Here's what head coach Lance Anderson expects from Utah Tech in his 2nd season

ST. GEORGE — Lance Anderson's first season as head coach at Utah Tech can best be described as a learning experience.

The long-time college football assistant and former ace recruiter at Stanford wasn't learning as much about the game or his own coaching acumen. But the first-time head coach was learning about his team, and specifically how they stacked up in their fifth season of Division I football.

And the learning moments weren't always joyous, as evidenced by the Trailblazers' 1-11 campaign.

"The biggest learning experience last year was seeing where we are as a program in comparison to who we play against," Anderson told KSL.com. "Especially in the Big Sky teams on our schedule, other United Athletic Conference teams, and where we were from a physical standpoint of size, strength and speed. That was very evident early on; we definitely needed to get to be a stronger, more physical football team. We needed to upgrade the talent on the roster, and I think those are the things we worked on addressing."

Utah Tech has eyes on the future as the university prepares to join the Big Sky alongside in-state rival Southern Utah next season. But before one final season in the United Athletic Conference — the football-playing arm of the Western Athletic Conference that will take over the brand as the league shifts toward Texas and east — Anderson and his coaching staff have plenty of work to do.

After welcoming back nearly every quarterback from a year ago, including hometown star Reggie Graff, the former Dixie High standout who played in all 12 games a year ago with five starts en route to a team-high 1,467 passing yards and 442 on the ground. He's one of 29 Utah natives on the Trailblazers' roster.

Among the top priorities: they needed to get bigger. Faster, perhaps. But certainly stronger and more physical.

Anderson tapped his recruiting resources — the one that often frustrated Utah colleges during his 15 years at Stanford, when the Cardinal would regularly pluck some of the state's top talent toward the Bay Area — by heading to the transfer portal. More than two dozen players on the roster have prior NCAA Division I experience, either at the FCS or FBS levels, including former BYU signees Logan Pili (via Utah State), Prince Zombo, Dallin Havea, Justice Ena and Dallin Johnson, as well as former Utah linebacker Helaman Ofahengaue.

"We brought in a lot of kids," Anderson said with a smile, "whether high school kids or transfers, trying to upgrade the talent level here.

"I can't guarantee what that's going to reflect in terms of wins or losses," he added, "but I know we are a better team now than we were last year. I know we are more physically prepared now than we were last year."

Of particular emphasis for Anderson were the offensive and defensive lines. The Trailblazers return five primary starters along the offensive front from a year ago — and still added 11 hogs in the trenches including Johnson and Ena as well as Southern Utah transfer Zach Brown at guard.

"That's a big starting point," Anderson said. "We have a lot of offensive and defensive linemen back from last year, but we were able to add guys to both of those groups. I think the guys we added are definitely going to help us as we are getting bigger and stronger."

Anderson insists the Trailblazers' full focus is on one final year in the UAC — even as the administration and community keep an eye on joining Southern Utah and Weber State in the same conference for the first time ever. But the schedule will give Utah Tech a preview of 2026 with three-straight Big Sky opponents in Idaho, Northern Arizona and No. 7 UC Davis in the season opener Aug. 30.

Add in FCS power Northern Iowa, and the Trailblazers open the season with three FCS Playoff teams of a year ago before they hit the final season of UAC play.

"We're going to be challenged right off the bat," Anderson said. "We didn't have a lot of flexibility with the schedule, but I think the schedule is good. We'll definitely know early on how we match up with top-level FCS competition.

"I'm looking forward to seeing improvement," he added. "That may not be reflected in wins and losses, but just the way the guys work, the ways they practice, and the ways they compete. I'm seeing that progress already, and I'm looking forward to seeing that as we get into the season. It's one thing we know we can control: how hard we work and the effort we give. If we do that, I know we'll get the improvement we want."

Related topics