Utah Running Backs Ready For High Expectations
Aug 16, 2023, 12:54 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – The running back room isn’t for the faint of heart at Utah football and the 2023 group understands the high expectations that come with playing the position.
Go through every decade- really every individual year of Utah football and you can pull out a name.
Eddie Johnson, Jamal Anderson, Matt Asiata, John White IV, Devontae Booker, Joe Williams- even current running back coach, Quinton Ganther is remembered as “that guy” with the Utes and the current guys in the room aren’t about to let anyone one of them down.
Where were you the day @coachqganther laid a man to rest in front of 60k people at Rice Eccles South? #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/qPnKcTsDlI
— D.B cUTEpper (@DB_cUTEpper) June 12, 2023
Jaylon Glover, Ja’Quinden Jackson Ready To Be The Next Utah Running Backs
Not only do Glover and Jackson understand what a responsibility it is to rep the running back room at Utah, but they’ve had to do so under difficult circumstances in their young careers.
Last season, Utah relied pretty heavily on the duo- a true freshman and former third-string quarterback due to some injuries and inconsistencies in the room. Both showed impressive flashes of what they can be.
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2023 is expected to be a more peaceful existence for the Utah running backs, and both players now have some experience under their belts that they can draw upon to improve which is exactly what they are doing.
“Honestly, running through tackles and continuing to get better with speed,” Glover said of the improvements he’s made from a season ago. “I feel like I’ve been really good with my balance over this camp. Staying available has been huge. I’ve been grateful to not have any injuries, but I feel like my knowledge of the game has increased and I feel like I can be more like myself out there on the field.”
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Jackson noted he’s also feeling more at ease with what he needs to do this year in the pass game, compared to literally drinking from a firehose to make the transition midseason last year.
“The pass game, for sure,” Jackson said. “My reps are a lot crispier and I catch the ball way better than I did last year.”
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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