This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Had a story today on Utah running back John White, who is going to have some help in the backfield from Kelvin York and Jarrell Oliver this year. White says he has worked on his receiving skills, which the Utes need from White and the other backs since Harvey Langi has left on a mission. His absence might not seem like a big deal since the Utes are so deep at running back, but it has left a bigger void than many realize. Both Utah coach Kyle Whittingham and running backs coach Jay Hill said Langi's departure threw a big wrinkle into their plans for their backs. After a disappointing fall last year, the "lights came on for Langi," as Whittingham put it in the spring. They were impressed with the way Langi caught the ball in the spring and designed a lot of plays around him. Whittingham said Dallin Rogers hopefully will fill that role now but he admitted it will be hard to replace Langi. Here is what Hill had to say about it: "Harvey had a huge role in this offense. He was starting for us. Losing him, now you've got to replace a starter. Do I have a runningback that has the skill set of Harvey, out into space, running the routes? I don't know that yet. That's what we're looking for. If wedo, then we'll use him. But Harvey was a pretty special guy, being able to run routes and catch the ball." Also, short video clip of White talking about his style of running compared to York's for you.