This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah released a new roster Tuesday, two weeks before the start of spring ball, and Kyle Whittingham was kind enough Wednesday to talk about a few of the changes we noticed.
Transfers*
Marcus Sanders-Williams • The sophomore linebacker came to the U. as a running back and last told Whittingham he was looking for a chance to play sooner. Fresno State is a possible landing spot.
Charles Henderson • A hard-hitting junior safety from Louisiana, Henderson wanted to play his senior season at a school closer to home, Whittingham said. Brother Carlos plays wideout for Louisiana Tech.
Juniors who graduated and left the program
Daniel Nielson • The big Hurricane defensive tackle was one of the team's strongest players but was hampered by injury last season.
Kala Friel • After earning a scholarship as a walk-on and earning playing time in three consecutive seasons, the Hawaii offensive lineman is moving on, Whittingham said.
Signed, but not "expected in fall"
Marcel Brooks-Brown • The Sacramento running back is still working through some academic issues, Whittingham said. If he's not able to join the team for fall camp, then Utah hopes to add him to the roster next January.
No longer suspended
Moana Ofahengaue • The former Westlake team captain was seriously injured when he crashed a motorized bike a year ago, and was later suspended indefinitely before a court appearance in which he plead guilty to driving impaired. "He's back in good graces," Whittingham said. The sophomore-to-be defensive end still has to pass a medical evaluation that Whittingham hoped would occur by the end of the week.
Switched (sort of)
We already knew that Jason Thompson moved from quarterback to safety, hybrid defensive end/linebacker Jason Fanaika will stick to defensive end, Clarence Smith will move from end to linebacker and utility man Monte Seabrook will try wideout after playing running back, corner back and safety in 2014.
One more position switch: Former Houston Astros minor leaguer Wallace Gonzalez, from defensive end back to tight end, where he started last year. That has been the plan since fall, Whittingham said, but the news flew under the radar because Gonzalez was recovering from an injury for which he hopes to receive a medical redshirt.
A few more tidbits
Walk-on offensive lineman Parker Erickson left the team to join the staff of House Rep. Jason Chaffetz. ... New walk-on freshman defensive back James Gray hails from Shinnouzuka-Cho, Japan. ... An omission last year, former Granger star running back Tani Leha'uli is officially added to the roster as a walk-on redshirt freshman. ... Biggest weight-gainers (last year's utahutes.com roster vs. the spring roster) include: Donovan Isom +12 to 245, Kenric Young +15 to 195, Marcus Williams +11 to 190, Pita Taumoepenu +10 to 240, Raelon Singleton +15 to 205, Tim Patrick +14 to 204, Filipo Mokofisi +10 to 285, Conner Manning +13 to 203, Devontae Booker +9 to 212 and Jackson Barton +10 to 310.
* ICYMI: We already reported that quarterback Adam Schulz will spend his senior season at Houston.
— Matthew Piper
Twitter: @matthew_piper