3 local college football players who can't get hurt

3 local college football players who can't get hurt


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SALT LAKE CITY — Injuries can change a team's destiny. Who knows where the New England Patriots would be if Drew Bledsoe didn't get hurt and never gave Tom Brady the chance to take the reins 12 years ago. The Indianapolis Colts saw Peyton Manning get injured and it changed two franchises.

In college the drop from starter to backup is rarely that steep, but there are some players that can be simply too good to lose. BYU injured Oklahoma star quarterback Sam Bradford in 2009 and it lead to the climb of Cougar football and the descent of the Sooners, for a year at least.

This week the experts at KSL.com looked at what players local teams couldn't afford to lose.

Here are the cliffnotes.

Surprisingly there are no quarterbacks that made the list, but Matt Glade went with under the radar names instead of just saying Chuckie Keeton. There were two centers, two cornerbacks, two linebackers, an offensive tackle and a receiver.

BYU

[BYU's list via Jason Shepherd:](<https://www.ksl.com/?sid=25729729&nid=272&title=3-players-the-cougars-cant-afford-to-lose >)

"I believe the three players that BYU can least afford to lose to injury this upcoming season are cornerback Jordan Johnson, linebacker Kyle Van Noy and receiver Cody Hoffman."

Shepherd went with with high-skill players for each of his picks. No trench players, just those who will help a quarterback or make them look foolish.

Why Jordan Johnson?

"His speed and athleticism are things BYU typically has not had at that position. Beyond that, he has dominated the field corner position for so long that nobody else has really been able to get playing time there. For me, that's why the BYU defense can't afford to lose him. His backup (according to the post-spring depth chart) is Adam Hogan. Adam saw action in only four games last year (all blowouts), with no stats."

Kyle Van Noy did a little bit of everything and did it very well.
Kyle Van Noy did a little bit of everything and did it very well.

#poll

Why Kyle Van Noy?

"I'm not sure how much I need to sell this one. Van Noy's importance to the BYU defense is pretty obvious; after all, we are talking about a future first-round NFL Draft pick. Van Noy's dominance has grown year after year. From starting two games as a freshman in 2010, to being one of the best defensive players in the country as a junior, Van Noy has lived up to and surpassed all expectations at BYU."

Why Cody Hoffman?

"Cody Hoffman has been the workhorse of the BYU offense for the past two seasons. In terms of production, Hoffman was the BYU offense. There's no question that he benefited from Riley Nelson looking his way the majority of the time, but hey, with the numbers Cody put up, wouldn't you target him too?"

All three of these players are going to be key pieces for the Cougars. With the new up-tempo offense the defense will need to be able to make a few plays each game to keep up.

Johnson and Van Noy are the guys to do that. On offense Hoffman is the go-to player who, when everything else might be falling apart, can be counted on for a big play.

Utah

Utah's pick via Mike Grant and Robert Jackson:

"For the Utes to be successful in 2013, it all starts in the trenches."

Opposite of BYU's picks the Crimson Corner went to the offensive line. Two players can't get hurt, they are Utes left tackle Jeremiah Poutasi and center Vyncent Jones.

Why Jeremiah Poutasi?

"The Utes 2013 spring camp started and ended much differently than what we saw in 2012, with all five starters playing the entire camp together. They all knew their positions and there was some genuine chemistry and that starts and ends with stability at the left tackle.

Poutasi is a player with NFL size and talent. To have a player like that at one of the most important positions on the team, next to Jeremiah Toefaeono, the left side of the line could be great."

Vyncent Jones is playing center for the first time in his college career, but his experience in the program would make him hard to replace.
Vyncent Jones is playing center for the first time in his college career, but his experience in the program would make him hard to replace.

Why Vyncent Jones?

"Jones, a 6-foot-3 305-pound senior from Jordan High School, played guard in his first three seasons with the Utes, but will shift over to starting center with Tevita Stevens graduating.

With the Utes moving towards a hurry up, no huddle spread offense, Jones will have the added responsibility of making sure the correct blocking schemes are in place before each snap."

The offensive line is never a glamor position, but for the Utes to keep Travis Wilson upright they will need Poutasi and Jones to stay upright. The hurry-up offense is run best when each unit is self-sufficient. The offensive line will only be as good as these two can make them.

Utah State

Utah State's list via Matt Glade:

It would be easy to say Chuckie Keeton on this list, but Glade went a little off the radar for his picks. Glade went with players that everyone should know, but might not realize their importance: Tyler Larsen, center, Nevin Lawson, cornerback, Jake Doughty, linebacker.

Why Tyler Larsen?

"In 2012, Kerwynn Williams ran for over 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns. Chuckie Keeton completed 67 percent of his passes with a 154.6 QB rating. Do you think those two would have had that kind of success without a stellar offensive line?

We talk so much about how great the offense from last season was, and what gets lost in the conversation is how great that offensive line was and still is for that matter. At the center of it is Tyler Larsen."

Why Nevin Lawson?

"What makes him so important to the defense this upcoming season is he has the most experience of anyone in the secondary. Lawson stepped in as a starter his sophomore season and also contributed quite a bit his freshman season. With the second corner spot still a question mark, my money is on JC transfer Marwin Evans. Utah State can't afford to lose Lawson for an extended period of time in 2013."

Why Jake Doughty?

Jake Doughty was the leader of the Aggies defense and leadership is hard to replace in the middle of the season. He is also a very good player.
Jake Doughty was the leader of the Aggies defense and leadership is hard to replace in the middle of the season. He is also a very good player.

"On a defense that included Bojay Filimoeatu, Kyler Fackrell and Connor Williams, Doughty led the team with 109 tackles — second most in the WAC. He's the quarterback of that defense, plus, much like Fackrell, he has a knack for making big plays in big moments.

Let's take the La. Tech game for example: In the fourth quarter, Doughty had a touchdown-saving interception with just over four minutes left in the game. Then, in overtime, Doughty had the game clinching tackle on fourth down. Coincidentally, that game was his best performance of the season with 18 tackles (so pedestrian)."

Strength in the middle is what Utah State is going to have with these. The leader on defense and their leader on the offensive line. Lawson will need to stay healthy because of the lack of depth behind him.

Three hardest players to replace:

The top of this list is Kyle Van Noy. It might not be shocking, but his skill set is so unique that it would be hard for any team in Utah to replace his talents. He is just on a different level and the drop to the next level is significant.

The next on the list is Tyler Larsen. He is already on watch lists and preseason All-America lists. Utah State hasn't been known for their offensive line play, but Larsen can start to change that. With Keeton's expectations of a big year he needs Larsen to be there to make the right calls on the line. He has started 38 straight games and has helped the Aggies build their offensive brand.

Vyncent Jones is the third player on this list, yes two centers. The Utes have essentially a new quarterback, Wilson did play last year but this is his first full-time season, a new offensive coach and a new tempo. Jones will be a new center, but he has experience as a senior. If he goes down the offense could slow down and mess with the whole season.

The next on the list probably would have been Poutasi, then Hoffman.

It wouldn't be good for any of these kids to get hurt. Hopefully no one gets any serious injuries. That would make football better and help these kids out.

Next week as we enter July the experts will look at what are the greatest strengths of their teams.

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Jarom Moore

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