SALT LAKE CITY — The program may be on its eighth offensive coordinator — or technically 10th if you count the multiple opportunities for two separate coaches — in Kyle Whittingham’s tenure as head coach, but there’s been little talk in Utah’s fall camp of the struggle it takes to adjust to a new offensive scheme.

Instead, there’s a sense of confidence and an overall upbeat attitude surrounding the offense under Andy Ludwig — the old but new offensive coordinator who bookends Whittingham’s 15 seasons as the top guy.

In camp, the athletes carry themselves with a seemingly clear mind and are not burdened by an overloaded offense where the unpredictability of it even surprises them on any given play. Even in the all-consuming and grueling sport, everyone on the offense is ultimately having fun.

The old system, a pass-first mentality under former offensive coordinator of two seasons Troy Taylor, didn’t scheme around his team’s personnel but rather a specific strategy — one that favored the passing game.

From an outsider’s perspective, the rigidity of the system had athletes solely focused on their own part of the offense and not the cohesive identity of the team as a whole. The result was a relatively unstructured offense early on that failed to maximize its talent, particularly an offense that featured an asset in running back Zack Moss that was underutilized by the pass-heavy scheme.

Utah had its successes, but it was clear midway through the 2018 season the team needed better.

So Whittingham started over at the end of the season, once again swinging open the ever-revolving door at offensive coordinator. But regardless of the stigma and outsider noise surrounding another change at the position, the early results have been positive, even if just to the preface to what is expected to be a special season for the Utes.

And most importantly for the Utes, the athletes love the change.

“I feel like it's more organized, he's more organized,” senior receiver Demari Simpkins said. “He's just not throwing plays at us on the fly. He's got his set system and we're going about it a certain way, and he wants it pinpoint perfect. For example, Tyler said today after practice he feels way comfortable — he feels very confident in this offense. He feels like he's having fun, being himself, making plays, and everybody feels comfortable.”

That organization comes from an offensive vet, one who’s seen different offensive schemes over the years and knows how to adapt to his personnel rather than adapting the personnel to a set scheme.

“Well, there's more than one way to move the ball,” Whittingham said. “The key is maximizing your personnel and not trying to force a square peg in a round hole. You can't just say: here's what we do, now you players have got to do it. And Andy is a master of playing to the strengths of his personnel and finding roles — even if it's just a couple plays a game — for all the resources that he has available to him.”

In past experiences, Ludwig’s system occasionally had a star running back that rushed for over 2,500 yards, in other seasons he’s had a tight end as the team’s second-best receiver. The spotlight is never affixed on one way of doing things but on whoever is making the plays necessary to help the team score points.

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To put it bluntly, Utah’s offense has been mediocre since joining the Pac-12.

“I feel like whoever's on the field, that's how he changes the offense,” receiver Bryan Thompson said. “So that's one thing I love about the offense. Whoever's on the field, whoever's making the plays, he'll continue to feed him. If Zack's scoring, keep on feeding him the ball. If I’m scoring, keep on feeding me the ball — Demari — it doesn't matter. So I feel like this offense changes depending on who's on the field and who's contributing.”

That translates to everyone on the team feeling like they’re involved in the offense; that they have an opportunity to be a playmaker in an NFL-style offense.

In fall camp, Ludwig has a structured playbook install. The players appreciate his wealth of knowledge and how to structure practice and film studies so they’re not overwhelmed. It’s all meant to ensure the offense runs smoothly, efficiently and to help each player improve individually and as a collective.

“Great guy. I mean, you can sit down and speak football with him forever,” sophomore receiver Solomon Enis said about Ludwig. “I love being around him — hard worker. And you know, he's going to pick your brain and just make you a better player overall.”

It’s the same approach as the head coach who wants to run an efficient program that gets the ball into the hands of the playmakers of the team; that makes the reunion of Whittingham and Ludwig a perfect combination as Utah prepares to repeat as the Pac-12 South Division champs and an eventual Pac-12 title.

“I know they seem to really have embraced what's going on and are excited about it,” Whittingham said about his players. “And I think that's, you know, 80% of the battle. If you embrace it and your mindset is right, then usually good things will follow. But the truth will be and the final analysis will be what happens in games. So we'll see.”

It’s still a work in progress, but the buy-in from the team is obvious.

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