The pads are on and now the real work can start for the University of Utah.
The Utes opened their second week of practice by breaking out the pads after an acclimatization period during the first week, and the intensity jumped a couple of notches as a result.
“We had some live work right out of the gate, about 10 minutes into practice when we cranked it up and went live. It was very spirited, very competitive. It’s different practicing with pads, obviously, some fatigue showed up,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.
For the first time this spring, the media was able to view the last 20 minutes of practice, which was highlighted by a long run from Nate Johnson, who returned to Utah this offseason after a year at Vanderbilt.
Utah’s plan is to use Johnson’s athleticism to the team’s benefit in certain situations, and that was apparent from Tuesday’s brief glimpse.
“We hope so, we hope he’s a contributor. That’s why we brought him back into the program, because he’s a multifaceted athlete and can do a bunch of stuff. He’s got great speed and good size,” Whittingham said. “We brought him to be somewhat of a Swiss Army knife, and that’s what you saw some of today.”
Being that “Swiss army knife” is familiar to Johnson. He had special packages for him in 2022 and 2023 as a running option at quarterback and he even had a reception in 2022 against USC. He could see a similar role this season to get him on the field and utilize his speed in creative ways in Jason Beck’s offense.
“We’re also working with Nate doing other non-quarterback stuff, so working to develop him just to what he can add to the offense to be on the field at the same time and what he can do,” Beck said last week.
It was also the media’s first look at New Mexico transfer Devon Dampier, who is tasked with reviving Utah’s offense this season.
There wasn’t an extensive play sheet for Dampier in the 20 minutes the media saw on Tuesday, but the junior quarterback completed some short passes against Utah’s defense as practice wrapped up, connecting with tight end Landen King, fellow New Mexico transfer Ryan Davis and running back Wayshawn Parker. He also moved the chains twice with two passes to running back Daniel Bray, who had a productive day behind Parker.
Dampier got the ball out fast and also showed off the scrambling ability that made him so productive at New Mexico, running for a first down and later showing off his wheels in the red zone. About the only negative play by Dampier was a red-zone pass that was nearly picked off by linebacker Lander Barton.
In his short time at Utah, Dampier has already emerged as a leader. He was named to the spring leadership council and has been a sounding board for players due to his experience in Beck’s offense.
“He is the leader of the offense as far as knowing what to do and making sure everyone else knows what they’re doing,” Whittingham said. “He made the leadership council. Only been having here two or three weeks, we had the leadership council vote and he is on that and I would assume that at some point he’ll be a captain.”
Dampier said that trust is the biggest factor in his leadership, and that he’s tried from day one to lead by example.
“Trust is the big thing that we got going on around here. You can’t make it to that championship level without trust. So trust is the biggest thing. I allowed my teammates to see the way I work and they believe in me, so I believe in those guys,” Dampier said.
At the running back position, Parker, the Washington State transfer, was the lead back and had some nice runs — though the Utes haven’t progressed to tackling thus far in practice, so it’s hard to fully assess the running backs, and the team as a whole.
Behind him, Bray, a freshman, got the most run on Tuesday and had several good moments carrying and catching the ball.
“Wayshawn Parker’s got the inside track on that, but by no means is that settled,” Whittingham said.
Receiver — the position Whittingham highlighted as the room with the most intense position battles — still has a way to go before starters begin being solidified.
“We got to get a pecking order there, they’re still sorting things out and trying to figure out who the real playmakers are,” Whittingham said.
That was evident in Tuesday’s practice, as Utah used all kinds of wide receivers. No one had a huge day — Dampier threw equally as much to the running backs and tight ends — but due to his familiarity with Dampier and Beck’s offense, Davis stood out the most.
“The first day, (Davis) had a couple of targets and completions and did some really nice routine things that he’s done several times before,” Beck said last week. “You can throw them in there, they can take the first rep and it gives a real positive image for everybody to watch and go, OK, that’s kind of what it’s supposed to look like because they’ve been in that spot.”
Powering it all is an offensive line that’s been here before and returns all five starters from last year, making it easier for Dampier to acclimate to his new team.
“Those guys are handling everything. I’m barely getting pressured. It’s just really easy to work with,” Dampier said.
On defense, the standout from Tuesday’s practice was cornerback Smith Snowden, who had at least two pass breakups and looks like he elevated his game since last season. The defensive play of the afternoon came from safety Jackson Bennee, who picked off Isaac Wilson during second-string work.
At defensive tackle, the most perilous position on Morgan Scalley’s side of the ball, Aliki Vimahi, Dallas Vakalahi and Jonah Lea’ea all had reps on Tuesday. At cornerback, another position that will see a new starter, Smith Snowden, Scooby Davis and Blake Cotton had the most reps.
“Corner, opposite of Scooby Davis, that position is up for grabs, and there’s three or four guys competing for that,” Whittingham said.
There’s still plenty of work to be done this spring, but now that the pads are on, the picture at some of those contested positions will start becoming clearer for Utah’s coaching staff.
