SALT LAKE CITY Coming into the 2020 season, Utah was in full rebuild mode on the defensive side of the ball as nearly the entire defensive unit went to the NFL.
That rebuild, however, wasn t as dramatic as expected given the number of freshmen populating the two-deep roster. Instead, it turned into a relative strength and surprise in an unusual five-game season where the offense was expected to have a better opportunity. And while Utah still has a lot of young players filling key positions, the expectations for the defense is again high.
So let s look at the defensive personnel ahead of Utah s fall camp, which is set to begin in early August.
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Why are plenty of talented young linebackers flocking to Utah’s program?
Ethan Calvert, who is the third highest-rated signee in program history, will be on campus for fall camp in August. Other newcomers include four-star linebacker Mason Tufaga and three-star linebacker Trey Reynolds
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Utah freshman linebacker Mason Tufaga runs through drills during spring camp at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Tufaga was a four-star signee in the Utes’ 2021 recruiting class and he enrolled in January and participated in spring drills.
University of Utah Athletics
Utah’s roster is filled with promising young linebackers.
In a two-day period, Utah has added three new players to its roster from the transfer portal.
After a depletion to its wide receiver room earlier in the year with Bryan Thompson and Samson Nacua transferring out, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said he d be looking to the transfer portal in the offseason to add depth to the roster at receiver.
On Thursday afternoon, Whittingham made that possible when the program added Theo Howard, a former Oklahoma and UCLA receiver, who should add instant talent to the pool of players vying for a starting role this season. Howard joins the program as a super senior after spending his senior season at Oklahoma. He has one year to play.
Former 5-Star Linebacker Ale Kaho to Transfer to Utah
Former Alabama 5-star linebacker Ale Kaho has announced on Twitter that he will be transferring to the University of Utah for next season.
Kaho makes the announcement that he will be heading to Salt Lake City just six days after entering the transfer portal.
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The Reno, Nevada product was an Army All-American coming out of high school and one of the more hyped linebacker prospects of the Saban era. Kaho was never really able to nail down a big role on the defense however, totaling 31 tackles and one fumble recovery during his three years in Tuscaloosa in a backup and special teams role.