Utes put training camp behind, focus on season

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – The hard work has just begun for the 12th-ranked Utah football team.

After finishing up fall camp, the Utes have turned their attention to the 2024 season, beginning next Thursday at home against Southern Utah, and they can’t wait to finally play a game.

“Oh, yeah, without a doubt,” said head coach Kyle Whittingham, about to begin his 20th season at the helm. “Yeah, it’s time to hit somebody else and to compete.”

“Absolutely, it changes the vibe completely,” said defensive lineman Keanu Tanuvasa. “It’s nice to go against our o-line and to compete with them. But now knowing that there’s someone that I don’t care about, that I can compete with, someone that I actually want to hit, as opposed to keeping my teammates safe, there’s a special drive there now.”

“I was sitting on my couch, and I said that it feels good to be done with camp,” added defensive lineman Connor O’Tooe. “Then I was like, man, we got a game in like ten days. So I think flipping that switch in your head out of camp mode and into game prep, now we’re we’re hitting the road running.”

The biggest thing coming out of training camp is that there were no major injuries. The Utes of course were devastated by the injury that derailed last season, but they have all those key players, led by Cam Rising and Brant Kuithe, back and ready to go.

“We had about 70 percent less injuries in this camp than last camp,” Whittingham said. “So, we did something right this camp. It was a combination of things. I don’t think it’s any one thing, but the approach we took definitely lent itself to less injuries.”

“Having Cam back, having all those groups of receivers, running backs, quarterbacks, tight ends, O-line, I feel like we’re all we’re all healthy right now, said offensive lineman Caleb Lomu. “We’re all looking good, and we’re just a team right now. Fall camp brought us all together.”

So if there’s a word to describe the Utes as they head into one of the most exciting seasons in school history, what would that be?

“Confidence,” said Tanuvasa. “I feel a sense of confidence across the board, not just in the front seven, but in our backfield, our DB’s. We rely on each other. We’ve built a lot of unity over this time period, and now we’re feeling extremely confident of where we’re at right now.”

The Utes kick off the 2024 season August 29th against Southern Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium at 7:00 p.m.

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