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Hollywood, Calif. • Kyle Whittingham expects his team's offensive line to be among the best in the Pac-12 this season, but the Utah coach knows he has a big hole to fill at center.
Hiva Lutui will be on the sidelines this fall at Rice-Eccles Stadium, but he'll be doing it as a graduate assistant after suffering an ACL injury in the spring that will end his college playing career.
"It is a big deal and I feel so bad because he's a fifth-year senior and he's worked four years for this opportunity, his chance to take over that position and it just breaks your heart," Whittingham said.
The coach says there is a "flaw" in the NCAA system that Lutui cannot be granted another year of eligibility.
"But as the rules are set up now, he doesn't qualify," Whittingham said. "So it's a shame, but we'll come out all right. We've got a lot of experienced guys up front."
With Lutui gone, junior Lo Falemaka currently sits atop the Utes' depth chart for the position, with senior Nick Nowakowski listed as the No. 2 center.
Whittingham had praise for his replacement options. But the Utes' coach said he would consider shuffling his linemen if he felt it would create a stronger five-man combination.
"Absolutely potential for that," he said. "We're going to come away with the best five guys, and if it necessitates making some moves, we'll do that. We're not going to play with an inferior player at one spot when we have a superior player backing up another spot. It doesn't make sense."
Quarterback connection
These days, former Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton's job is to bring new talent to Oregon State, where he has joined his former head coach Gary Andersen's coaching staff in Corvallis.
But with Darell Garretson, Keeton's backup once upon a time in Logan, slated to be the Beavers' starting signal-caller this fall, Andersen believes Keeton will have a positive impact on the talent already there.
"There's a special relationship between those two," Andersen said. "Even though Chuckie is … really on the recruiting side of things right now, it's fun for them to sit down and watch film together. That's going to be part of the development that will help Darrel get better and better. Chuckie's been through so many ups and downs and emotional swings in his career, he'll be a good, steady, solid person that Darrel may lean on in certain situations."
Keeton holds a special place in Andersen's heart as one of the players who helped the coach reverse the fortunes of the Utah State football program. And after going winless in conference play last season, Andersen is hoping Garretson can follow Keeton's path in kickstarting a program's turnaround.
Standing out at Stanford
When Sean Barton returned home from his two-year Mormon mission in Africa, the former Woods Cross prep star was itching to get back into a helmet and pads.
"He wanted to play so bad last year and wasn't physically ready," Stanford coach David Shaw said. "I mean, it's so hard after two years away, to come back, to get physically ready to play this high-collision sport and the way he plays it, which is fast and furious."
Now, Barton appears primed and ready to go.
"He got banged up a little bit this spring," Shaw said. "But this spring, when he was healthy, we saw it. He's athletic. He's physical. He plays the game with that crooked smile on his face … that you love for linebackers to have."
Shaw also has high hopes for a former Bingham standout this season.
"Dalton Schultz is going to be one of the better tight ends this year in the nation," the coach predicted.
A big deal
Four-star linebacker David Luafatasaga is on campus in Salt Lake City after flipping his commit from Ole Miss to Utah and is expected to play this fall.
"That's a big deal for us," Whittingham said.
Rivalry returns
The rivalry game is back on the schedule and Utah lineman J.J. Dielman, for one, is looking forward to a chance to see BYU again in the regular season.
"It's kicked up a little bit as we've gone to the Pac-12. There's been some animosity about not playing them and stuff like that. So I think it just adds to the drama and adds to the storylines, and I know you guys like that kind of stuff," he told reporters this week. "I think everyone's really excited to play them. I know I am."
Defensive back Justin Thomas agreed.
"I like the intense rivalry," he said. "I like them on the schedule."
Whittingham, meanwhile, wouldn't commit to anything when asked if he expected to keep the Cougars on the schedule for as long as he is coaching in Salt Lake.
"They're on the schedule this year and next year," he said, "and, at my age, beyond that it really doesn't matter."
Twitter: @aaronfalk