Former BYU coach making all the difference for Utah football

Former BYU coach making all the difference for Utah football

(Ravell Call/Deseret News)


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SALT LAKE CITY — “I don’t farm somebody’s else’s land.”

It’s a simple phrase former BYU receiver coach, now Utah receiver coach Guy Holliday says he tries to live by each day. Worry about what you can control, do your job without excuse and forget the superfluous distractions grabbing your attention.

Hired to fill a coaching void left vacant by the dismissal of former receiver coach Taylor Stubblefield, Holliday has already made an impact on the University of Utah football program. On the practice field, he is loud, demonstrative and demanding as a position coach, to say nothing of his dedicated approach to helping players become well-rounded individuals on and off the field.

Watch a practice for five minutes and it’s obvious Holliday requires the most out of his players, even in the seemingly less meaningful spring practices for football.

Whether it is a warmup drill or a game-like setting, Holliday holds the athletes he’s responsible for accountable. He demands an honest day’s work in an effort to help each of them get better. The approach sounds simple enough, but his coaching style has made a marked difference to Utah’s offensive identity and ability to diversify the overall style of play.

“He’s a very demanding coach. He’s very consistent,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham says of Holliday. “He asks the same things of (the players) every single day. They know exactly what they’re going to get and what their expectations are at practice, and they’ve responded to him. They really have embraced the change and that’s big for us; we needed that to happen.”

Holliday’s attitude and coaching approach for the receivers permeate other position groups as well. Holliday’s infectious demand for more is noticeable among other position groups and has forced each position to raise its level of competition on the field.

“He brings a lot of fire to the game. He’s really a good coach,” running back Joe Williams said. “There’s no favoritism with him. He’ll shoot you down one play and then bring you up the next play. That’s for all his receivers, even with players he doesn’t even coach. I really enjoy him being here and helping this team get to where they need to be.”

Guy Holliday, wide receivers coach, works with Siaosi Wilson during University of Utah spring football practice in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. (Photo: Ravell Call/Deseret News)
Guy Holliday, wide receivers coach, works with Siaosi Wilson during University of Utah spring football practice in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. (Photo: Ravell Call/Deseret News)

It’s no secret that Utah struggled to get high-level production out of its receivers last season, despite the program’s best season since joining the Pac-12. Kenneth Scott and Britain Covey, both of whom are not with the program this year, made up the bulk of Utah’s meager receiving yards — a combined 976 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Combined, the two had fewer receiving yards than the top 40 receivers in college football. Running backs Devontae Booker and Bubba Poole and backup tight end Harrison Handley rounded out the top five “receivers” for Utah last season.

Coming in as an outsider to the program, Holliday said Utah’s biggest problem has been a lack of confidence in its receiver play. Considering Utah’s coaching carousel of offensive coordinators, it’s no surprise there have been doubts about an ever-changing offensive scheme for the players.

“I think we have a chance to be really good. What I see here is a lack of confidence in who they are. It’s like anything else, you’ve got to build confidence, you’ve got to build morale; you’ve got to build a mental toughness, which has been a big focus,” Holliday said. “It’s a day-by-day grind, step by step. I think what I’ve seen over the last five weeks, we improved each and every time; that’s all you can ask, so we’ve got to keep up the grind and embrace the process.”

With consistency in the coaching staff and progress being made in the search for a starting quarterback, Utah appears to have the right pieces in place to rebound a stagnant, yet vital, position group. The coaching staff readily admits the deficiencies and desire to improve, but progress has been made in the five weeks of spring camp.

“We’re not where we need to be yet, but we feel we’ve made a lot of strides,” Whittingham said. “We took a lot of strides this spring and we’ve got to pick up in the summer and keep working and getting better in the summer. And then when we hit fall camp we’ve got to take it up another notch. There’s plenty of time left to get to where we need to be, but we’re not where we need to be just yet.”

To take the next step in its pursuits of playing in the Pac-12 championship game and making it to the college football playoffs or New Year’s Six bowl games, Utah needs more from its receivers. It’s a task, though, that fits for Holliday, who has sent 20 receivers to the NFL in his 23 years of coaching.

Although it’s a team game with several working parts to make an offense efficient and effective, Holliday said he’s only focused on making sure the receivers are the best they can possibly be when games start in September. To Holliday, it doesn’t matter who starts at quarterback because the receiver is there to “make it right.”

“I don’t really worry about the quarterbacks and what they do. You throw the ball, it’s our job to make you right,” he said. “My focus is on the receivers, and when the quarterback puts the ball in the air, it’s our job to make it right, regardless of where it is. That’s my mindset, and our quarterbacks are good enough, I’m not worried about that.”

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