This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Utes had a few surprises on signing day, but now it appears their biggest could come Thursday. Utah coach Kyle Whittingham will name his new offensive coordinator Thursday and sources say 24-year-old Brian Johnson could be his guy. Neither Whittingham, nor Johnson or his agent, David Canter, returned phone messages Wednesday. Johnson, who turns 25 on Feb. 16, already is the youngest full-time coach on Utah's staff. He would replace Norm Chow, who served as Utah's coordinator for one year before taking the head job at Hawaii. Whittingham often cited the 65-year-old Chow's 38 years of experience as a huge benefit to Utah's program. While Johnson is one of the least experienced coaches on Utah's staff, Whittingham frequently has spoken highly of the former quarterback's feel for the game. Still, the hiring would be a surprise, considering Whittingham said he had more than 70 coaches apply for the position. However, the hiring of Johnson would make for a smooth transition back to more of a spread offense, a change the Utes are expected to make. So what do you think Ute fans? You trusted Johnson as the quarterback, how about as the offensive coordinator?