This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The first day of last year's spring camp doubled as an introduction to Dave Christensen's offense, the return of Travis Wilson from a frightening injury and the official visit of a guy named Kendal Thompson.
The first day of Utah's spring ball this year marked the first look at Wilson's new haircut.
Continuity was the theme for Utah's offense on Tuesday, when there was no dramatic acceleration in tempo and little misunderstanding of coaches' instructions.
"So far, it's a lot [of the same stuff] that we were running last year," said Wilson, his shoulder-length locks cut and donated to child cancer victims. "A lot of the same terminology, a lot of the same things. It's actually nice having the same offense for another year in a row. I haven't had that."
Of course, it's odd to tout offensive continuity when Utah is transitioning at offensive coordinator for the eighth consecutive year. But in the wake of Christensen's departure to Texas A&M, co-coordinators Jim Harding and Aaron Roderick decided the best thing for the team was a return to the quick-tempo spread that led Utah to a 9-4 record and a Las Vegas Bowl victory — even if it did stall for stretches last season.
And nobody is more thankful that the quarterbacks.
Wilson took the majority of the reps with the ones on Tuesday, with fellow senior Thompson suiting up and taking part in drills, but still limited after his season ended with a knee injury in his start against Oregon. Thompson said he's ahead of schedule, so they're not going to risk any setbacks.
"They were kind of surprised that I'd be able to do anything in the spring," he said. "I've felt ready for a few weeks here and I've been in our trainer's ear, and so they finally gave me the green light, and it feels good to get back out here and do some football-related things."
Former Wyoming transfer quarterback Jason Thompson spent his first practice at safety, leaving four in the queue behind Wilson and Kendal Thompson.
Sophomore Conner Manning lofted a nice touch pass to senior Kenneth Scott over tight coverage from junior Reginald Porter, but then followed that by throwing behind redshirt freshman receiver Raelon Singleton and into the hands of converted cornerback Brian Allen.
Cox then kicked off his spring with a completion to Singleton and another short completion and scramble before the end of the period. The next time out, it was Wilson, Manning, Cox, in the same order, and a handful of reps for returned LDS missionary Chase Hansen, who showed off his scrambling ability but made expected errors in playcalling, Roderick said.
"We just need to clear the picture up a little bit," Roderick said. "Right now, we know what we have a little bit in Travis and Kendal. I think they're both guys that have won games, they've both won big games against quality opponents. We've just got to sort out the rest of it and see what the order's going to be after that."
Kyle Whittingham said after practice that Wilson will continue to get the bulk of the reps with the first team, and they will try to distribute the other reps as evenly as possible between Manning, Cox, Hansen and redshirt freshman Donovan Isom.
At the end of the first week, coaches will "thin the herd a little bit," he said. "Ideally, you like to come out with a one, two and three after spring ball is over with."
Coaches want to make sure all the herd-thinning doesn't interfere with Wilson's development, though. He's the No. 1, and they want him to get the reps that he needs.
Roderick said he hopes that with time has come some perspective for any Wilson detractors, and that people will appreciate that Wilson has made strides each season at the U. Last year, as a junior, Wilson passed for 18 touchdowns and just five interceptions, after throwing for 16 of each as a sophomore.
"If he makes the same type of improvement from last year to next year, he's going to have a heck of a year," Roderick said. "That's all we're asking, and he's a really humble and hard-working guy, and I expect him to do that."
And senior associate athletic director Liz Abel noted when Wilson met the media that the haircut, for starters, is an improvement.
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
Utah's quarterbacks, by experience
Travis Wilson, senior • 34 games, 451-for-754 (60 percent), 5,308 yards, 41 touchdowns, 27 interceptions, 735 rushing yards on 259 carries (2.8 yards per carry), 14 touchdowns
Kendal Thompson, senior • Transferred from Oklahoma to Utah. At the U.: 7 games, 32-for-52 (62 percent), 324 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, 324 rushing yards on 56 carries (6.2 ypc), 1 touchdown
Brandon Cox, sophomore • 1 game, 3-for-3, 17 yards, 22 rushing yards on two carries, 1 touchdown
Conner Manning, sophomore • 1 game, 2-for-6, 28 yards, 1 interception, -5 yards on one carry
Donovan Isom, redshirt freshman • Saw limited reps last fall, often staying after practice to throw.
Chase Hansen, redshirt freshman • Participated in 2012 spring ball before leaving on LDS mission to Australia.