#John Penisini

[tkmedia]

Teams: Manly's axing after show-stopping game

The NRL's form player of the year, Tom Trbojevic, is set to make his return for the Sea Eagles after missing round 23 with a facial injury.Last week, Trbojevic was ruled out as a precaution amid conflicting reports the superstar fullback had damaged a pre-existing facial fracture.

Tom Trbojevic (Getty)While serious injury concerns were put to bed, the Sea Eagles took no chance, resting their talisman who is set to make an emphatic return against the Bulldogs this week.Meanwhile, star teammate Moses Suli has been dropped from Des Hasler's squad despite putting up a stellar man of the match performance last week. Suli has been dropped to reserves, replaced by Brad Parker who slots straight into the centres.

Moses Suli. (Getty)Elsewhere, it's tough luck for the Tigers who have the unfortunate task of taking on the Panthers without standout star Adam Doueihi who has been sidelined with a knee injury.To make matters harder for Michael Maguire's men, star winger Brian To'o has made an early return from injury and will line up on Sunday evening.Meanwhile, the Raiders have dumped halfback Sam Williams after back-to-back critical losses to the Storm and Manly.

Adam Doueihi inspires the Tigers to a big win over the Knights. (Getty) (Getty)

NRL Teams

THURSDAYNewcastle Knights vs Gold Coast Titans, 7.50pm at Sunshine Coast StadiumKnights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Enari Tuala 3. Kurt Mann 4. Bradman Best 5. Hymel Hunt 6. Jake Clifford 7. Mitchell Pearce 8. Sauaso Sue 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Jacob Saifiti 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Mitchell Barnett 13. Connor Watson 14. Brodie Jones 15. Chris Randall 16. Josh King 17. Jirah Momoisea 18. Jack Johns 19. Pasami Saulo 20. Simi Sasagi 21. Phoenix CrosslandTitans: 1. Jayden Campbell 2. Phillip Sami 3. Brian Kelly 4. Patrick Herbert 5. Corey Thompson 6. Tyrone Peachey 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Jarrod Wallace 9. Mitch Rein 10. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui 11. Kevin Proctor 12. Beau Fermor 13. Sam McIntyre 14. Erin Clark 15. David Fifita 16. Moeaki Fotuaika 17. Jaimin Jolliffe 18. Toby Sexton 19. Sam Lisone 20. Esan Marsters 21. Greg MarzhewFRIDAYWarriors vs Canberra Raiders, 6pm at BB Print StadiumWarriors: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3. Peta Hiku 4. Adam Pompey 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Sean O'Sullivan 7. Chad Townsend 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Wayde Egan 10. Matt Lodge 11. Josh Curran 12. Euan Aitken 13. Bayley Sironen 14. Kodi Nikorima 15. Bunty Afoa 16. Eliesa Katoa 17. Jazz Tevaga 18. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown 20. Rocco Berry 21. Kane Evans 22. Jack MurchieRaiders: 1. Jordan Rapana 2. Bailey Simonsson 3. Sebastian Kris 4. Matthew Timoko 5. Harley Smith-Shields 6. Jack Wighton 7. Matt Frawley 8. Josh Papali'i 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Ryan Sutton 14. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 15. Emre Guler 16. Corey Horsburgh 17. Siliva Havili 18. Sam Williams 19. Dunamis Lui 20. Semi Valemei 21. Trey MooneySydney Roosters vs South Sydney Rabbitohs, 7.55pm at Suncorp StadiumRoosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Lachlan Lam 4. Joseph Manu 5. Brad Abbey 6. Drew Hutchison 7. Sam Walker 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Sam Verrills 10. Siosiua Taukeiaho 11. Egan Butcher 12. Sitili Tupouniua 13. Isaac Liu 14. Ben Marschke 15. Naufahu Whyte 16. Fletcher Baker 17. Ben Thomas 18. Moala Graham-Taufa 19. Tukupa Hau Tapuha 20. Daniel Suluka-FifitaRabbitohs: 1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Alex Johnston 3. Dane Gagai 4. Campbell Graham 5. Jaxson Paulo 6. Cody Walker 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Mark Nicholls 9. Damien Cook 10. Thomas Burgess 11. Jaydn Su'A 12. Jai Arrow 13. Cameron Murray 14. Benji Marshall 15. Jacob Host 16. Tevita Tatola 17. Hame Sele 18. Liam Knight 19. Blake Taaffe 20. Peter Mamouzelos 21. Taane Milne

Latrell Mitchell (Getty)SATURDAYSt George Illawarra Dragons vs North Queensland Cowboys, 3pm at Browne ParkDragons: 1. Tyrell Sloan 2. Mathew Feagai 3. Jack Bird 4. Zac Lomax 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Talatau Amone 7. Corey Norman 8. Blake Lawrie 9. Jayden Sullivan 10. Josh Mcguire 11. Billy Burns 12. Tariq Sims 13. Jack de Belin 14. Freddy Lussick 15. Tyrell Fuimaono 16. Daniel Alvaro 17. Jackson Ford 18. Kaide Ellis 19. Poasa Faamausili 20. Gerard Beale 21. Josh KerrCowboys: 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Valentine Holmes 4. Ben Hampton 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Scott Drinkwater 7. Tom Dearden 8. Jason Taumalolo 9. Reece Robson 10. Jordan McLean 11. Ben Condon 12. Heilum Luki 13. Reuben Cotter 14. Jake Granville 15. Jeremiah Nanai 16. Mitchell Dunn 17. Griffin Neame 18. Tom Gilbert 19. Daejarn Asi 20. Francis Molo 21. Laitia MoceidrekeCronulla Sharks vs Brisbane Broncos, 5.30pm at Suncorp StadiumSharks: 1. Will Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Connor Tracey 4. Jesse Ramien 5. Mawene Hiroti 6. Luke Metcalf 7. Braydon Trindall 8. Toby Rudolf 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Aaron Woods 11. Briton Nikora 12. Siosifa Talakai 13. Jack Williams 14. Matt Moylan 15. Braden Hamlin-Uele 16. Aiden Tolman 17. Teig Wilton 18. Kai O'Donnell 19. Billy Magoulias 20. Jenson Taumoepeau 21. Joniah LualuaBroncos: 1. Tesi Niu 2. Corey Oates 3. Selwyn Cobbo 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Xavier Coates 6. Anthony Milford 7. Albert Kelly 8. Thomas Flegler 9. Jake Turpin 10. Payne Haas 11. Alex Glenn 12. Jordan Riki 13. Kobe Hetherington 14. Danny Levi 15. Rhys Kennedy 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. TC Robati 18. David Mead 19. Brendan Piakura 20. Cory Paix 21. Brodie CroftMelbourne Storm vs Parramatta Eels, 7.35pm at Suncorp StadiumStorm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Dean Ieremia 3. Reimis Smith 4. Justin Olam 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Brandon Smith 10. Christian Welch 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Kenneath Bromwich 13. Chris Lewis 14. Harry Grant 15. Aaron Pene 16. Tom Eisenhuth 17. Nicholas Hynes 18. Tui Kamikamica 19. Isaac Lumelume 20. Tepai Moeroa 21. Marion SeveEels: 1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Haze Dunster 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Waqa Blake 5. Blake Ferguson 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Isaiah Papali'i 9. Joey Lussick 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Marata Niukore 13. Nathan Brown 14. Ray Stone 15. Bryce Cartwright 16. Makahesi Makatoa 17. Keegan Hipgrave 18. Will Smith 19. Oregon Kaufusi 20. Sean Russell 21. Jakob Arthur

Ryan Papenhuyzen (Getty)SUNDAYManly Sea Eagles vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, 1.50pm at Moreton Daily StadiumSea Eagles: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jason Saab 3. Brad Parker 4. Morgan Harper 5. Reuben Garrick 6. Kieran Foran 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Toafofoa Sipley 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Martin Taupau 11. Haumole Olakau'atu 12. Josh Schuster 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Dylan Walker 15. Karl Lawton 16. Curtis Sironen 17. Josh Aloiai 18. Moses Suli 19. Cade Cust 20. Jack Gosiewski 21. Kurt De LuisBulldogs: 1. Nick Meaney 2. Corey Allan 3. Will Hopoate 4. Aaron Schoupp 5. Jayden Okunbor 6. Lachlan Lewis 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Ava Seumanufagai 9. Bailey Biondi-Odo 10. Jack Hetherington 11. Matt Doorey 12. Joe Stimson 13. Josh Jackson 14. Brandon Wakeham 15. Ofahiki Ogden 16. Chris Patolo 17. Sione Katoa 19. Falakiko Manu 20. Jackson Topine 21. Jake Averillo 22. Watson HeletaPenrith Panthers vs Wests Tigers, 4.05pm at Moreton Daily StadiumPanthers: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Stephen Crichton 3. Paul Momirovski 4. Matt Burton 5. Brian To'o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Viliame Kikau 12. Kurt Capewell 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Mitch Kenny 15. Scott Sorensen 16. Tevita Pangai Junior 17. Liam Martin 18. Izack Tago 19. Taylan May 20. Tyrone May 21. Charlie StainesTigers: 1. Moses Mbye 2. David Nofoaluma 3. Tommy Talau 4. Michael Chee-Kam 5. Ken Maumalo 6. Jock Madden 7. Luke Brooks 8. Thomas Mikaele 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Stefano Utoikamanu 11. Shawn Blore 12. Luciano Leilua 13. Alex Twal 14. Joe Ofahengaue 15. Jake Simpkin 16. Tom Amone 17. Alex Seyfarth 18. James Roberts 19. Billy Walters 20. Tukimihia Simpkins 21. Zac Cini

Jarome Luai of the Panthers jumps on the pack as Viliame Kikau of the Panthers celebrates a try. (Getty)For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here! Read the full article

[bmhill3]

Grading the Detroit Lions 2020 Draft

The 2020 NFL Draft is officially over.

After three days of picks, trades and hugs (both virtual and in-person), the new crop of collegiate athletes start their journey towards fulling their dreams of playing professional football.

The Detroit Lions, who finished 3-12-1 in 2019, were slotted to draft third overall. While many expected Bob Quinn to trade the pick, they stood pat and selected…

[guzelhbr-blog]

Dünyanın ilk penis ve testis torbası nakli yapıldı

Buğra Sözeri

ABD'de bir grup doktor 14 saatlik başarılı bir operasyonla dünyanın ilk penis ve testis torbası naklini gerçekleştirdi.

Dünyanın ilk başarılı penis ve testis torbası nakli ABD'nin Maryland eyaletinin Baltimore kentinde bulunan Johns Hopkins University'deki cerrahlar tarafından Afganistan'daki görevinde yaralanan bir ABD askeri üzerinde gerçekleştirildi.

11 doktor 26 Mart'ta gerçekleşen 14 saatlik bir operasyonla  ölen bir bağışçının penisini, testis torbasını ve karın duvarının bir kısmını askere nakletti.

Gazetecilere konuşan Profesör W.P. Andrew Lee "Onun normale yakın üriner ve cinsel işlevlerini tamamen iyileştikten sonra yeniden kazanacağı konusunda iyimseriz" ifadelerini kullandı.

Askerin birkaç yıl önce Afganistan'daki görevinde bir patlayıcıya basarak penis, testis torbası ve yumurtalıklarını kaybettiği de açıklandı.Ancak ölen bağışçının yumurtalıkları etik kaygılar nedeniyle hastaya nakledilmedi.

Adı açıklanmayan hasta ise açıklamasında "Kabul edilmesi zor bir yaralanmaydı. Uyandığımda, nihayet kendimi daha normal biri gibi hissettim. Daha kendime güvenli hissettim. Bu 'artık iyi olduğumun' güveni" dedi.

Bu hafta taburcu edilmesi beklenen hastanın tamamen iyileşmesinin 6-12 ay sürebileceği vurgulandı.Bunun şu ana kadarki en karmaşık penis nakli olduğu belirtiliyor çünkü operasyonda deri, kaslar, tendonlar, sinirler, kemik ve kan damarları da nakledildi.BBC operasyonun ayrıca testis torbası ve çevresindeki karın bölgesini kapsayan ilk tam doku nakli olduğunu da belirtti. ABD'de ilk penis nakli 2016'da Boston'daki Massachusetts General Hospital'da yapılmıştı. AFP'nin aktardığına göre 2006'da ilk penis nakli Çin'de gerçekleştirilse de nakil yapılan hastanın ve eşinin ağır psikolojik sorunları nedeniyle nakledilen penis geri alındı. Daha sonra dünyanın ilk başarılı penis naklini ise 2014'te Güney Afrikalı cerrahlar gerçekleştirdi. Son naklin dünyada başarılı olan 4. penis nakli olduğu belirtildi.

[dailyrugbytoday]

RLWC 2022: Tonga play against Papua New Guinea

New Post has been published on https://thedailyrugby.com/rlwc-2022-tonga-play-against-papua-new-guinea/

The Daily Rugby

https://thedailyrugby.com/rlwc-2022-tonga-play-against-papua-new-guinea/

RLWC 2022: Tonga play against Papua New Guinea

Complete Guide on How to Watch Rugby League World cup Tonga vs PNG Live Stream 2022 via pc and mobile device – Get RLWC 2022 Latest Updates, News, Schedule, Worldwide TV Channels & Broadcaster List.  For the first time in RLWC history, the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments will take place together in 2022.

How to watch the Rugby League World Cup

Fox League will hold exclusive rights to the 2022 Rugby League World Cup in Australia.

Spark Sport will broadcast all games in New Zealand, with Channel Three and ThreeNow to show Kiwis games live.

BBC will host the RLWC in the UK, with games to be held on their main channel and streaming services.

Mate Ma’a Tonga vs PNG

Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helen’s

WEDNESDAY 19TH OCTOBER

How to watch Rugby League World Cup 2022 ” When does it start, Live streams and schedule”

Papua New Guinea: Wellington Albert (London Broncos), Jacob Alick (Gold Coast Titans), Keven Appo (PNG Hunters), Watson Boas (Doncaster), Xavier Coates (Melbourne Storm), Edene Gebbie (Townsville Blackhawks), Edwin Ipape (Leigh Centurions), Zev John (Central Capras), Alexander Johnston (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Lachlan Lam (Leigh Centurions), Kyle Laybutt (Townsville Blackhawks), Nene Macdonald (Leigh Centurions), Rhyse Martin (Leeds Rhinos), Sylvester Namo (PNG Hunters), Jimmy Ngutlik (Wests Magpies), Justin Olam (Melbourne Storm), Nixon Putt (Central Capras), Daniel Russell (Brisbane Tigers), Jeremiah Simbiken (Redcliffe Dolphins), Rodrick Tai (PNG Hunters), Sherwin Tanabi (PNG Hunters),

Wesser Tenza (PNG Hunters), Emmanuel Waine (PNG Hunters), Mckenzie Yei Ketepa (Central Capras).

Mate Ma’a Tonga: Talatau Amone (St George Illawarra Dragons), David Fifita (Gold Coast Titans), Addin Fonua Blake (Warriors), Moeaki Fotuaika (Gold Coast Titans), Siliva Havili (South Sydney Rabbitohs), William Hopoate (St Helens Saints), Konrad Hurrell (St Helens Saints), Isaiya Katoa (Penrith Panthers), Sione Katoa (Cronulla Sharks), Felise Kaufusi (Melbourne Storm), Keaon Koloamatangi (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Toluta’u Koula (Manly Sea Eagles), Tuimoala Lolohea (Huddersfield Giants), Soni Luke (Penrith Panthers), Ben Murdoch-Masila (Warriors), Tesi Niu (Brisbane Broncos), Haumole Olakau’atu (Manly Sea Eagles), Will Penisini (Parramatta Eels), Moses Suli (St George Illawarra Dragons), Siosifa Talakai (Cronulla Sharks), Tevita Tatola (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Siosiua Taukeiaho (Sydney Roosters), Jason Taumalolo (North Queensland Cowboys), Daniel Tupou (Sydney Roosters).

[your-dietician]

There’s a notable increase of Utah ties in the NFL this offseason

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/nfl/theres-a-notable-increase-of-utah-ties-in-the-nfl-this-offseason/

There’s a notable increase of Utah ties in the NFL this offseason

Each summer over the past eight years, the Deseret News has created a master list of Utah ties in the NFL during the offseason. This year, there are 89 Utah ties on an NFL roster just a few weeks before teams head to training camps near the end of July.

How does the number of Utah ties on NFL rosters in 2021 stack up to past seasons?

The 89 Utah ties currently in the NFL is significantly higher than the past three seasons — there were 74 last season, 76 in 2019 and 79 in 2018.

The 2017 offseason set the standard in recent years, when there were 90 local players on NFL rosters around this time, paced by a strong contingent of 35 rookies. Earlier this offseason, there were 90 Utah ties on NFL rosters, before former South Sevier High’s Alani Pututau was released by Atlanta.

In 2016, there were 75 Utah ties on rosters during the summer, with 70 in 2015 and 66 in 2014.

This year’s crop of 89 local players includes 16 rookies, with eight draft picks and eight undrafted free agents.

Here’s a breakdown of those 89 players (note: they can count towards multiple categories):

29 who played at the University of Utah (down from 30 last year)

26 who played at BYU (up from 12 last year)

14 who played at Utah State (down from 15 last year)

4 who played at Weber State (equal to 4 last year)

4 who played at Snow College (equal to 4 last year)

1 who played at Southern Utah (down from 2 last year)

42 who played football at Utah high schools (up from 30 last year)

So, why is there such an increase of Utah ties this year?

Three main reasons contribute to the sizable jump of Utah ties in the NFL:

BYU went from 12 players in the NFL in the 2020 offseason to 26 this year. There are 13 Cougars who will be rookies in 2021 — if they make it to an opening day roster — headlined by quarterback Zach Wilson, the No. 2 overall selection by the New York Jets in the 2021 NFL draft.

The number of Utah high school players in the NFL saw an increase of 40% from last year to this year. In addition to Wilson, who went to Corner Canyon High, former Desert Hills High’s offensive tackle Penei Sewell was a first-round draft pick — he went No. 7 overall to the Detroit Lions — and there were seven total Utah high schoolers taken in this year’s draft. There are a total of 10 Utah high school rookies overall.

The University of Utah, yet again, leads the way among state representatives, and the number of Utes only went down one even though longtime quarterback Alex Smith retired and no Utah rookies were drafted — thanks in large part to COVID-19 impacting the past year. Even so, the Utes have had 21 players drafted in the past five years and 18 of them are still in the league.

Here’s a look at each Utah tie in the NFL, listed by team in alphabetical order:

San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner (54) in action against the Arizona Cardinals during an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz.

Jennifer Stewart, Associated Press

BYU players in the NFL

Name Pos. NFL Utah high school (if applicable)

Name Pos. NFL Utah high school (if applicable)

Zayne Anderson S Kansas City Chiefs Stansbury Matt Bushman TE Las Vegas Raiders N/A Brady Christensen OT Carolina Panthers Bountiful Michael Davis CB Los Angeles Chargers N/A Zac Dawe DE Atlanta Falcons Pleasant Grove Chandon Herring OL Tennessee Titans N/A Taysom Hill QB New Orleans Saints N/A Tristen Hoge OG New York Jets N/A Bronson Kaufusi TE Green Bay Packers Timpview Corbin Kaufusi OL San Francisco 49ers Timpview Isaiah Kaufusi LB Indianapolis Colts Brighton Dayan Lake CB Los Angeles Rams Northridge Harvey Langi LB New England Patriots Bingham Dax Milne WR Washington Football Team Bingham Kai Nacua S San Francisco 49ers N/A Micah Simon WR Carolina Panthers N/A Daniel Sorensen S Kansas City Chiefs N/A Sione Takitaki LB Cleveland Browns N/A Khyiris Tonga DT Chicago Bears Granger Kyle Van Noy LB New England Patriots N/A Fred Warner LB San Francisco 49ers N/A Troy Warner S Los Angeles Rams N/A Chris Wilcox CB Tampa Bay Buccaneers N/A Jamaal Williams RB Detroit Lions N/A Ty’Son Williams RB Baltimore Ravens N/A Zach Wilson QB New York Jets Corner Canyon

Denver Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles (72) warms up before an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Denver.

Jack Dempsey, Associated Press

Utah players in the NFL

Name Pos. NFL Utah high school (if applicable) Utah junior college (if applicable)

Name Pos. NFL Utah high school (if applicable) Utah junior college (if applicable)

Brian Allen CB Cleveland Browns N/A N/A Bradlee Anae DE Dallas Cowboys N/A N/A Cody Barton LB Seattle Seahawks Brighton N/A Jackson Barton OT New York Giants Brighton N/A Francis Bernard LB Dallas Cowboys Herriman N/A Julian Blackmon FS Indianapolis Colts Layton N/A Marquise Blair S Seattle Seahawks N/A N/A Garett Bolles OT Denver Broncos Westlake Snow Devontae Booker RB New York Giants N/A N/A Terrell Burgess S Los Angeles Rams N/A N/A Kylie Fitts OLB Arizona Cardinals N/A N/A Leki Fotu DT Arizona Cardinals Herriman N/A Matt Gay K Los Angeles Rams Orem N/A Javelin Guidry DB New York Jets N/A N/A Chase Hansen LB New Orleans Saints Lone Peak N/A Tyler Huntley QB Baltimore Ravens N/A N/A Jaylon Johnson CB Chicago Bears N/A N/A Star Lotulelei DT Buffalo Bills Bingham Snow Zack Moss RB Buffalo Bills N/A N/A Jared Norris LB Washington Football Team N/A N/A Tim Patrick WR Denver Broncos N/A N/A Darrin Paulo OL Detroit Lions N/A N/A John Penisini DL Detroit Lions West Jordan Snow Eric Rowe CB/S Miami Dolphins N/A N/A Pita Taumoepenu LB Denver Broncos Timpview N/A Sam Tevi OT Indianapolis Colts N/A N/A Hunter Thedford TE Detroit Lions N/A N/A Marcus Williams FS New Orleans Saints N/A N/A Mitch Wishnowsky P San Francisco 49ers N/A N/A

Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner stands on the field between drills during NFL football practice Tuesday, June 15, 2021, in Renton, Wash.

Ted S. Warren, Associated Press

Utah State players in the NFL

Name Pos. NFL Utah high school (if applicable)

Name Pos. NFL Utah high school (if applicable)

Jalen Davis CB Cincinnati Bengals N/A Dominik Eberle K Las Vegas Raiders N/A Kyler Fackrell LB Los Angeles Chargers N/A Tipa Galeai DE Green Bay Packers N/A Tyler Larsen C Washington Football Team Jordan Nevin Lawson CB Las Vegas Raiders N/A Dallin Leavitt S Las Vegas Raiders N/A Jordan Love QB Green Bay Packers N/A JoJo Natson WR/Ret. Cleveland Browns N/A Dax Raymond TE Pittsburgh Steelers Timpview Patrick Scales LS Chicago Bears Weber Darwin Thompson RB Kansas City Chiefs N/A Nick Vigil LB Minnesota Vikings Fremont Bobby Wagner MLB Seattle Seahawks N/A

Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson (24) runs back an interception for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL divisional round football game against the Baltimore Ravens Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021, in Orchard Park, N.Y.

John Munson, Associated Press

Other Utah college players in the NFL

Name Pos. NFL College Utah high school (if applicable)

Name Pos. NFL College Utah high school (if applicable)

Miles Killebrew S Pittsburgh Steelers Southern Utah N/A Taron Johnson CB Buffalo Bills Weber State N/A Sua Opeta OG Philadelphia Eagles Weber State Stansbury Andrew Vollert TE Indianapolis Colts Weber State N/A Jonah Williams DE Los Angeles Rams Weber State N/A

Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell runs a drill during NFL football practice in Allen Park, Mich., Thursday, June 3, 2021.

Paul Sancya, Associated Press

Other Utah high school players in the NFL

Name Pos. NFL Utah high school Utah junior college (if applicabe)

Name Pos. NFL Utah high school Utah junior college (if applicabe)

Branden Bowen OT Arizona Cardinals Corner Canyon N/A Jordan Devey OL Buffalo Bills American Fork Snow Kaden Elliss LB New Orleans Saints Judge Memorial N/A Simi Fehoko WR Dallas Cowboys Brighton N/A Alohi Gilman S Los Angeles Chargers Orem N/A Porter Gustin DE Cleveland Browns Salem Hills N/A Andre James OT Las Vegas Raiders Herriman N/A Marcus Kemp WR Kansas City Chiefs Layton N/A Bryan Mone DT Seattle Seahawks Highland N/A Dalton Schultz TE Dallas Cowboys Bingham N/A Penei Sewell OT Detroit Lions Desert Hills N/A Xavier Su’a-Filo OT Cincinnati Bengals Timpview N/A Noah Togiai TE Indianapolis Colts Hunter N/A Jay Tufele DT Jacksonville Jaguars Bingham N/A John Ursua WR Seattle Seahawks Cedar/Westlake N/A

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[psikologrehber]

David Reimer Deneyi

1966 yılnda, 8 aylık olan David Reimer'ın sünnet operasyonu son derece başarısız olmuş ve penisini kaybetmesine sebep olmuştu. Psikolog John Money, David’in cinsiyet değiştirmesini önerdi. Ebeveynleri de bu konuda hemfikir oldu, ancak Money ve ailesi, gizli bir şekilde yürütülen, "cinsiyet kimliğinin doğuştan değil, çevre ile şekillendiği" iddiasını kanıtlamak için hazırlanmış bir deneyin parçası olduklarını bilmiyorlardı. David, adını Brenda olarak değiştirdi, cerrahi bir operasyonla bir vajinası oldu ve hormon desteği aldı. Fakat “Brenda”, çocukluğu süresince standart bir erkek çocuk gibi davrandı. Reimer ailesi, Brenda 14 yaşına geldiğinde yaşadıkları sıkıntıya dayanamayıp, Brenda'ya gerçeği söylediler ve tekrar David’e dönmesi konusunda karar aldılar. Fakat deney trajik bir şekilde sonuçlandı ve David 38 yaşında intihar etti. Read the full article

[sportsleague365]

The Lions have agreed to terms with fifth-round wide receiver Quintez Cephus, according to his agents at SportsTrust Advisors (Twitter link). Cephus, who caught 59 passes for 901 yards and seven touchdowns during his final year at Wisconsin, will likely need to contribute on special teams during his rookie campaign. Detroit boasts a wide receiver depth chart that’s already at least four-deep with Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola, and Geronimo Allison, while ace returner Jamal Agnew is making the change to full-time pass-catcher. Cephus was expelled from Wisconsin during an ongoing investigation into assault charges filed by two women in the spring of 2018. He not only denied the accusations, but sued the university, arguing he was expelled with no due process. Cephus was ultimately acquitted and dropped the lawsuit against Wisconsin, and the school reinstated him as both a student and an athlete for 2019. With Cephus under contract, the Lions now have six of their nine 2020 draft picks signed. Here’s the full list: 1-3:Jeffrey Okudah, CB (Ohio State) 2-35:D’Andre Swift,RB (Georgia): Signed 3-67:Julian Okwara, OLB (Notre Dame):Signed 3-75:Jonah Jackson, G (Ohio State):Signed 4-121:Logan Stenberg, OL (Kentucky):Signed 5-166:Quintez Cephus, WR (Wisconsin): Signed 5-172:Jason Huntley, RB (New Mexico State) 6-197:John Penisini, DT (Utah):Signed 7-235:Jason Cornell,DE (Ohio State) Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. #QuintezCephus #DetroitLions

[junker-town]

The Lions are trying to escape the NFC North cellar

Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

How do you fix Detroit? It starts with upgrades to one of the league’s least efficient defenses.

Matt Patricia weathered the storm of a three-win season in 2019 to earn a third year as head coach of the Detroit Lions. What his team does this offseason will determine whether there’s a year four.

The Lions finished last season on a 1-12 slump that saw key players like Matthew Stafford, Kerryon Johnson, and Marvin Jones all miss time due to injury. Their returns should set the stage for an improvement in 2020, but Detroit will need to add talent on both sides of the ball in order to break a three-year playoff drought. Having the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft — and the potential haul a trade down in the first round could bring — should be a boost as well.

Detroit Lions (3-12-1), missed playoffs

While this year’s draft should bring in prized young prospects, Detroit has plenty of holes to plaster with veteran free agent talent. The Lions have a favorable salary cap situation that should allow them to chase several high-impact players. Last year, that turned into signings for Trey Flowers, Justin Coleman, and Danny Amendola.

Before free agency:

Cornerback: Detroit ranked 27th in the NFL in opponent passer rating allowed last season. Now, the team’s top corner, Darius Slay, is on the trading block. There’s a need for secondary help, and adding a lockdown corner would let Coleman stick around in his most effective alignment in the slot.

Defensive tackle: Flowers was a useful addition in 2019, even if he failed to live up to the $90 million contract he signed. Part of his muted impact was thanks to the limited supporting cast around him. Adding a defensive tackle would help crumple pockets from the inside and reduce the pressure on Flowers’ efforts against the run.

Offensive line: Detroit’s pass blocking was fairly average last fall, and the club’s now fully aware of how badly a hurt Stafford can derail the season. Upgrades, especially on the interior of the line, could help keep him upright and create the space needed for Johnson to regain the form that made him one of 2018’s most promising rookies.

What Pride of Detroit wants most this offseason: It’s probably too simple to just say defense, but that’s really the truth. The Lions are specifically needy at defensive tackle after releasing nose tackle Damon Harrison, Sr. earlier this offseason. With both A’Shawn Robinson and Mike Daniels facing free agency, the Lions are without three of their top four defensive tackles from 2019. They need to add at least one run stuffer and one pass rusher up the middle. After trading Darius Slay, they need an outside cornerback to replace the Pro Bowl corner. — Jeremy Reisman

After free agency:

Detroit’s been busy in free agency. Slay was traded to the Eagles, and this offseason brought more former Patriots: notably Jamie Collins, Danny Shelton, and Duron Harmon. Unfortunately for general manager Bob Quinn, there’s still plenty of work left to do.

Cornerback: Slay is gone. While Desmond Trufant could benefit from a change in scenery after signing with the Lions, Patricia needs more talent to hold down his defensive backfield.

Offensive line: Graham Glasgow and Ricky Wagner each departed in free agency. The Lions spent $50 million to lure Halapoulivaati Vaitai from the Eagles, but he alone can’t fix the problems that persisted even before losing two starters on the open market.

Defensive tackle: Shelton and Nick Williams are decent short-term fixes. Detroit needs to find some young, inexpensive players in the draft to generate a long-term solution behind them.

After the draft:

Despite talk of trading down, the Lions held on to the No. 3 pick and came away with the best cornerback in the draft, Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah. That solves one problem.

Guards Jonah Jackson (third round) and Logan Stenberg (fourth round) bring depth to the offensive line and could potentially start right away to pave the way for another new addition. Detroit landed Georgia star running back D’Andre Swift in the second round.

The Lions used their last two picks on the defensive tackle position: Utah’s John Penisini (Round 6) and Ohio State’s Jashon Cornell (Round 7).

Dan Kadar’s draft grade: B

[placetobenation]

There it is, the first fully virtual draft is in the books. You can almost always find a “first ever” moment in every draft, this year is no different. We saw a record breaking 15 picks from the Minnesota Vikings, and the Carolina Panthers were the first ever team to draft entirely defensive players! This virtual draft opened the eyes of many owners, GM’s, and coaches to the possibilities/capabilities of the NFL online. 

It is no secret that football coaches have a propensity to be… old fashioned. For example, Nick Saban (former NFL coach, current Alabama prophet) JUST GOT AN EMAIL ACCOUNT FOR THE FIRST TIME! Formerly, he had an assistant run an email account on his behalf. The assistant would print out the emails and hand them to coach Saban. With the presumed uptick in emails because of the quarantine, the assistant politely refused to continue printing them. 

For the fan, it’s a double -edged sword. On one side, we should be happy to see such innovation being implemented into our sport. On the other, it’s much tougher to report or make media from virtual NFL, off-season work. That’s where we are though. Teams are heading into the next phase of the season doing virtual OTA’s (organized team activities.) The Vikings have sent each player an Ipad, on which they have to attend meetings. Reporters are “breaking” the “news” that players who were suspected of holding out, have logged in to their Ipads! We are truly in dark times. 

Luckily, there’s plenty of draft content to still unpack! I am going to start a series of grading each teams draft. It will broken down into division, ranking them accordingly. I am going to start with the division that is most near and dear to my heart, the NFC North.

Starting at bottom. The way bottom. Spoiler, not just the bottom of the division, but the bottom of the entire league. As rock bottom as you can possibly dig yourself into…. 

The Green Bay Packers.

If you talked to any Packers fans before the draft, they had a Christmas wish list of wide receivers they were giddy for, and rightfully so. This was/is supposed to be the deepest WR draft class in NFL history! Your teams biggest need matching up with the richest position was a sure recipe for success… NOPE! 15 percent of the players drafted were WR’s, a record breaking 37 WR’s drafted, and at least 5 taken in every round… the Packers drafted a staggering 0 of them. This is mere speculation, but Aaron Rodgers must have hooked up with Matt LaFleur’s sister at the company picnic, because this draft seemed personal! Trading up (wasting draft capital) to get a quarterback, all while Aaron still has 4 years left on contract. Brutal. The first 3 rounds were all similar, drafting players who are seemingly backups. There wasn’t a need addressed until the 5thround with ILB Kamal Martin. All-in-all the best thing the packers could’ve done, was to set their computer on autodraft and head to bed. 

Draft grade: F. 

The Chicago Bears.

Moving up in draft grades from the division, DAAAAAAA BEARS. The Bears had just 2 picks in the top 150 picks. Finally coming out of the Khalil Mack trade, though now feeling consequences of the David Montgomery deal. There was an episode of Parks and Rec where Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt are asked to help run the city’s model UN for the year. Various other characters from the show are asked to help with the event by running a random country. Andy (played by Chris Pratt) went around trading all of his nonrenewable resources like gold, oil, some of the land, etc. for every other country’s lions. When asked why he do that, he responded “I traded all of Finland’s boring stuff for lions. I definitely have more lions than any other country in the whole world right now. I have no idea what’s going on, but if that ends up meaning something in this game… I’d say I’m set!” That is exactly how the bears approached this draft. Their first pick was the consensus number one tight end, Cole Kmet. Getting a player who is number one at their position should help any teams draft grade… except that he’s the bear’s 10th tight end on their roster… the Bears have 10 tight ends on their roster. They had one pick made sense in this draft, CB Jaylon Johnson. A great player who attacks the ball and jumps routes. He is great at man to man and loves to play physical. He will make an immediate impact on the roster, but for a team with this many holes, one impact player isn’t enough from this draft. But if tight ends end up meaning something in this game, I’d say they’re set!

Draft grade: D. 

The Detroit Lions.

I am from Detroit, so this team holds a special place in my heart. My dad played tuba in high school and my mom played clarinet. Sports were definitely a love I had to develop on my own, so I never drank the Honolulu blue and silver Kool-Aid. I have a pretty rational view of the Lions’ organization which is heart-breaking because of how inept the ownership and coaching staff is. That being said, they had a great draft! It’s hard to not do well with the number 3 overall pick, but I was lowkey worried that they would find a way to “same old Lions” the pick! Jeff Okudah is a player who will make a difference for, presumably, the next decade. They followed that up with my favorite running back in the draft, D’Andre Swift. They got 2 steals in the 3rd and 4th with Jonah Jackson and Logan Sternberg respectively, and they capped the draft off with a gift to the fantasy community, John Penisini. While Penisini won’t directly affect your fantasy team points, he damn well could help name it! I’m hopeful to see what the future holds for this draft class, just hoping Matt Patricia can learn how to coach a football team in the meantime. 

Draft grade: B+

The Minnesota Vikings

Alexa, play Trophies by Young Money and Drake. There is a graphic, that I will put at the bottom of this article, that shows how all the various NFL media outlets graded each team. It then takes the average of all grades and ranks them. The Vikings were standing tall among league. Inside look behind the screen, I am a huge Vikings fan. I sat on the edge of my seat as they made every pick. The draft could not have unfolded better for the Vikings. In my final mock draft, I had the Vikings taking Jeff Gladney and Ezra Cleveland with their 2 first rounders. I never expected Justin Jefferson to fall to pick 22, much less Cleveland to tumble all the way down to pick 58! The Vikings addressed every conceivable need in this draft. They worked the draft board like a surfer, dipping and riding. Trading down this year, just to take the assets acquired from the trade and flip them from 5th rounders this year, to 4th’s next year. Though I would have liked to had a few more of my guys (Tyler Johnson, Netane Muti, or Antoine Winfield Jr) they surely elevated their team for the future. 

Draft grade: A

This division is certainly going to be one to watch! The Packers fall from grace should be as epic as the Lions rise. It is truly anyone’s to take and I am excited to see the battles fought in the upcoming season. Readddddddyyyyyy, break!

[junker-town]

Competitive Pac-12? Absolutely. National contenders? Eh

The Pac-12 has depth and intrigue, but perceptions will continue to be hurt by a lack of truly elite play.

At the end of each conference previews run-through, I take a look at how I perceive the conference’s balance of power heading into the season. This is in no way based on schedules, so they are not predictions. This is just how I would rank the teams after writing thousands of words about each of them. We have already completed the MAC, Conference USA, Sun Belt, AAC, MWC, and ACC.

Bill C’s Pac-12 power rankings

Here’s a link to every team’s data, and each team’s name below is linked to its preview.

Tier 1

1. Washington 2. Utah 3. Oregon

The Pac-12 was almost unanimously renowned as college football’s worst power conference last year, but it wasn’t. In terms of S&P+ averages, that dishonor belonged to the ACC, which featured both more teams ranking worse than 70th (four, to the Pac-12’s three) and fewer teams ranking better than 35th (two, to the Pac-12’s five).

The difference in perceptions came at the very top, of course.

We have turned inclusion in the College Football Playoff into a de facto gauge of conference strength — we talk about conferences being eliminated from the title race as much as teams — and while the Pac-12’s best recent program (Washington) has been strong and consistent of late, the ACC has Clemson. The Pac-12 basically wins every test of strength beyond that, but the ACC gets to claim last year’s national title, and the Pac-12 hasn’t had a CFP team in the last two seasons.

That dynamic probably won’t change in 2019. The Pac-12 is again projected to have a higher average S&P+ rating (at plus-7.2, its average is closer to the third-place Big 12 than the fifth-place ACC), but while it’s got three projected top-20 teams to the ACC’s two, those three (Washington, Utah, and Oregon) are all between 15th and 20th. And even if one or more of them overachieve, they still probably won’t be Clemson.

Perceptions aside, though, this could be a really fun battle for supremacy. Washington, Utah, and Oregon are projected awfully close to each other per S&P+, and each has a pretty good argument for superiority. Washington has the track record and the recruiting depth. Utah has the experience and lives in the inferior division (therefore perhaps providing the best overall odds of a conference title). Oregon has the most high-ceilinged player in the conference (QB Justin Herbert) and an improving supporting cast.

I’m boring — I lean toward track records as much as anything. The three teams above are basically ranked in order of recent reliability. It wouldn’t be a surprise if any of these three won the conference title and/or made a run at 12-1 and a potential Playoff bid, but another 11-2 champion is perhaps likely.

Tier 2

4. USC 5. Stanford 6. Washington State

It only takes a couple of ifs to make any of these teams conference title contenders, but they do still start the year with more questions than the top three.

The wild card, as always: USC. The Trojans have recruiting rankings no one else can match, and they’re no longer fielding a freshman QB. If JT Daniels and new offensive coordinator Graham Harrell click, the offense could pretty easily end up a top-15 unit. That could just serve to highlight how much the defense has underachieved of late, but it could also make them an insta-contender. And it has, after all, been only one year since they won the conference title.

Tier 3

7. Cal 8. Arizona State 9. Arizona 10. UCLA 11. Colorado

I almost put Cal in Tier 2. I feel the Golden Bears are a little more proven than the other teams here, if only because of what they return from last year’s tremendous defense. But the offense was so situationally horrible that I don’t feel comfortable calling them anything close to a contender just yet. Plus, the three teams below Cal here are all entering their respective second years with a new coach. One of the three will likely take a leap forward — your second year is your most likely opportunity to do so.

Tier 4

12. Oregon State

The Oregon State offense really could be solid. But the defense was so atrocious last year, and it is so dependent on new blood for help, that the Beavers start 2019 in need of a second-year leap just to catch a potentially bad Colorado.

How does S&P+ see things?

Here’s how my statistical system has the Pac-12 laid out for 2019, with zero equating to an average FBS team. (You can find full 2019 S&P+ projections here.)

Oregon’s returning production and recruiting have the Ducks positioned for a nice step forward. But the preseason top-10 hype still feels a bit overdone. They were not nearly as consistent as UW or Utah last fall.

2019 projected standings (per S&P+)

Projected conference wins, with overall wins in parentheses.

North Division

Washington 6.6 (9.2)

Oregon 5.9 (8.1)

Stanford 5.3 (6.7)

Washington State 4.8 (7.4)

Cal 3.5 (5.4)

Oregon State 1.3 (2.6)

We’ve got a battle! Stanford gets both Washington and Oregon at home, which gives the Cardinal a chance to make up ground, but the winner of October 19’s UW-UO game in Seattle is your likely division winner.

South Division

Utah 6.4 (8.9)

USC 5.0 (6.5)

Arizona State 4.6 (6.7)

Arizona 4.0 (6.2)

UCLA 3.9 (4.9)

Colorado 2.8 (4.8)

While three teams are projected within 1.3 wins of each other in the North, no one is projected within 1.3 wins of Utah in the South. If USC’s offense ignites, the equation changes. But Utah has earned the benefit of the doubt at this point.

Pac-12 offenses heading into 2019

There wasn’t a lot of different in efficiency from one Pac-12 offense to another last year (only the Washington schools really stood out), but only a few could make big plays. And if Khalil Tate is healthy for the full season, Arizona’s already explosive offense could be more so.

Pac-12 defenses heading into 2019

Oregon State’s defense: the UConn of the power five.

Best 2019 offensive players by team (best overall in bold):

Arizona: QB Khalil Tate

Arizona State: RB Eno Benjamin

Cal: G/T Valentino Daltoso

Colorado: WR Laviska Shenault Jr.

Oregon: QB Justin Herbert

Oregon State: WR Isaiah Hodgins

Stanford: QB KJ Costello

UCLA: RB Joshua Kelley

USC: WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

Utah: RB Zack Moss

Washington: RB Salvon Ahmed

Washington State: WR Dezmon Patmon

Khalil Tate was the Pac-12’s most exciting player in 2017, and while Justin Herbert is getting all the draft hype, KJ Costello might have been better than his green division rival.

The battle for first-team all-conference could be outstanding, but the surest thing in the league might be a receiver. Laviska Shenault Jr. was one of the best players in the country when he was healthy, and he proved himself as both an efficiency weapon (CU’s run game was horrid, so he took a lot of short passes as a substitute) and a massive big-play threat. Since I can’t decide between the QBs, I’ll go with a WR instead.

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Laviska Shenault Jr. (2)

Best 2019 defensive players by team

Arizona: LB Colin Schooler

Arizona State: CB Kobe Williams

Cal: LB Evan Weaver

Colorado: LB Nate Landman

Oregon: CB Thomas Graham Jr.

Oregon State: DT Elu Aydon

Stanford: CB Paulson Adebo

UCLA: CB Darnay Holmes

USC: DT Jay Tufele

Utah: DT John Penisini

Washington: DT Levi Onwuzurike

Washington State: S Jalen Thompson

Same phenomenon here — I couldn’t decide between Onwuzurike and Penisini, so I went with a linebacker instead. It’s hard to disagree with that, though, considering what Weaver accomplished last year (nine tackles for loss, eight passes defensed, 17 run stuffs).

James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Evan Weaver

[junker-town]

Utah’s window of opportunity is wide open

Kyle Whittingham’s Utes have improved just as the rest of their division has regressed. Just a bit more improvement could mean their first Pac-12 title.

Bill C’s annual preview series of every FBS team in college football continues. Catch up here!

A mere seven years ago, the Golden State Warriors were a basketball afterthought. They had some intriguing young talent, but they had just finished up their fourth consecutive losing season and had been to the playoffs only once in 19 years. There wasn’t much history here — they hadn’t been to even a Western Conference final since 1976 — and there was definitely no blue-blood status.

We of course know what happened in the years that followed.

The Warriors built a sustainable core thanks in part to outstanding talent evaluation. Stephen Curry was the No. 7 pick in the 2009 draft, Klay Thompson was No. 11 in 2011, and future NBA defensive player of the year Draymond Green was the No. 35 pick in 2012. They found other useful pieces like Harrison Barnes (No. 7 in 2012) and Festus Ezeli (No. 30 in 2012) in the draft as well.

A power vacuum briefly formed in the usually-tough Western Conference. The Lakers got old and cratered. The Spurs and Mavericks began to show their age as well. Teams like the Grizzlies, Clippers, and Nuggets found a glass ceiling. The Spurs and Thunder were still particularly good, but this was not the murderer’s row it had once been.

When the Warriors found a window of opportunity, they took advantage. They upset the third-seeded Nuggets in 2013 and nearly did the same to the Clippers the next year. In 2015, smoked the Pelicans and Grizzlies, beat up another upstart club (the Rockets) in the Western Conference Finals, and beat a banged up Cavaliers team in six games to win the NBA title. They lost the next year but found a way to fit Kevin Durant’s contract under the cap, then won the next two titles as well.

Watching the Warriors in the 2019 playoffs — they made the finals again but lost to the Raptors, due in part to injuries to Durant and Thompson, and now free agency might be about to rip apart the core of the roster — got me thinking a lot about windows of opportunity.

There is no draft in college football, and there’s definitely no free agency (at least, not exactly). Still, there’s a similar process for changing your lot in life:

Build a sustainable core/system.

Watch for power vacuums.

When one appears, take advantage.

Utah has very much accomplished steps one and two at the moment.

Kyle Whittingham’s Utes landed in the Pac-12 at an awkward time. They had become the shining star of the Mountain West in the 2000s, bowling for eight straight years and going unbeaten with BCS bowl wins in both 2004 and 2008.

The Utes had already begun to slide, however, when the Pac-12 called. They had regressed in each of their last two years in the MWC, and the slide continued in their first two seasons a power conference. They bottomed out at 58th, with a 5-7 record, in 2012.

They rebounded in 2013 but appeared to hit a ceiling, ranking between 35th and 38th for four straight years. But just as the Pac-12 South as a whole began to lose its bearings — USC went through three coaches in four years, Jim Mora’s UCLA build went sideways, and the Arizona schools failed to sustain 2013-15 momentum — Utah surged.

The Utes rose to 25th in 2017, and while their 7-6 record didn’t yet belie their improvement, it did in 2018. With a team loaded with underclassmen, the Utes improved to 17th, and after competitive early losses to both Washington schools, they ripped off seven wins in their final eight regular seasons games to earn their first South crown. Just as their division rivals sank, they rose.

Based on average S&P+ win projections, here are your projected South standings heading into 2019:

Utah 6.4 projected conference wins (8.9 wins overall)

USC 5.0 (6.5)

Arizona State 4.6 (6.7)

Arizona 4.0 (6.2)

UCLA 3.9 (4.9)

Colorado 2.8 (4.8)

Unless USC’s remodeled offense erupts, Utah is a heavy favorite to repeat. The Utes are projected favorites in 11 of 12 games, and they would be favorites in the Pac-12 title game against Oregon or Stanford and merely a slight underdog against Washington.

Utah is just a couple of ifs away from fielding a top-15 (or better) team at a time when its division mates are struggling to get their respective acts together. There are quite a few key seniors on this squad, but recruiting has improved slightly in recent years, and they appear more capable of replacing key talent than they once were.

This, friends, is what we call a window of opportunity. We’ll see if the Utes can take advantage.

Offense

On the field, personnel changes are minimal for Utah this year. Quarterbacks Tyler Huntley and Jason Shelley both return, as do 1,000-yard rusher Zack Moss and seven of last year’s top eight receivers. The line loses basically 2.5 starters, but 2.5 return, too.

There is one pretty big change, though. Offensive coordinator Troy Taylor was named head coach at Sacramento State, and Whittingham replaced him with an old friend: Andy Ludwig.

Ludwig was Whittingham’s first OC hire back in 2005 before moving on to Cal, San Diego State, Wisconsin, and eventually Vanderbilt in the years that followed. In four years at Vandy, he improved the Commodores from 120th in Off. S&P+ in his first year to 24th, their best ranking since 1987, in his fourth. Veteran quarterback Kyle Shurmur allowed Ludwig to establish his preferred pass-first approach, and back Ke’Shawn Vaughn was one of the country’s most explosive players.

Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Zack Moss

Zack Moss isn’t quite as explosive as Vaughn (few are), but he’s more efficient, and he does still pack a pop in the open field. He rushed for 1,096 yards in just nine games before injuring his knee, and he should be healthy this fall. So, too, should junior Devonta’e Henry-Cole, a change-of-pace speedster who missed 2018.

Moss is listed at 222 pounds, and Utah’s likely line rotation might not feature a single player listed at under 310. Four returnees boast starting experience (led by tackle Darrin Paulo’s 26 career starts), and Whittingham added two beefy transfers in Washington State’s Noah Osur-Myers (6’4, 310) and Marshall’s Alex Locklear (6’5, 330).

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler Huntley

Whittingham’s teams are typically defined by their physicality, and when Utah runs the ball, you’re going to feel it. Still, Ludwig’s happy place is in a pass-first universe. We’ll find out if Tyler Huntley is ready to live in that universe.

Huntley broke his collar bone in an upset loss to Arizona State — he and Moss both missed the last five games — and replacement Jason Shelley looked alright in closing out the Pac-12 South title. But Utah scored just 23 combined points against Washington and Northwestern to end the year, and it appears this is Huntley’s job to lose.

Pre-injury, Huntley appeared to have taken a huge step forward in his development. He had completed 73 percent of his passes, with a 176.6 passer rating, as Utah topped 40 points in four straight conference wins before the collar bone cracked.

The receiving corps had a lot to do with that uptick. Britain Covey is a solid option out of the slot, but fellow slot man Jaylen Dixon took huge strides throughout his freshman campaign (with Shelley behind center, he caught 21 balls for 303 yards in his last four games), and wideouts Samson Nacua and Demari Simpkins had their moments, too. They all return, as do sophomore tight ends Brant Kuithe and Cole Fotheringham (combined: 37 catches, 417 yards) and sophomore wideout Solomon Enis (13 catches, 179 yards).

This is the deepest receiving corps Utah has had since joining the Pac-12. Ludwig could have some fun.

Defense

Offensive improvement was maybe the biggest driver of Utah’s recent overall upgrade. That’s mainly because the defense was already good. The Utes improved back to 19th in Def. S&P+ last year, seventh time in the top 25 under Whittingham. Longtime assistant Morgan Talley took over as coordinator in 2016, and Utah’s defensive success has continued apace.

In a conference with quite a few strong running backs, Utah’s 2018 defense was defined by its ability to blow up your run game. The Utes were eighth in rushing marginal efficiency allowed and second in stuff rate, stopping 28 percent of opposing rushes at or behind the line. That the defensive line returns wholly intact is a pretty good sign that this dominance will continue.

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Bradlee Anae

A foursome of disruptive ends returns, led by senior Bradlee Anae (15.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, 18.5 run stuffs), but the tackle position sets Utah apart. Seniors John Penisini (6’2, 320) and Leki Fotu (6’5, 330) are utterly enormous, and junior backup Pita Tonga (6’1, 300) isn’t exactly small.

Penisini and Fotu both eat up blockers and make plays — they combined for 12.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, and 20 stuffs, and they made life pretty easy for a pair of rampant linebackers, Chase Hansen and Cody Barton (combined: 32.5 TFLs, nine sacks, 43.5 run stuffs!!, 13 passes defensed).

Hansen and Barton are both gone, but Whittingham has done his best to reload on the fly. He returns senior rover Francis Bernard and has added three transfers: former Penn State star Manny Bowen, former UCLA blue-chipper Mique Juarez, and Stanford sophomore Sione Lund. The bar is awfully high, but there’s still lots of talent at LB.

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Julian Blackmon

Question marks arise in the secondary. Despite a decent pass rush, Utah was only 43rd in passing marginal efficiency, 36th on passing downs. They did an outstanding job of forcing third-and-longs, but they’d let you off the hook occasionally. And that was WITH starting safeties Corrion Ballard and Marquise Blair.

Corner Julian Blackmon has apparently moved to safety, and undersized nickel Javelin Guidry is a honey badger-style playmaker (3.5 TFLs, 10 passes defensed). And the secondary could get a nice boost if Nevada transfer Nephi Sewell (6 TFLs) is granted immediate eligibility. (No decision has yet been made, it appears.) Veteran corner Jaylon Johnson picked off four passes last year, and overall the experience is solid. But the secondary still bears most of the burden of proof on this defense.

Special Teams

There’s no other way to put it: Whittingham has mastered special teams. The Utes have ranked in the Special Teams S&P+ top 10 for five straight years (they were first last fall) and in the top 20 for 12 of Whit’s 14 seasons in charge. This is a constant source of strength, to the point where they can lose an amazing punter (Mitch Wishnowsky) and place-kicker (Matt Gay), and my response is, “Eh, they’re fine.” Until proven otherwise, Utah gets the benefit of the doubt here, even if at least a little bit of a drop off is likely.

2019 outlook

2019 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 29-Aug at BYU 50 7.2 66% 7-Sep Northern Illinois 76 18.5 86% 14-Sep Idaho State NR 39.5 99% 20-Sep at USC 29 2.1 55% 28-Sep Washington State 36 9.0 70% 12-Oct at Oregon State 105 22.3 90% 19-Oct Arizona State 49 12.0 76% 26-Oct California 60 14.4 80% 2-Nov at Washington 15 -4.8 39% 16-Nov UCLA 63 14.8 80% 23-Nov at Arizona 52 7.4 67% 30-Nov Colorado 68 16.1 82%

Projected S&P+ Rk 17 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 27 / 20 Projected wins 8.9 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 11.9 (26) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 40 2018 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* -5 / -0.6 2018 TO Luck/Game -1.6 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 75% (90%, 59%) 2018 Second-order wins (difference) 9.2 (-0.2)

If nothing else, S&P+ projections give you a sense of a team’s margin for error. Utah has a lot of it.

Not only are the Utes projected favorites in 11 games, but only one of those wins has a projected margin under seven points (2.1 points at USC). Granted, if they do lose at USC, their most likely division challenger, that erases a good percentage of said margin for error. But they head into 2019 with far more of it than anyone else in the South.

Seriously, what an opportunity here. Utah might never have a better chance of winning the Pac-12 and reaching the Rose Bowl (or better!). There are a couple of big-time pieces to replace on defense, and any time you change offensive coordinators there could be some growing pains. But Utah’s window of opportunity is open, and it’s up to the Utes to take advantage of it.

Team preview stats

All 2019 preview data to date.