Try your hand at a defensive depth chart?

[BioUte]

How will the Leota situation change the depth chart for next season? Is the lack of depth big enough to change defensive philosophy? Will we see Blechen at LB or Safety?

[LA Ute]

How will the Leota situation change the depth chart for next season? Is the lack of depth big enough to change defensive philosophy? Will we see Blechen at LB or Safety?

Prior to Leota blowing himself up, Kyle spoke to a Crimson Club group I was in and said that if their JC transfer DBs work out Blechen will move to LB. I'm not sure if Leota's departure will have any impact on those plans. Can anyone think of a reason why it would?

[Dawminator]

DE: Reilly, Dimick
DT: Palepoi, Tuipolotu
DT: Ianu,
DE: Fakahafua, Tevi
LB: Blechen, Hale,
LB: Fehoko, Whittingham, Filiaga
LB: Norris, Hooker
CB: Orphrey, Freeman
FS: Carter, Morris-Edwards
SS: Rowe
CB: McGill, Smith, Thomas

[crazyute]

i wonder if junior salt finds his way back to defense now?

i know kyle said he was playing guard, but with leota freak out and now isaac asiata has decided to stay home. that adds more depth to the offensive line and less to the defensive line.

[Hockeybeard]

i wonder if junior salt finds his way back to defense now?

i know kyle said he was playing guard, but with leota freak out and now isaac asiata has decided to stay home. that adds more depth to the offensive line and less to the defensive line.

Utah has had experiences where we have taken 'average' DLine players and had them overperform (think Greg Newman and Alex Pucinelli - no offense to those guys who played their guts out). However, we have not had that much luck with 'overperforming' OLine man as can be seen by the last few years of offensive production. I would rather avoid another Latu Heimuli situation where we are constantly flipping the poor guy from each side of the ball and he never has a chance to settle down.

[UTEopia]

DE: Reilly, Dimick
DT: Palepoi, Tuipolotu
DT: Ianu,
DE: Fakahafua, Tevi
LB: Blechen, Hale,
LB: Fehoko, Whittingham, Filiaga
LB: Norris, Hooker
CB: Orphrey, Freeman
FS: Carter, Morris-Edwards
SS: Rowe
CB: McGill, Smith, Thomas

I wouldn't be so quick to put McGill and Orphrey as 1's. I am very concerned about the DL. I don't think we can effectively stop the run with 2 DE's that weigh in the 240s. I think both of them will wear down physically as the year goes on and become less effective. Unless he has improved tremendously, it looked to me like Fakahafua was primarily used as a pass rush option on clear passing situations as the year went on.

[stretchiute]

Agreed, Joe was the only one who could set the edge last year. Likely cost us the USU win and bowl eligibility.

[crazyute]

We need to get past the notion that defense wins games. It doesn't. Changes in the rules, and the strictness that the refs are calling pass interference is making college football more like arena football where the team whose offense screws up the least wins the game. We need our best players on offense.
i get we need more talent on offense too. but look at who could fight for guard right now. marc pouvave, carlos lozano, isaac asiata, jeremiah tofaeono, vyncent jones, lio lafaele, siosi aiono, dan nielson, percy tamoaleu. that is a lot of talent to choose a guard from. there is more talent on next years team on the offensive line than on the defensive line.

LT- albers, dielman
LG- pouvave,tofaeono, aiono
C- jones, lutui
RG- lozano, asiata, lafaele
RT- poutasi, nielson, lindsay

[Ma'ake]

I wouldn't be so quick to put McGill and Orphrey as 1's. I am very concerned about the DL. I don't think we can effectively stop the run with 2 DE's that weigh in the 240s. I think both of them will wear down physically as the year goes on and become less effective. Unless he has improved tremendously, it looked to me like Fakahafua was primarily used as a pass rush option on clear passing situations as the year went on.

I agree. Depending on what they do with Palepoi, he could take some snaps at DE like he did last year.

For me, the big questions on DL are how ready the freshmen are to contribute, and how the dynamics will change with Tuiaki coaching that unit, along with how quickly he can come up to speed on scheme, teaching technique, motivating them, etc.

[UtahsMrSports]

If we have Trevor Reilly and Nate Fakahafua as our starting defensive ends this year, we are in trouble.

[UTEopia]

i get we need more talent on offense too. but look at who could fight for guard right now. marc pouvave, carlos lozano, isaac asiata, jeremiah tofaeono, vyncent jones, lio lafaele, siosi aiono, dan nielson, percy tamoaleu. that is a lot of talent to choose a guard from. there is more talent on next years team on the offensive line than on the defensive line.

LT- albers, dielman
LG- pouvave,tofaeono, aiono
C- jones, lutui
RG- lozano, asiata, lafaele
RT- poutasi, nielson, lindsay

In my opinion you are confusing bodies with proven talent. Of the people you have listed, only Poutasi and Jones have shown that they can perform at the level that we need them to compete, and I would say that Jones has exceeded his physical abilities by hard work and determination. I don't think he can be the second best player on the OL and be very optimistic about the OL. JT has not been consistent enough to count on and I just don't think that BOT has the athletic ability to play tackle at this level. Can he play guard? We don't know. I have seen enough of Nielson to conclude that he will never play meaningful snaps at the U. The other guys have never played at Utah and are total unknowns. If Salt is the best option for guard, and it appears that he is, I cannot see them moving him to defense.

[crazyute]

In my opinion you are confusing bodies with proven talent. Of the people you have listed, only Poutasi and Jones have shown that they can perform at the level that we need them to compete, and I would say that Jones has exceeded his physical abilities by hard work and determination. I don't think he can be the second best player on the OL and be very optimistic about the OL. JT has not been consistent enough to count on and I just don't think that BOT has the athletic ability to play tackle at this level. Can he play guard? We don't know. I have seen enough of Nielson to conclude that he will never play meaningful snaps at the U. The other guys have never played at Utah and are total unknowns. If Salt is the best option for guard, and it appears that he is, I cannot see them moving him to defense.

what has salt proven at this level though?

you question my idea on bodies and not proven talent with your body and non proven player?

very questioning?