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Utah played 11-on-11 for much of Thursday's no-pads practice in order to give its quarterbacks every opportunity to separate themselves, Kyle Whittingham said.
Opportunity for quarterbacks also meant opportunity for wide receivers.
More so than at quarterback — where Travis Wilson is the clear spring No. 1 — it's the great unknown on the offensive side of the ball: The Utes lose three of their top four pass-catchers from a season when, at times, they weren't all that renowned for pass-catching.
"We are a huge question mark," said receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield. "We've got talented young guys, but they have to show up."
Senior Kenneth Scott has emerged as the leader of the offense, Whittingham said Thursday, so you can write his name in ink. Junior Delshawn McClellon, sophomore Kenric Young and junior Jameson Field have all played, albeit sparingly, and senior Tim Patrick is likely to be competitive for a starting spot when he has recovered fully from his season-ending injury against Oregon.
But two other names have made onlookers reach for their rosters.
Whittingham singled out 6-foot-3 redshirt freshman Raelon Singleton as a standout for a second straight practice, and 6-foot-4 freshman Tyrone Smith made an outlandish catch Thursday on a back-shoulder sideline long ball from Wilson.
Wide receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield, sparing with his praise at times, said he's very excited about the potential of both players.
With Singleton, who lost last season with a shoulder injury, it's just a matter of keeping him hungry, Stubblefield said.
Smith, who grayshirted after graduating from Fresno, Calif.'s Edison High, is "fairly new to the position," Stubblefield said. "What I like about him is he's a guy that go long, but he's also a guy that can get open in the short to intermediate routes."
Truly new to the position are sophomore Monte Seabrook — who moved last year from safety to cornerback to running back — and senior Bubba Poole, who for the time being is part of Stubblefield's group after spending the last two seasons as a productive running back.
Poole was last year's early starter, but with the emergence of sophomore Troy McCormick and the obvious likelihood that Heisman hopeful Devontae Booker will get most of the carries, anyhow, coaches wanted another way to get Poole on the field.
Said Stubblefield of Poole: "It's a completely new position for him, but today he got better from what he did on Tuesday, and that's all you can ask from anybody."
An alarming phone call • It's no slight to Utah's football program to say that senior quarterback Kendal Thompson's heart is in Oklahoma — it's where his loved ones live, after all.
Wednesday night, Thompson received a harrowing call from his girlfriend after the residents of Moore were warned of an approaching storm: She and their daughter had tried to access a storm cellar across the street from their house, but the back gate was locked.
Thompson told her to run back to their house and go in a closet, which they did before the tornado touched down at a nearby intersection.
Thankfully, it was nothing like the 2013 Moore twister that killed 24.
Still, Thompson said he'd heard the tornado did damage to a 7-Eleven, a Burger King, an elementary school and a high school. His parents live 2 miles away.
"I'm praying for those guys back home, and I hope everyone's safe," he said.
Moore has been hit by four devastating tornadoes since 1999, according to The Associated Press.
Phillips' punting career begins, ends • Finally we may have the answer to the question of, "What can't Andy Phillips do?"
The junior Lou Groza Award semifinalist is a former U.S. Ski Team racer, an excellent soccer player (at both goalkeeper and forward), a quick study at golf, and he has celebrated successful kicks with backflips.
But after Phillips took a few cracks at punting Thursday in the absence of Tom Hackett's backup, Chris Van Orden — expected back in fall — "You probably won't see him take any more punts this spring based on what we saw today," Whittingham said.
High hopes for hoops• Whittingham led off Thursday's media session with a monologue about the Runnin' Utes, ahead of their Sweet Sixteen game against Duke at 7:45 p.m. Friday in Houston.
"That was on our minds all day, and will be tomorrow," he said. "Go get Duke."
He declined to provide a prediction, other than "Coach K will have them playing hard" — meaning Larry Krystkowiak, not Mike Krzyzewski we'd assume. Told Krystkowiak has credited Utah football for lessons in team-building and culture, Whittingham said he felt honored to hear it.
"We and Coach K have talked a lot, and I've got all the respect in the world for what he's done and what he's accomplished with those guys. It's been terrific to watch."
Keeping Whitt's lumbar limber • Even at Utah — older than most college teams, thanks to the number of returned LDS missionaries — it was jarring to look over and see a gray-haired man receiving attention on a fold-out trainer's table.
None other than the head coach himself took the opportunity at Thursday morning's pro day for an impromptu session with Ultimate Bodywork's Ryan Yakiwchuk.
Yakiwchuk, there for the younger Utes, first began yanking around Whittingham last year after the coach had lower back pain that led to trouble sleeping.
Whittingham became a believer through 11 sessions and demanded to pay, Yakiwchuk said, but the Murray massage therapist declined.
Some tickets would do.
The "injuries that actually matter" report • Senior linebacker Jared Norris did limited work Thursday, and will be limited again Saturday, but Whittingham hopes he will be back to full participation next Tuesday. It is unknown what ails Norris.
Twitter: @matthew_piper