In the dog days of summer, with football still months away, Tao Johnson spent his offseason watching hours of film.
Utah’s second-year safety also chatted with former star safeties Cole Bishop and Marcus Williams, two Utah players who went to the NFL after training under defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley to learn the intricacies of the position. Johnson was converted from the cornerback position to free safety this spring under the tutelage of head coach Kyle Whittingham, who liked his natural feel for the position.
With three weeks to go before the season begins, Johnson is getting serious. He has ambitions to become one of the next great safeties in Salt Lake City, and that starts with taking it day by day in the Utes’ secondary.
Johnson believes he will make a big impression this season.
“I think free safety and safety in general is my position,” Johnson said. “And playing all those other positions has helped me just grow as camp has gone on. I never understood it. That’s kind of my thing, I never (figured it out). I’m always trying to grow in different areas and that goes down to the smallest things. Every day I’m working on something new, trying to build on that and become a better player.”
In 2023, his first season as a nickelback after a stint as a wide receiver, Johnson showed a wealth of skills that ultimately earned him the free safety position this season. He finished the season with 33 tackles, five pass breakups – a total that was the second-highest on defense last season – and a single fumble recovery.
Now Johnson is benefiting firsthand from Scalley’s intense leadership in Utah’s secondary. He’s taking on the challenge not only because he wants to get better, but because Scalley’s focus on the details has helped players get to the NFL.
“I love it because it’s 100% what I need,” Johnson said. “I’m a guy that’s hard on myself from the start. I don’t want anyone to be easy on me. … I want to know where I need to improve, what I’m doing wrong and what I need to do to be great. So I love it 100%. I think the whole program is based on tough love. It creates strong-willed and strong-bodied individuals. I live and try to embrace it every day.”
Johnson wants to show his progress in all areas, be it pass rushing, playing in the box or man coverage, a trait that cornerbacks and special teams coach Sharrieff Shah praised about the free safety during the first week of fall camp.
And soon the second-year student will be able to put his development to the test.
“A lot of talented guys that come here are ready to step up their game and become the next guy,” Johnson said. “It takes a little bit of both. You have to be willing to be that guy and then also humble yourself and step up your game to become that guy.”
(Eli Rehmer | Utah Athletics) Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig (left) and head coach Kyle Whittingham (center) watch Utah football practice on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
Movement in the battle for the backup quarterback
There is movement in the competition for the backup quarterback position among the Utes.
Whittingham provided updates on the three-way battle between Sam Huard, a senior who transferred from Cal Poly, Brandon Rose, a sophomore, and Isaac Wilson, the younger brother of former BYU and current Denver Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson.
“We actually had a little bit of a lead,” Whittingham said Monday. “But that’s not enough to make any statements about roster depth or radical changes. It’s probably going to be another week of how we handle reps and get guys involved. By (Monday) we have to determine who’s two, three and four behind Cam (Rising), and that’s the timeline.”
“We made progress last week. I’m not going to say it’s neck and neck anymore because there’s been a jockeying for position on what’s happening, but I’m not ready to comment on that publicly.”
Utah’s head coach praised Huard, a former five-star recruit in the 2021 recruiting class. Since he did not attend the Utes’ spring training camp, Huard had to catch up on offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig’s offensive philosophy and game plan.
Now that he has completed a full week of training camp, the left-hander has been able to demonstrate his skills in Utah’s offense.
“Even though he still has some catching up to do in terms of integrating the offense, he’s done a good job,” Whittingham said. “He’s a really smart kid, has made up a lot of ground and is executing his job pretty well considering he’s not here for spring ball. The biggest deficit he’s struggled with is just a lack of knowledge on the offense.”
In his first media appearance since transferring to Utah in the offseason, Huard detailed his experiences and struggles leaving Washington, where both his father Damon Huard and uncle Brock Huard played quarterback, and transferring to Cal Poly. After dealing with coaching instability at both stops, he finally feels like he has found a home in Salt Lake City.
It’s unclear if Huard is the favorite to replace starting quarterback Cam Rising, but he’s determined to do his best.
“It’s allowed me to be in this position now,” Huard said. “I know this is a great opportunity. But it’s also going to be tough. It’s going to be tough, but I feel like everything I’ve been through the last few years has prepared me to come here to compete every day. I know this is a process, and I know that when I get an opportunity, I’ll be ready.”
(Ryan Sun | AP) Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano celebrates his team’s win against Southern California in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles.
Starter for the offensive line on site
Despite competition at several offensive positions, Utah’s offensive line core players are almost set.
“We have the five starters up front who are playing together right now,” Whittingham said. “We have five behind them who are doing a good job. We have two or three guys who aren’t practicing yet who will come up later in the six through 10 (substitute) positions.”
Utah’s starting lineup has not been released, but sophomore offensive lineman Spencer Fano will likely play right tackle this season. He was one of the few true freshmen in the country to start at left tackle at the start of last season.
He’s excited about the versatility of Utah’s offensive line, but also the opportunity to show NFL scouts that he can play on both sides of the trenches.
“I feel like I’m ahead of the curve just based on the experience I’ve had over the last year,” Fano said last week.
This season, with Rising back at quarterback, protecting Utah’s starting quarterback is a priority, but he says the offensive line doesn’t focus too much on that.
They take everything calmly.
“We just try to win every rep,” Fano said. “We try to win every single rep and block people as long as we can. I don’t think it’s ever been any different.”
