⚡ CFB Dashboard

Continuous improvement was the name of the game for Utah tight end coach Luke Wells as he worked with his unique group this spring. With just one traditional tight end on the roster in Noah Bennee, there was a lot to learn for others in the room. "It sounds simple, but guys showing up with a burning desire to be great, and there are a lot of techniques to master at that position. And so, individually, guys have an individual improvement plan. They have things that they're working on each week, but I've seen a lot of growth in the entire group throughout the spring, and I'm pleased with where it's going. We're not there yet. We've got a long way to go," Wells said. But just like every position, this offseason is going to be extremely important for fall expectations. "This summer is going to be critical in their development with it, and learning a new offense, and learning, we spent a lot of time really learning what to do and what their assignment is. And now we've had the last couple of weeks, just more emphasis on technique and getting better with that, and then obviously just continuing to play hard and understand the standards that we have with this culture, this team, and what we demand out of them every day," he said. Wells has a unique group of players under his tutelage. While Hunter Andrews was limited for the first half of spring, Wells was pleased with what he saw when the Texas native was cleared to play. "We've been able to do a lot more with him in the last few weeks. And so been pleased with that. I mean, obviously he's got good speed, and so there are some things that we can do there to use his talents to help us be explosive on offense," Wells said. Kana'i Lopes made the move from linebacker to tight end this winter, and the 6'3" and 220-pound athlete has made some good strides this spring. "Kana'i is another one that's gotten better as the springs got on. And Kana'i, like Hunter and the two rhinos, came here to play another position, and the position is still fairly new to him, and he's doing a nice job. He plays with good effort. He's got natural ball skills, and it's been good to see his growth over the last couple of weeks," he said. Those rhinos, Semi Taulanga and Sione Motuapuaka, have pleased Wells with their effort and style of play this spring. "It's surprising to me how athletic they are, and they move better in space than I thought they could early on. We've been able to do more with them than I thought we could," Wells said. "They're really good at the point of attack. And that's the obvious thing that you see, both of them are strong kids, and they both bend really well, and have pretty good change in direction, where they can actually block guys on the second level as well. And I've just been pleased with how they show up to work every day. They got a great attitude, both of them do, and they've been fun to work with." You can watch Wells' full press conference below, including his thoughts on how Bennee is progressing this spring: