Are Utah's linebackers ready for Florida? Whittingham thinks so

In an interview with the media, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham focused on several position groups, including the linebackers, and more on their matchup with Florida.

Kyle Whittingham: "We have two kickers that we have a lot of confidence in, Jordan Noyes and Jadon Redding. The kickoffs were as competitive as the place kicks and so if one struggles,  we've got the next one ready to get his opportunity and we feel like we're in a good place, place kicking wise. Punting was a little more lopsided, you know, Jack Bouwmeester was the clear-cut winner in that competition. So when he's on, he's really on. We've just got to continue to work on his consistency."

Question: What are you most confident in about this team right now?

Kyle Whittingham: "Quarterback position. Cameron Rising. He's a tremendously talented quarterback, great leader, makes great decisions. Unflappable under duress and pressure. He's the leader of our team as I've said over and over all fall."

Question: How much growth has Rising shown since taking over in that San Diego game last year?

Kyle Whittingham: "A lot of growth but he was always the mindset, confident, the 'it' factor, natural leader, he's always been that. He's just enhanced as he's gone through the process."

Question: Has Diabate done a nice job taking charge of that group?

Mohamoud Diabate, Utah Utes Fall Camp / Courtesy of Utah Athletics

Kyle Whittingham: "Without a doubt. He's got a lot of the same qualities personality wise as Devin Lloyd, very similar, and he's had a really good fall camp. We wish we could've had him in spring but that wasn't the case, but, he really hit the ground running in fall camp. He's done a great job."

Question: How much do you plan to utilize three linebackers in your sets?

Kyle Whittingham: "Depends on their offensive personnel groupings. We're a matchup defense so if they use a lot of multiple tight end stuff, we'll use a lot of 43 stuff. So it just depends on what the offense gives us.

Question: With that being said, do you see Karene or Lander kind of getting more of the love that way or?

Kyle Whittingham: "Karene is a starter either way. He's in the nickel package as well as the 4-3 package...but again we are dictated to by offensive personnel."

Question: How confident are you that Lander can not only play but have an impact?

Kyle Whittingham: "Very confident. He's a tremendous athlete...he's just gifted in every sense of the word. He's also extremely intelligent, extremely competitive, and extremely confident."

Question: How confident are you in the linebacker room just as a whole?

Kyle Whittingham: “Very confident [in the linebackers]. We lost a lot of production but we feel this is a good group. Not a lot of experience obviously but a lot of upside.” #GoUtes

— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) August 31, 2022

Question: Karene said he's come a long way since spring, what have you seen in his game?

Whittingham on Karene Reid: “He’s become better fundamentally and technique wise. He’s always had a good grasp of the defense, he’s very smart. He knows exactly what techniques to employ in situations. That’s a strong suit for him. Always got great body position.” #GoUtes

— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) August 31, 2022

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