A below average vault rotation put Utah behind just far enough that they couldn't make up the difference, but they fought hard and finished strong to a 3rd place finish:

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I assume this is a preferred walk-on, but not sure.

He’s the former No. 98 player in the 2019 Rivals class. Played at Michigan for one year before transferring to Washington. Next season will be his fifth and last season was the most he’s averaged with 8.8 points per game. He’s a decent three-point shooter at 36.1% on his career.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/stats/_/id/4431757/cole-bajema

Sean Davenport and I will chime in periodically, but let’s watch and enjoy as they search for their 11th gymnastics championship.

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Neck and neck with UCLA to the last event. Jordan Chiles of UCLA for a 10 on the bars, thought she had the all-around title wrapped up, then Maile O’Keefe went right after on the beam and also got a 10, to rip the title and celebration from Chiles.

In the end, Utah surpassed Oklahoma in their semifinals group, closing with O’Keefe’s 10 and a 9.925 for Grace McCallum. That was one helluva ending.

I was reading this and it made me think to ask what the scuddle is about where he lands. He'll be a good catch wherever he lands. NFL.com doesn't have him in any teams first two picks but that doesn't mean he could go in the second round though. https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-draft-ideal-top-two-picks-for-every-team

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“Dr. Robert Watkins recently sent a letter to NFL teams, fully clearing Utah TE and expected first-round pick Dalton Kincaid from the back injury he suffered last season.

“Dalton Kincaid sustained a back injury while playing football on 11/26/2022,” said the email from Dr. Watkins. “Subsequent MRIs have shown appropriating healing and he has been asymptomatic with no pain and no limitation of function for at least 3 months. He is cleared to play football with no restrictions.”

Kincaid visited the Bengals today, and is scheduled to be in New England on Thursday and Green Bay next week. He already has visited, or spent significant time with, the Texans, Raiders, Chargers, Jaguars, Titans, Lions, Chiefs and Cowboys.”

I was told on Saturday that this had happened. However, I avoided going public on this because I’ve quite honestly had people close to the program look out for me tell me to be careful after what I was reporting during the season.

Props to the SLTrib for putting it out. I literally just wanted to avoid being the first to put it out for obvious reasons.

I’m hearing that Tim Morris is an option for the last assistant spot at Georgia Tech under Damon Stodamire. This wouldn’t be much of a surprise. I believe he’s from that area. Additionally, it’s seemed for a bit like he was bound to move on. We’ll see what happens though.

Expect an announcement this week by the Larry H. Miller Group.

The plans right now are to build the stadium on the old Rocky Mountain Power site, which is just west of downtown.

Touched on the scrimmage game from Saturday:

They had half scrimmage live work with the ones, they executed well — they’re very limited on live work during the spring. The twos had some good live work too.

He said they had over a hundred snaps and some special teams work. He thought it was a very productive day.

His thoughts so far of spring ball:

Brandon Rose continues to progress, Bryson Barnes is right on his heels; Nate Johnson isn’t back on the field yet.

Jaylon Glover is one of the most improved players this spring. Having an outstanding spring session. Always had a great work ethic and attitude. The game now is starting to come to him and slow down a little bit.

Says they have really good depth right now on the defensive side of the ball at every position. Players they add this summer and this fall with the roster intact, it’s a very deep defense.

Considers the defensive ends the strong suit of the team.

Feels on the offensive side of the ball they’re thin at receiver and is his biggest concern at the moment.

Remainder of the offense has sufficient depth.

Utes hold on to Chris Burgess. It’s a good day for Utah basketball, but Burgess’ time will come soon enough. Burgess interviewed and was in this until the end.

The most experienced upper management person in the Pac12 is leaving at a bad time. Jamie Zaninovich has worked for the Pac12 the past 9 years. Is he leaving a sinking ship?

I am reluctant to start this thread. I DON'T want to spread rumors. This is just off the top of my head since I haven't really considered the CW rumors that have been going ON & OFF for some time now. Obviously VERY non official here.

CW As a Linear Option.........

PROS:
It's accessible to find for PAC fans
Increasing markets around the US
The PAC controls the games (viewing)
Cutting edge of lineal (pun intended).

CONS:
The need to promote & market.
New to covering college football
% non-PAC fans tuning in to CW?
Production & Broadcast concerns?

ADD THOUGHTS:
Feel free comment about whatever......

BIG 12 Propaganda?
Financial considerations?
Whatever comes to mind.

Some key things out of today's scrimmage… first off, the media can’t report on injuries, schemes or lineups, specific stats or position changes — unless Whittingham already discussed it.

Defense definitely won the day. They absolutely destroyed the offense.

There was a lot of interchanging between Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki at the safety spots. Elijah Hughes (Scooby) also saw a lot of time. Miles Battle continued his strong spring and it seems like he’s hitting his full potential at Utah. He was a standout. Bishop and Vaki are emerging as one helluva combo. Johnathan Hall also had his moments.

Defensive ends Chase Kennedy and Logan Fano performed well, only adding to the depth that the ends possess. Fano looked good, but with limited reps.

Both Brandon Rose and Bryson Barnes were up and down. In my opinion, in the fall I still expect the No. 2 to be either Rose or Johnson. The QBs weren’t live. Rose did have the better day despite throwing an INT to Bishop that was on 4th down in the red zone during the two minute drill. An INT is an INT regardless, but he had to get rid of it. Rose ran it well at times, but he’s definitely not going to be the runner that Cam Rising and Nate Johnson are—still sneaky effective though.

Both Jaylon Glover and Charlie Vincent had TDs. Vincent had one receiving and one running.

Vele hooked up with Rose for the play of the day. It was a deep ball that Rose let Vele high-point and get it, before toe-tapping near the sideline. Luca Caldarella was the only other receiver to really stand out. He had a ways to go though to be one of the main guys in the rotation. Overall, the receivers have a long way to go and they really struggled gaining separation. Mikey Matthews was a non-factor. The TEs were also non-existent even though Yassmin participated in the scrimmage. Suguturaga was effective in run blocking, though.

Spencer Fano looked elite today, but to caution, it was against the No. 2 defensive line. In regards to the DL, Connor O’Toole would have had sacks if the QBs were live. Chase Kennedy also had some nice moments. Keanu Tanuvasa also did well in his reps, showing he should provide good DT depth. Junior Tafuna was Tafuna and the belief is he’s back to his 2021 form and better.

The center position had some shaky snaps today, but a lot of that can be attributed to the defense stacking right in the box and applying a ton of pressure.

With two weeks left, here are my thoughts on spring ball so far:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/utah-spring-thoughts-with-two-weeks-left

Shocked when I heard this. I don’t see him being a factor there, at all.

Anyone know the backstory on his decision to leave? He got a ton of minutes here and seemed to have a lot of freedom.

He made some nice plays for us and is an excellent free throw shooter. But, he missed a ton of open threes.

Big opportunity for Exacte and the kid from SLCC.

This is so awesome to see. If I remember correctly the reason for his initial retirement was something with his shoulder. He was beginning to be a force for the Lions before that happened.

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Men’s basketball adds 7-1 transfer Lawson Lovering from Colorado for the 2023-24 season.

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah head men’s basketball coach Craig Smith announced the addition of Colorado transfer Lawson Lovering for the upcoming 2023-24 campaign.

Lovering comes to Utah after spending the last two seasons in Boulder with the Buffs where he averaged 3.8 points and 4.7 rebounds with a .488 shooting clip.

“We are thrilled to have Lawson join our Runnin’ Utes family,” Utah head men’s basketball coach Craig Smith said. “His experience and success in the Pac-12, along with his strong work ethic, makes him a valuable addition to our roster. Lawson’s decision to come to the University of Utah speaks volumes about his belief in our coaching staff, system and the resources we provide to help our student-athletes succeed both on and off the court. We’re eager to see the impact he’ll make in our program and can’t wait to support his growth and development as a key contributor to our team’s success.”

The 7-1 center started in all 34 games he played in for Colorado this past season where he averaged 23 minutes on the floor – a jump from 10.7 minutes per game his freshmen year where he only played in 18 games. On the year, Lovering averaged 4.9 points and 4.7 Boards to go with an effective .554 shooting clip.

His best game of the season came in the second round of the NIT against Utah Valley, scoring 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting with seven rebounds and two steals. Lovering also picked up his first-career double-double on the road against USC, scoring 13 points to go with his 14 rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. In his two games against the Utes last season, Lovering averaged 5.0 points and 5.0 rebounds

The Cheyenne, Wyo., native was a three-time all-state and East Conference first-team selection at Cheyenne Central High School. He led the Indians to a state championship his senior year and averaged 14 points, 10 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 assists that year. Lovering was named the 2020 East Conference Co-Player of the Year after shooting a state-best 69-percent that season while averaging 13.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.

He was a consensus four-star prospect out of high school with Rivals listing him as the 59th best player in the country and the ninth-best center in the nation while 247Sports had him as Wyoming’s top player and 63rd best player overall. He also checked in at No. 72 on the ESPN100 list coming out of high school in 2021.

Lovering joins Hunter Erickson as the second newcomer to the Runnin’ Utes program. Erickson signed with the Utes last fall after spending the 2022-23 season with Salt Lake CC by way of BYU.

For the latest news and information on the Runnin’ Utes men's basketball program, fans can stay connected online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram.

Elliss discusses his health, what he's working on, and the defensive end room in Halie’s article: