The 2018 Utah Football Season got rolling officially on Wednesday Afternoon at the Eccles Football Complex. CampKyle 2018 went off without seemingly any real issues. Utah was on the field for a little more than 2 hours on Day 1. Kyle Whittingham said that he was pleased with the energy and effort he saw from his team on Day 1.
Here’s Kyle Whittingham with the Media after Day 1 Fall Camp.
Who’s Missing
Utah is still awaiting the arrival of JC LB Bryant Pirtle. Whittingham says the Pima CC transfer has taken and passed his classes required for transfer to Utah, now Utah just plays the waiting game from the Clearinghouse. Whittingham says his hope is that Pirtle might arrive by early next week.
There is still no official mention or word on former BYU Linebacker Frances Bernard. Bernard was working on classroom work at Salt Lake Community College this summer. Whittingham, who didn’t mention him by name, says they are still in a holding pattern.
Who’s Here
The much anticipated arrival of JC Return Man Derrick Vickers has finally happened. The Social Media regular has joined the Utah Football team a year later than expected. Vickers had to spend last year getting his academics in order. Whittingham says he’s excited to have Vickers in camp, though he’s unsure of what Vickers role will be just yet. He expects it to likely be in the kick return game in the short term, while Vickers gets up to speed on the Utah Offense.
The QB Hierarchy
Tyler Huntley is the clear cut #1 in Utah Camp. Last year’s surprise starter looked to have full command of the Utah Offense on Day 1. Huntley appears bigger and stronger than a year ago as well. In limited viewing near the end of practice Huntley made multiple plays downfield to Simpkins and Mariner, both in and out of the pocket.
According to OC Troy Taylor, Jack Tuttle and Jason Shelley will split reps evenly behind Huntley. Both backups had their moments on Day 1. Here’s Utah Offensive Coordinator Troy Taylor following practice.
Britain Is Back
Fan Favorite and Freshman All American Britain Covey returned from his mission to Chile in March and was back on the field for the first time since 2015 on Wednesday. Covey showed no signs of rust on Day 1. Both Whittingham and Taylor marveled at Covey’s grasp of the offense with little time on the field. Covey joined Ben Anderson and Kyle Gunther on ESPN 700 after Day 1.
We are limited in the amount of Practice Time we get to observe each day, Wednesday it was about 30 minutes…
Here are 3 Guys Who Caught My Eye….
- Tyler Huntley-Bigger and Stronger this season, that is obvious. Huntley made a number of plays down the field both inside and outside the pocket. Including a pair of sideline throws to Demari Simpkins.
- Demari Simpkins-Playing both in the slot and outside this year. Looks to be Huntley’s favorite target early. Made a couple impressive grabs.
- Terrell Perriman-Didn’t make any great plays, in fact, dropped a pass down the sideline that might have been a touchdown. What caught my eye was his SPEED. He got around and past his defender on multiple occasions.
The Utes will be back on the field Thursday Afternoon for Day 2 of CampKyle. For all the audio and video from Camp Kyle this year use this link…
