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SALT LAKE CITY — They say defense wins championships, and while there is definitely some truth to that, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham believes depth on the roster is key to competing at the highest level in college football.
On the surface, Whittingham has a sound, yet simplistic argument.
Having a talented group of starters is one thing, but it’s the players that back up the starters where a team is judged on its overall talent. To compete against top-tier teams, it requires a deep roster with multiple, starter-ready athletes. The deeper the roster at each position group, the less dropoff at the position and the more consistent and balanced a team becomes.
Additionally, there is less wear-and-tear on the athletes’ bodies as multiple sets of players can be rotated throughout the game. Injuries are a guarantee in the course of a football season, so staying as healthy as possible from top to bottom is of vital importance to a team.
Since Utah joined the Pac-12, Whittingham has preached the need to have more depth at all positions. Each signing day, Whittingham reiterates the need to improve depth, and he’s not wrong.
“That was one of the things we lacked coming into the (Pac-12) conference was depth,” he said.
Now, Utah is seemingly in the best position it has been since joining the Pac-12, getting better each season by benefitting from being in a Power 5 conference and having success on the field. At each position is another guy that’s worthy of challenging the starter, or so it seems.
Go around the program and the message is the same:
“We’ve got a lot more depth than we had last year,” coach Justin Ena said of his linebackers.
“We have a lot of depth and a lot of guys that can play different positions,” senior offensive lineman Isaac Asiata added, speaking about the increased depth on the line with Garett Bolles transferring into the program and younger recruits already making their mark on the team.
“We think we’ve really helped ourselves with the running back position from a depth standpoint,” Whittingham said.
Each position group has at one point this fall commented about the great opportunities Utah has this season as a result of its depth at the various positions. The guys backing up the starters are pushing the starters to get better, and the starters are pushing the backups to get better in a football style circle-of-life scenario.
“We’re probably deeper than we’ve ever been,” Whittingham said multiple times throughout camp.
And while Whittingham is correct in his assessment of how deep his roster is, the 2016 season is where that depth will be tested likely more than ever since joining the Pac-12. Utah is forced to replace two-star linebackers from last season in Gionni Paul and Jared Norris. On the offense, Utah will replace its four-year starting quarterback and a once-in-a-generation running back in Devontae Booker.
While it’s always a matter of having the “next guy up” mentality, it’s another thing to actually replace proven talent and remain consistent. Truly competing in the Pac-12 means Utah has to continue to nail recruiting and make the yearly transition as easy as possible.
Everyone wants to see if Troy Williams and his offensive counterparts will keep Utah in competition. On the defense, can the linebackers step up and provide at least a fraction of what Paul and Norris did the year before?
And then what does Utah do next year when nearly the entire defense has potential to drastically turn over, losing most of its secondary, three key defensive ends and a potential defensive tackle in Lowell Lotulelei, who is already receiving NFL attention and potential first-round pick mentions.
Is Utah really as deep as they say it is or is it a facade? Last year, Whittingham credited the team’s depth for being able to compete each week, particularly as the injury bug started to take its toll on the team.
“I think that’s been a big reason why, even though we’ve been hit fairly hard this year, we’ve been able to continue to maintain playing competitively every week,” Whittingham said last year.
By all accounts, Utah shouldn’t see much of a dropoff from last year and should have a relatively similar season in terms of competing with every team in the conference. If anything, the offense may even be better. But does saying that in the preseason mean anything?
Fortunately, football resumes this week, and Utah’s depth will become clear as the season progresses. Can Whittingham continue to keep his program at the top of the South or will the talent gap become a harsh reality as new faces make up the roster?
