This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Who is the best Ute returning to the football field this fall? You might be surprised what Pro Football Focus has to say on the matter.
The analytics site listed the 25 top teams in college football, along with the best returner for each team. First of all, the Utes rank No. 18 in the PFF list, but the headliner might be a somewhat surprising selection for best returning player: https://www.profootballfocus.com/best-returning-player-on-every-top-25-team-in-college-football/";>offensive tackle JJ Dielman.
The pick that leaps to mind is defensive tackle Lowell Lotulelei, http://www.sltrib.com/blogs/3860032-155/utah-football-lowell-lotulelei-appears-in";>who has already been whispered as a possible first-round NFL Draft pick in 2017 taking after older brother Star. He had 26 tackles, five for a loss, as a space-eater in the middle of Utah's defensive front last year.
But Dielman quietly assembled, in PFF's estimation,http://www.sltrib.com/home/3138429-155/utah-football-pro-football-focus-grades";> one of the best Pac-12 tackle seasons last year, getting the third-best grade of any OT. Among returning offensive tackles in the country, he is the eighth highest-graded returner. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound lineman really stood out in the run game last year:
"He was a mauler in the run game, putting together especially impressive performances in games against USC and Colorado, and while he wasn't perfect in pass protection (allowed 17 pressures, including three sacks), he held up well enough in that area to earn a positive grade."
Dielman, along with defensive back Justin Thomas, will represent the Utes at Pac-12 football media days next month. It's also worth noting that Dielman has his own NFL bloodlines: http://www.sltrib.com/home/3169280-155/utah-football-doing-what-dielmans-do";>His cousin, Kris Dielman, was a Pro Bowl lineman for the Chargers.
Who is your top returning Ute? Drop your opinion in the comments section.
Other Utah items of relevance:
• For one former Ute, his NBA Finals run has come to an end: http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2016/story/_/id/16209675/andrew-bogut-knee-done-finals-need-surgery";>Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut will miss the remainder of the playoffs after suffering bone bruises in his leg, which looked a lot worse on Monday night when the 7-footer took a spill on court. The Aussie still has a chance to add his second championship ring, but he'll have to tap out for his teammates to take the Warriors there. Bogut had 10 blocks in the series. It's worth noting that the timeline for the injury also means that he'll likely miss the pair of exhibitions the Australian national team is scheduled to play http://www.sltrib.com/home/3952142-155/utah-basketball-lorenzo-bonam-headed-down";>against the Pac-12 All-Stars next month — no Bonam-vs-Bogut match-ups in the lane, unfortunately.
• In other national team news,http://www.basketball.ca/en/news-article/2016-development-womens-national-team-announced";> all three Canadians from the Utah women's basketball team have made the National Development Team. Emily Potter (who joined the senior women's team in a European exhibition last week), Paige Crozon and incoming transfer Daneesha Provo are all on the roster and are scheduled to play in an exhibition tournament in the Czech Republic starting on June 20.
• Even more national team news: Utah softball's http://www.utahutes.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/061316aab.html";>Anissa Urtez will be on Team Mexico for a number of upcoming tournamentshttp://www.utahutes.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/061316aab.html";>. Urtez batted .381 last season with a team-high 46 RBI as a first-team All Pac-12 shortstop last year. Urtez potentially could compete against teammate and Pac-12 player of the year Hannah Flippen next month in Oklahoma City at the USA World Cup.
• More lists!http://www.nfl.com/photoessays/0ap3000000669150?campaign=tw-cf-sf28758747-sf28758747";> Kyle Whittingham checks in at No. 16 on this NFL.com list of the best college coaches at developing NFL talent. Citing the success story of Nate Orchard's position change and subsequent career with the Cleveland Browns, the article puts Whittingham just behind Texas' Charlie Strong.
• Scoreboard? Some folks have gotten inside the stadium this week to see the apparently fully functional new scoreboard, the eighth-largest in college football. The project has been slated for a late June completion, but it appears that it is at least ready to play highlights now.
kgoon@sltrib.com
Twitter: @kylegoon