Spring Ball Review: A Look At Utah Football’s Linebackers
Jul 15, 2024, 11:11 AM
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utes wrapped up a very productive spring ball that has fans antsy for the start of the 2024 football season.
All of the promise is there, and opportunities feel plentiful for an overall very experienced group heading into a new conference in the Big 12.
Fortunately, summer is now winding down and the Utes have just checked their first Big 12 Media Days off the to-do list meaning fall camp is just around the corner.
Today we’ll take a look at another very experienced returning group for the Utah defense in the linebackers.
Meet the LBs
Coach @Colton_Swan
SR: @LevaniDamuni, @Joshuacalvert19, @k_reid41
JR: @BanderLarton, Moroni Anae
SO: @_sionefotu, @Helamanofa, Trey Reynolds
R FR: @spencerclegg5, @ShayOKelly1
FR: @hunterandrews27, @AshtinLopes, Shepard Cope pic.twitter.com/N1rrbFItYB— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) March 23, 2024
If you missed our last position breakdown, you can check it out here with defensive ends coach Lewis Powell. Otherwise, buckle in for what Colton Swan has to say about the Utah linebacking core.
Who Are The Utah Linebackers?
- No. 24 Moroni Anae, transfer- Riverside Community College- Junior
- No. 27 Hunter Andrews, Magnolia High- Freshman
- No. 8 Lander Barton, Brighton High- Junior
- No. 14 Josh Calvert, transfer- Washington- Senior
- No. 3 Levani Damuni, transfer- Stanford- Senior
- No. 12 Sione Fotu, Bingham High- Sophomore
- No. 33 Kana’i Lopes, St. John Bosco- Freshman
- No. 32 Helaman Ofahengaue, Lehi High- Sophomore
- No. 21 Karene Reid, Timpview High- Senior
- No. 37 Trey Reynolds, Queen Creek High – Sophomore
What Utah Linebackers Coach Colton Swan Had To Say About The Group After Spring Ball
It’s pretty clear who the leaders of the linebackers are at this point with Karene Reid and Lander Barton being the main ones holding down the fort since Devin Lloyd and Nephi Sewell moved on to the NFL a few years back.
The Utes also have a few other faces in the mix that haven’t seen as much time that coach Swan has been impressed with early in the 2024 preparation.
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“You look at the two-deep,” Swan said. “We have two kids coming in- Moroni Anae who has had reps here before he went on a mission and now is coming back. He’s had a great spring. He’s probably the most improved as far as all the backers coming through the spring. Trey Reynolds had reps as a backer before he went on a mission has also had a really good spring. Those are two guys, and then you have the two young kids who are coming through the system that are doing a great job.”
A Deeper Dive Into Utah’s Freshman Linebackers
Swan touched on his two incoming freshmen briefly in the comments before but did go into more detail later as to how they have been handling the adjustments from high school to college ball so far.
“Those guys have come in and I’m sure they are ‘drinking water through a firehose’ type of mentality right now,” Swan said. “It’s coming at them fast, but Hunter and Kana’i have done a good job of stepping up and getting a lot of reps. They’ve improved daily. They work hard, have the right attitude, and the future is pretty bright for those two. They are very talented young men. I’m excited about both of them.”
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An Inopportune Injury With A Promising Replacement To Watch
The third main linebacker for Swan and crew heading into 2024 was slated to be Stanford transfer Levani Damuni who proved to be good as advertised in year one with the Utes in 2023. Obviously, there was a lot of anticipation as to how he would improve and add to the starting lineup this year with a season in the system under his belt, but an injury during spring is going to prevent that from happening.
“I think you lose an impactful player like that in any position, and it hurts,” Swan said. “Fortunately, we do have a lot of depth in the linebacker position and guys are going to have to step up and fill those shoes. I think you lose a player like Levani- a guy who records a ton of tackles every year and is on the leadership council and things like that- it definitely hurts. Keeping him in positive spirits through spring and summer is going to be huge, but I think that’s a huge impact as far as a loss for sure.”
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The good news is that Swan believes Sione Fotu is more than ready to step into that role and be productive after spending last season getting his legs back under him.
“No question,” Swan said. “Sione Fotu is beyond ready. The type of kid he is- I don’t know if you remember back in 2020 when he came in during the Covid year- he started as a true freshman. He was right there in our 4-3 package with Devin Lloyd and Nephi Sewell- the third backer was Sione Fotu. He’s more than ready.”
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on X, Instagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports
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