linebacking core was a bit of a concern last season, but several players stepped up and made this group one of the best on the defense. Led by a bulked-up Gionni Paul, the linebacking core will be another group on the defense that will force its will on opposing offenses. Jason Whittingham and Jared Norris are the two other starters and should match Paul’s effort. Each suffered with injuries last season, so staying healthy is key for this group.

The linebackers second team is a bit inexperienced and will need a good spring and fall camp to truly judge their abilities in this role. However, with Whittingham’s defensive scheme combined with John Pease’s knowledge of the sport, the program should be able to maximize its talent here.

Safety:

Tevin Carter returns as a strong safety and will be one of Utah’s best assets in the secondary. Carter had a way of disrupting every game he played in last season and was a major component to the defenses success. Carter’s only issue is his health. If he can stay healthy, Utah will be in a great spot.

Joining Carter in the secondary is Marcus Williams and quarterback-turned-safety Jason Williams in the free safety role. Williams had success in the role when Carter went down last season and will likely maintain the starting role. However, Williams is an interesting addition. He worked extremely hard last season as a member of the scout team and was said to have picked up the defense well.

Cornerback:

In the cornerback position is Dominique Hatfield and Reginald Porter, and at nickel is Justin Thomas. Hatfield’s switch to defense was a breath of fresh air for a Utah team that was lean in the secondary. Adding Porter back to the starting group will only make this group stronger.

But the backups here are more than talented to take over a starting role. Receiver-turned-corner Brian Allen, Andre Godfrey and Boobie Hobbs are just three guys that could push for a starting role. This year’s secondary should be the strongest it’s been in years.

Special teams:

There’s no need to talk about how good Andy Phillips and Tom Hackett are because it’s a waste of breath. Suffice it to say Utah will continue to be set in its kicking specialists. In the return game, though, Utah will infuse new blood. As its punt returner, Utah has Boobie Hobbs or Bubba Poole and as Troy McCormick as the kickoff returner.

Hobbs and Poole are great assets for the punting team, and McCormick has the potential to really break open the kickoff return game. McCormick has the speed of Kaelin Clay, but it will depend on his field vision to see how effective he can be. There’s no reason to believe McCormick can’t have a lot of success here.

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