Based on the tradition and structure that has evolved over the years, the Utes are always looking to find those players who can further develop the program. With the recent rise in national attention, Utah has been reaping the benefits on the recruiting trail.
“It’s all about recruiting, and success on the field seems to lend itself to enhance recruiting — which is a good thing” said head coach Kyle Whittingham. “It just perpetuates itself; the more talent you’re able to assemble, the better you’re going to be. The more you win, the more talent you’re going to be able to assemble.”
The recruiting process itself is always constant. The Utes don’t always go after the most talented athletes with the most stars, instead focusing on those who fit their program. According to Whittingham, the team aspires to develop character in its players, all while working towards a collective goal.
“We recruit certain types of players here. We’ve turned down literally hundreds of players — they are really good football players, but not our kind of guys as far as the things we look for.” Whittingham said. “Character is something we place a high emphasis on and value very greatly. I think that we bring guys into our program that are coachable.”
And who knows — those coachable players can turn into some of the great leaders Utah has now. With each passing week, it’s those leaders who help every player on the team properly prepare for the upcoming game, and only that game.
“We have great leadership on this team, and I think those guys do a great job of making sure that we handle our business the way that we have so far — and that’s key,” Whittingham said. “This team has a maturity about it — I think that’s where it all starts.”
Sitting at No. 5 in the AP poll, it’s certainly an exciting time to be a Ute. But when the new rankings were released earlier this week, one of the team’s leaders in linebacker Gionni Paul took to social media to express his thoughts on the amount of work and dedication put into making this team what it is.
Following Monday’s practice, Paul had even more to say about his teammates.
“I don’t think I have enough time to tell you how amazing my team is, but we’ve got a great group of guys. We all trust and believe in each other, we all trust and believe in our coaches that play a big part in a great team,” Paul said.
Paul is just one example of a player who has really grasped onto the mindset and “process” that Utah goes through in order to become a leader within this program. Said “process” is something the entire team has bought into, and it allows the Utes to get through the daily grind and come out strong each week.
“We trust the process,” Paul said. “We’re going through a process right now, we went through a long process in the off season. We worked our behinds off in the off season. To get national attention is great, but it’s not new to us.”
As the players follow this process, their enthusiasm and momentum grows epidemically, and they begin to see the fruits of their efforts. This is where that character on the team begins to build, unite and strengthen the unit as a whole.
If you ever want to play for the Utes, Paul broke it down simply and clearly.
“We love smart, tough players,” he said. “Players that are going to be relentless to the ball, players that are going to listen to the coach, players that are going to be smart on the field, players that understand their mistakes and aren’t going to make the same mistake twice and players that are going to do great things on and off the field.”
The Utes are looking forward to the opportunity to host Cal on Saturday with College GameDay in town, but as for Paul, he’s just excited to go up against Jared Goff and the aerial Golden Bear attack.
“They have a great group of guys, you know,” Paul said. “So we just need to go out there and bring our A-game.”
@laurenrose324