Kyle Whittingham is typically understated and conservative when talking about his football teams, often highlighting areas that need improvement as much or more than those areas he feels are strengths. Something is different this year, as Whittingham showed more confidence and excitement about his football team than any other spring. Why has Utah’s head coach been more openly optimistic? Talent, depth and leadership.

“Well, I think we have a lot going for us this year,” Whittingham said when asked about his confidence in the 2018 Utes. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, without a doubt. We’re not where we need to be, and we haven’t got all the answers, but we’ve got a lot of the pieces in place.”

The pieces that are in place are in every position group. The Utes return four starters on the offensive line, in particular both tackles in Jackson Barton and Darrin Paulo. Zack Moss had a breakout season at running back and Armand Shyne returns from injury to add more talent and depth to the position. Utah did lose their top two receiving options, but Whittingham believes the current group is solid, plus the Utes will add Britain Covey, Solomon Enis, Terrell Perriman and Bryan Thompson in the fall.

Utah has arguably the best specialists in the country in Lou Groza winner Matt Gay and 2016 Ray Guy winner Mitch Wishnowsky. They did lose three starters on the defensive line, but Utah has a history of reloading up front. Bradlee Anae is a quality starter at defensive end and Utah believes they can legitimately go five deep at defensive tackle. Whittingham is excited about Chase Hansen’s move to linebacker, adding more speed and athleticism to the group, “and it could be the deepest corner group that we’ve ever had in my time here.”

“All that being said, it still doesn't mean you're automatically going to be good,” he said. “A big factor will be how hard these guys are willing to work in the summer, how much sacrifice they're willing to make, making sure they're on top of their nutrition and their rest and all that stuff. But coming out of spring I like where we're positioned. We’ve got a lot of work to do but I like I like where we're at right now.”

The first thing Whittingham mentioned when asked what he liked most about spring practices was the focus and work ethic of the players. He felt that the team was really dialed-in each practice. The focus and attention to detail was noticeable throughout the spring as the pace, intensity and overall attitude felt more like fall camp than spring practice. Utah is on a mission, and it’s coming from the leaders on the team.

“Leadership was outstanding,” Whittingham said. “We have a bunch of really good leaders on this team that stepped forward. I’ve never been associated with a team that was really good that didn’t have really good player leadership, so that’s encouraging.”

The biggest change in Whittingham when discussing spring practices and the current Utah team was when he was asked where the team needs to improve. Usually, Whittingham will take several minutes breaking down where each position group needs to get better, pointing out specific weaknesses such as depth, lack of experience, groups that showed technical flaws or other things. Not this time.

“I can't pinpoint one particular area of weakness,” he said. “We’ve just got to continue to get better as a whole, we've got to get better as coaches, we’ve got to get better as players, we've got to get bigger, stronger, faster, everything. We’ve got to keep working hard in virtually every area. One thing that's been nice is that the offensive players are very comfortable with the scheme now and I feel very confident in what we do offensively whereas last year we were installing a new scheme. So that's a plus for us.”

Whittingham's media guide bio from his first year as a Utah coach.

It’s been 13 years since Whittingham was hired as the head coach, and nearly 25 years since he began his Utah career as the defensive line coach in 1994. It’s been a long career at one school, something that is unheard of in the modern era. Despite his lengthy tenure as a coach at Utah, Whittingham is still excited to be coaching and going to work each day. Utah’s move to the Pac-12 might have helped avoid feelings of staleness or burn-out, as Whittingham has said several times that the change of conference was like getting a new job. He hopes he continues to learn and grow each year, getting “a little more efficient, a little smarter” each season.

“I just feel like, first of all I'm excited, I'm still very excited to be be coaching and I love the challenge and being around the players," he said. "It's a demanding job, there's no doubt about it. You've got sacrifices to be made, and my wife and family have had a great deal of sacrifice for our career. But there's also a ton of upside, I mean it's exciting. And my family's been a part of the whole process, right there with me along the way. I have no regrets, none whatsoever. I’m very, very excited about where we're at and I've been very blessed. … Most coaches would have made 10 different moves in that time frame, maybe more. So for my kids and family to be able to grow up in the same school system, in the same neighborhood, that's a blessing. I'm very grateful for that, that's a lot of the edge off of the demands of the job, not dragging my family around the country.”

Whittingham has, from the beginning, built a culture around academics, athletics and family that is more than just coach-speak. Players and recruits have always talked about the family atmosphere in Salt Lake City, something that can happen only when there is continuity with the staff and a coach that believes in it.

“I think we’re working hard to bring in the right athletes here, the guys that are talented and have high character and are serious about their academics,” he said. “I think our assistant coaches have done a great job of getting our type of guys into this program and that’s very key. You develop a culture and build a culture. And that's one of the most important things in a program is the environment and the chemistry that your team is able to have. I think we're we've got a great group and we're heading in the right direction.”

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