Kyle Whittingham identifies standouts from Utah's first scrimmage
Over the weekend, Utah held its first scrimmage of fall camp. When the Utes met with reporters on Monday, head coach Kyle Whittingham had a number of players he felt deserved some attention for their play.
“It was a good scrimmage,” Whittingham said. “We got a lot of work done. We came out of it healthy, which is the No. 1 objective. This team’s worked hard all camp long. I like where we are right now. We’ve got a long way to go, obviously. But we’re in a good position right now 11 days in.”
Added offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig: “There were a lot of positives coming out of the first scrimmage. We generated some explosive plays and took care of the football. We’re on track. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’re on track.”
Utah has less than three weeks of camp left before it travels to Gainesville, Florida, to battle the Florida Gators. But this is a Utes team entering into the new year more of a polished product than perhaps any other team out west. Utah landed at No. 7 in the preseason AP Top 25 released Monday, the program’s highest-ever ranking in the preseason. Florida was not in the Top 25.
The Utes are stocked with talent throughout the roster, though a few players stood out during the team’s first scrimmage.
“Sataoa Laumea was good, Mohamoud Diabate played exceptional,” Whittingham said. “Cole Bishop. Money Parks is really starting to do some good things. That’s been maybe one of the brightest spots of camp is the way [Money] has stepped up and elevated his game.”
Parks has also spent time during camp working with the punt return unit. The third-year sophomore made appearances in 12 games last season and caught one pass for a 12-yard touchdown. His stock is certainly trending up.
Almost every player on offense I’ve talked to this year has pointed to Money Parks as the one that stands out the most this fall — these are all unprompted responses about the same guy.
Today, Whittingham and Ludwig pointed to him as well. Something is brewing there with him.
— Josh Furlong (@JFurKSL) August 15, 2022
Added quarterback Cam Rising: “Money’s always been fast and always been quick. But I think he knows how to use his hands and really took the offseason to make sure he’s improving his route-running. He’s getting open almost on will and it’s nice to see that.”
As Utah looks for a new No. 1 option at wideout to replace Britain Covey, it sounds like there are a few options presenting themselves. Devaughn Vele was a major highlight during spring ball. Now it seems Parks is asserting himself in camp.