⚡ CFB Dashboard

The Utah defensive ends room is looking to replace both of its starters from last season, and first-year head coach Inoke Breckterfield asked a lot of his players this spring. "I think they're playing with physicality. I think that was one of the biggest things we stressed going in, playing physical against the run game. I thought that showed up. I like the veteran leadership we have. I like the older guys in the room. They've been really good for the young guys. Ethan Day has been a great addition to the group. I think they're working hard. I think they're figuring things out. Kash [Dillon] and Lance [Holtzclaw] are only two kinds of real veterans coming back. I think they've taken a step forward," Breckterfield said. For a player like Holtzclaw, he is being asked to not only step into a bigger role on the field, but he is also being asked to lead this room and the defense as a whole. "If you're at practice, you'll hear his voice a lot. He's very vocal. He's loud. But he does a great job helping the young guys out, coaching them up, being an extra coach out there, pulling them on the side. Him and Ethan do a really good job of pulling guys on the side and walking through things. And if they don't get it, they lean on him and EDay. So he's been really great in that perspective," he said. Speaking about Day, Breckterfield says that the North Texas transfer has taken the challenge of getting at least 1% better every day to heart. "He brings physicality, brings experience. He's a combination guy, he's physical at the point of attack, and he's got a good power rush, and he can be limber at times. And so he's been really, really good for the room in terms of pushing the pace, pushing for that starting spot," Breckterfield said. Rounding out the returners is Kash Dillon, and the redshirt sophomore is putting himself in a great position to contribute in a big way come this fall. "He's playing more physical. He's done a great job in pass rush of identifying who he is and trying to work on those strengths. We've been working on more power rushes with him," Breckterfield said. "Kash is really taking a step forward. And Kash, when I first got here, wasn't really a vocal dude. You can kind of hear him out there, so he's going to take that leadership role and bite into that piece of it, too." As the calendar turns to May, Breckterfield says it is a three-horse race between Dillon, Day, and Holtzclaw for the two starting spots. You can hear Breckterfield's thoughts on Alex Cloward, PJ Takitaki, and Nick Igwe in his full press conference below: