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SALT LAKE CITY — It was very noticeable on Saturday, at least to me and my colleague Jeremiah Jensen.
We were on the sideline at Rice-Eccles Stadium watching the Utes scrimmage. There are just so many players up there now. And not just players filling roster positions, I mean guys that will, can, and are going to play.
For about the first half of the scrimmage, I never saw DeVonte Christopher, who will start at wide receiver this coming year. I realize that they are trying to give some different kids some reps, but having Reggie Dunn, Dres Anderson, Kenneth Scott, Luke Matthews, and Sean Fitzgerald, the Utes are stacked at receiver. It wasn't until about an hour into the scrimmage that Christopher joined up.
For all the flak that the quarterback position took last season there appears now to be some depth there. All Utah fans know who Jordan Wynn is and what the possibilities are with him. I believe Jordan knows that he has been fragile and if he doesn't perform, there are a couple talented freshmen right behind him waiting patiently, namely Travis Wilson and Chase Hansen. Jon Hays is in the picture as well. I know that probably doesn't excite too many fans, but he did go 6-3 in the Pac-12 last season. The depth chart, as it sits right now, has Wynn at number one, Wilson two, and Hansen at three. I would guess that one of the freshmen will redshirt.
One of the more interesting aspects of last week's spring scrimmage was the fact that the freshmen quarterbacks were live during the scrimmage. I liked that. I didn't like the possibility of them getting hurt but offensive coordinator Brian Johnson wanted to see what these two looked like during live game situations. Could you have a better challenge than against the Utah defense?
Both QB's made mistakes, but both had some bright spots as well. Wilson threw a touchdown pass to Keith McGill (sarcasm for a pick six) and also threw a TD to Dres Anderson on a nice corner route. Chase Hansen was given more of a running role, but he also threw a TD pass while getting tackled showing some poise in the process.
Utah is expecting more players coming in this summer as not all the players arrive for spring ball. It would be interesting to compare the fall depth chart as it stands now to really see where the depth on this team sits.
From watching two of the scrimmages, the depth looks to be much improved from where it stood before the Utes joined the Pac-12 conference.
To keep it in perspective, it is still spring (or winter, make up your mind Eubank), but it's never too early to check out the depth charts and speculate.
