Utah football ‘ahead of schedule’ replacing 5 starters with rebuilt offensive line

SALT LAKE CITY (KSL.com) — Offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven admitted he was “skeptical” of what was in front of him in the offensive line room when he first signed on to oversee the Utah offense.

It was a daunting task to lose all five starters — the five shared a minimum of 815 snaps together last season and featured two potential first-round picks in the upcoming NFL draft — and have to replace it with all new players, regardless of how talented those backups and incoming players may be.

Throw in a first-year offensive line coach, who joined Utah from the high school ranks, and it was going to be the biggest challenge facing the offense coming off an 11-2 season.

But it’s not like Utah was working with nothing as the team entered spring camp; it was just less proven as a group.

Last season’s offensive line had a combined 4,200 snaps, while the projected (or expected) starters for the upcoming season have just 1,875 combined snaps, and the bulk of that comes from FCS Montana State transfer Cedric Jefferson, who had 945 snaps for the school’s championship run.

That’s a lot of experience to replace.

As it stands midway through spring camp, Utah is likely to start Zereoue Williams (156 snaps last season) at left tackle, Solatoa Moea’i (336) at left guard, Alex Harrison (143) at center, Keith Olsen (295) at right guard and Jefferson at right tackle.

A handful of other players, including five-star freshman lineman Kelvin Obot and Ohio State transfer Isaiah Kema, among others, are in the mix as potential options to find their way into a starting spot. But Obot has zero collegiate snaps and Kema has 31 snaps.

McGiven and head coach Morgan Scalley, though, have been impressed early by the progress of the offensive line and how they’re able to compete. Already, the offense has found individual wins — including Saturday’s closed scrimmage — to beat the defense, and the offensive line has been a key component of that success.

McGiven said the offensive line is “ahead of schedule,” while Scalley said it was a position group that exceeded expectations. Both give credit to that first-year offensive line coach who may know a thing or two about playing on the line.

To them, Jordan Gross has been a great fit to help the players understand how to improve their game, while also helping them build a camaraderie and connection so early.

“Coach Gross is a technician, and I see those guys working on their craft every day,” McGiven said. “I see the room becoming closer — bonding. I’m seeing leadership come out of that room, so, well ahead of schedule.

“I think we can be very successful with that group, with the ability that I’m seeing athletically, with the mindset that they’re bringing every day that’s being instilled into them, I think we’re going to be in great shape there.”

And though Gross (and assistant offensive line coach Alex Gehrke) is credited with helping the line gel early, he recognizes that he has a lot to learn, too. There’s been a “learning curve” for him, as well, but he’s been able to rely on his playing experience to help in the transition.

But that combined learning experience, Gross said, has given the offensive line room an opportunity at a “blank slate” as they build together.

“My approach has been to come in with transparency and honesty, and tell them how excited I am about it, how I’m going to prepare like crazy, how I’m going to make mistakes, how we’re all in a growth mindset,” Gross said. “(It’s) a really unique situation, losing five starters and getting a new O-line coach at the same time.

“It’s a blank slate opportunity for all of us. There’s no back story that is going to carry over into how we analyze and assess who the starters are going to be, so I’ll take everything at face value for what I see, and they’ve been great; we’ve had a lot of fun.”

The lineman have responded in a big way and have found some early consistency in camp, while recognizing there’s still a ways to go before anyone feels fully comfortable. But a pre-camp issue, or concern, has seemingly been lessened by how well the group has performed.

Scalley said there’s still some issues with snapping the ball that need to be cleaned up, but the line has held its own against the defense over camp. The position group will remain a focal point going into fall camp, and if it can continue to improve in the trenches, Scalley believes Utah will be a competitor this season.

“That’s where we’re going to make our money this year,” Scalley said.