This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Even without its two-time Ray Guy Award winner, some pundits still suggest Utah might have the best specialist in the country.
ESPN's Mark Schlabach took http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/16025803/alabama-crimson-tide-michigan-wolverines-ohio-state-buckeyes-dominate-2016-preseason-all-american-team";>a crack at a way-too-early All-American team for the 2016 season, and said Utah senior Andy Phillips could be the top kicker in the nation this upcoming year.
Citing Phillips' 84 percent career accuracy while hitting all four of his 50-plus yard attempts, Schlabach designated the 27-year-old as the spiritual successor to Tom Hackett, http://bit.ly/1moHiS8";>who was a two-time All American as the nation's best punter.
Not that tapping Phillips to have a big year is a stretch: http://bit.ly/12b4OaI";>The former US ski team member is http://bit.ly/1NfGcy6";>a three-time Lou Groza Award semifinalist, and was a third-team All American according to CBS Sports last year. He's poised to build on his own school records in field goals made (63), field goals attempted (75) and points scored (321). In 133 attempts, he's only ever missed one extra point, making him the school leader in extra point percentage (99.2 percent).
Phillips is arguably the most outspoken Ute as well, active on Twitter and spending part of the offseason lending his voice to local sports radio shows for in-studio visits. He and wife Megan Phillips are expecting their second child this fall.
ESPN had four other Pac-12 players listed as potential All Americans: USC receiver Juju Smith-Schuster, USC tackle Zach Banner, USC kick returner Adoree Jackson, and Stanford all-purpose back Christian McCaffrey.
(As long as we're talking about multi-sport stars, it's worth noting thahttp://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/la-sp-ucla-shot-put-20160608-snap-story.html";>t Jackson finished fifth in long jump yesterday at the NCAA Track and Field finals, so he's again an All American in that discipline.)
Some other links of Utah relevance:
• The NCAA released an official listing of men's basketball attendance for last season, andhttp://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/kentucky-overtakes-syracuse-for-18th-attendance-title-in-last-21-seasons/";> the Utes were No. 24 in the country with an average of 12,997 fans per game. The Utes had the 29th largest increase in home attendance, up almost 900 fans per game from the previous year. College basketball overall saw DI attendance drop by a slight margin, roughly 10 fewer fans per event.
• The Basketball Tournament, a 5-on-5 event featuring 60 teams and a $2 million prize, https://www.thetournament.com/teams/team-utah-utah-alumni";>has accepted Team Utah,https://www.thetournament.com/teams/team-utah-utah-alumni";> made up of former Utes.http://bit.ly/1Ihrm7p";> I wrote about a Utah-based team last year that featured Utes, Cougars and Aggies. This group has gone red, and it features many of the same players, as well as more recent players in Jason Washburn and Dakarai Tucker.
• Tribune staffer Brennan Smithhttp://www.sltrib.com/sports/3987514-155/utah-football-erickson-says-62-20-drubbing";> pulled out some highlights of a Dennis Erickson interview in which he said Utah's 62-20 win over Oregon was no sweat. Fans of the 49ers should be interested to see what he had to say about that franchise in the longer version of the interview on Portland sports radio.
• http://www.utahutes.com/genrel/060916aaa.html";>Three Utes earned All American status in the class room: gymnasts Breanna Hughes and Kailah Delaney, as well as skier Endre Bjertness. Selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America, all three carry plus-3.7 GPAs while being standouts in their sports.
kgoon@sltrib.com
Twitter: @kylegoon