4 Takeaways From Utah’s First Scrimmage Of Fall Camp

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The University of Utah football team held their first of two scrimmages during fall camp on day 10. It’s the first time the coaches get to see their team in a setting that is closer to a game than practice.

The Utes scrimmaged over 120 snaps at Rice-Eccles Stadium in a three hour session.

There are some positives to take away from the scrimmage but also some concerns as they enter the final week of camp.

Here are the four takeaways from the fall camp scrimmage:

1. Defensive Depth

In the scrimmage, the defense had a couple of takeaways and head coach Kyle Whittingham was pleased with certain players on defense.

“Individually, Julian Blackmon had a nice pick,” Whittingham stated. “Jaylon Johnson did some really good things. Francis Bernard, of course the front four always does good things.”

Whittingham said that there is a big drop off between the one’s and two’s. Morgan Scalley agrees that they need to keep working.

“One’s flew around and did some nice things,” defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley said. “The main thing was just execution and flying around. One’s did a really nice job, the two’s are not ready yet. We have to bring those backups along. That’s our job as coaches, that’s where we make our money because in the Pac-12, you are going to have injuries.”

Depth at linebacker is limited. Have Bernard, Lloyd, Trennan Carlson – Sione Lund is looking better.

2. Jordan Wilmore Standing Out Among Deep RB Position

Freshman running back Jordan Wilmore has been a standout in fall camp as he is competing for the backup running back spot on Utah’s depth chart.

“Jordan Wilmore really showed up,” Whittingham said. “He really had the best day (out of the running backs).”

“The acclimation process has been very quick,” offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig mentioned. “The young guy came in and got a lot of carries today, live work, very productive and was assignment clean. He is smart, he is tough and he cares. The guy has a chance to be a really good football player.”

Wilmore originally committed verbally to USC, but the final 24 to 48 hours of his recruitment had different twists and turns. He flipped his commitment and narrowed his list down to UCLA, Arizona State and Utah. Wilmore picked Utah after really bonding with the program on his visit.

Whittingham mentioned that Zack Moss did not take any hits in the scrimmage. But named some other players who stood out.

“Devin Brumfield made some good runs,” Whittingham said. “Devonta’e Henry-Cole did a nice job, so there are three or four guys that did a nice job at running back.”

Ludwig pointed out that they haven’t had much live action in camp.

“They looked really good,” Ludwig said. “It was good to see them get tackled because we have had one live day in camp so far, but to get them consecutive reps in live work was positive. The ball security was really good. I am pleased with their production and their toughness. From the press box, it looked really solid.”

Get caught up on all of the latest from Utah’s scrimmage on the Crimson Corner podcast.

3. Jaylen Dixon Elite Deep Threat

Sophomore wide receiver Jaylen Dixon is starting to emerge as the go-to deep threat in the passing game. Coach Whittingham had some high praise for Dixon.

“He is a legit deep threat,” Whittingham stated. “As legit as a deep threat as anyone in the country.”

Ludwig has bigger plans for Dixon as a wide receiver than just a deep ball player.

“I remember after a spring scrimmage saying that he was fast and he showed his speed today,” Ludwig said. “He is developing into an every down player which you appreciate not just using him as a specialty player, but he is a real weapon for us.”

Despite some drops in the scrimmage by some of the wide receivers, Ludwig was pleased with another wideout in Demari Simpkins.

“The kid is such a fast learner,” Ludwig stated. “He doesn’t repeat a mistake, you tell him once, nine out of 10 times he gets it right the first time, so I appreciate his work ethic and his football IQ very much.”

4. Offensive Line Getting Solidified

The offensive line is starting to emerge and become a better unit. Now the coaches need to narrow down the list to their starters and backups.

“The offensive line started looking like a cohesive unit,” Whittingham mentioned. “Very few issues on the o-line, I think we had one false start, I don’t think we had any center-quarterback exchange issues. We will obviously look at the film and then meet and start to determine who those five guys are that we are going to start working together, it wouldn’t be set in stone but we have to have five starting on Monday that start to work together.”

Ludwig has been pleased with the growth of the offensive line and what offensive line coach Jim Harding has done with rotating the players in and out of the offensive line.

“They are getting better everyday,” Ludwig said. “In order to gel, it has to be with the same five guys and Jim (Harding) is working a lot of players through the rotation, creating depth, we have all sorts of players getting exposure in different spots.”

Junior college transfer offensive tackle Bamidele Olaseni is now on campus and is working out. He will practice with the offensive line on Monday, but Whittingham was impressed with his size and wingspan.

“He is 6’8, 337 pounds,” Whittingham said. “We figure maybe 330 pounds will be max as far as getting him down. He is a big guy with an 88 inch wingspan. I don’t know what Rudy Gobert’s is but he is closing in on that.”

For reference, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert’s wingspan is 92.91 inches.