Defensive Line 2018

[Utah]

Players lost: Lowell Lotulelei, Filipo Mokofisi, Kylie Fitts
Players gained: Mika Tafua, Paul Maile, Jackson Cravens, David Fotu, Blake Kuithe, Simi Moala,
Players returning: So many names...Let's stick to who we think will contribute: Leki Fotu, Bradley Anae, Nick Heniger, John Penisini, Hauati Pututau, Pita Tonga, Davr Hamilton, Caleb Repp, Maxs Tupai,

Projected Starters:

DE: Bradley Anae, Maxs Tupai
DT: Leki Fotu, Pita Tonga

Starter battles: DE: Maxs Tupai, Mika Tafua for the spot opposite Anae. DT: Penisini, Tonga, Pututau, and maybe Cravens if he is here for spring for the spot opposite Fotu.

Rotation players: Mika Tafua, Jackson Cravens, Caleb Repp, John Penisini, Heninger,

I know the coaches want 5 DT's. Right now, we have Fotu, Tonga, Penisini. That is three. Cravens is big and fast. It wouldn't shock me at all if he found himself in the rotation. That is 4. #5 will come from Pututau, Amaama (who moved from the OL). Not perfect, but not bad, especially knowing that Gary is the guy leading these men. Another option would be to get Tupai bigger and move him inside to help negate his shorter arms and height.

The coaches also love to rotate in their ends. I think with the different fronts (5 DL, 3-3 and 4-2) that the superstar DE might share some of the spotlight with a LB now. That gives players like Heninger who eat up space over attack the QB some room to play more.

I don't think we see much of Anae, Fotu and possibly Tafua this spring. I think the coaches hope that someone steps up and takes those backup reps. I also think the coaches hope that Tafua takes the starting spot early so they can ease up on his reps later in spring.

I think the coaches will protect the upperclassmen this spring to negate injury risk and will let the players battle for the two starting spots this fall while working on getting the younger players ready to provide depth if needed.

While our LB's have a chance to really shine this fall, I think our DL might be a little less spectacular than they have been. They should be really good (top 4 in the PAC-12), but probably shouldn't have the expectations that they have carried in year's past.

Also, the bad news is we are losing three NFL guys. The good news is one didn't play much due to injury (Fitts), one wasn't half as good as he could be due to injuries (Lotulelei). So, while the name and talent being replaced is huge, the actual production won't be as hard to replace...hopefully.