⚡ CFB Dashboard

Confidence is growing internally with the Utah defensive tackle room after a strong spring session. The new look group made a good amount of strides during the fifteen practices, according to defensive tackles coach Luther Elliss. His group knows how important it is to set the tone on the defense. "They understood how important it is for us to run to the ball and get there, and especially when big guys are running, it sends a message to the offense, like, okay, this is a pretty good defense, because these guys run all over the field. So I think they understand what we're trying to accomplish. And I think as a group, we got better in our technique and effort to the ball," Elliss said. Elliss also stressed that his group is well aware that they do 'the dirty work' on the defense. And without good play up front, the rest of the defense will struggle. "You're going to eat up double teams, sometimes triple teams. You're going to slant, you're going to run into a couple of blockers. But what you did by doing that is you allow the linebackers to run free, or the safety to come free, or even sometimes a corner to come free. That's what we do, and if we can do it well, it will make our defense better overall," Elliss said. "And the biggest thing there is just getting great knock back and staying square, because then the O-lineman if they decide to come off of us, then we'll make the play, but the biggest thing is just eating up some blocks and taking care of people and not allowing the offensive line to be able to get upfield and convert to our backers or our secondary." There is a different air to the tackle room in 2026. Elliss brought in three portal players who all bring something vastly different to the table. Jireh Moe has been labeled as one of the hardest players to block despite being one of the smaller players in the rotation, according to members of the offensive line, and Elliss echoed that. "Jireh is a pretty special player. For his size, the things he does are pretty exceptional, and he's so explosive. I think the biggest thing he has is a feel for the game. So he just flows with the game, and he does what he does really well, and I'm excited for him. I'm excited for the opportunity he has, and what he's going to do this year on the field because, as crazy as it is, he's one of the hardest guys to block on the field, just because he is so explosive, so quick, he just has a feel that that's kind of special," Elliss said. Wyoming transfer Lucas Samsula is one of the more traditional tackles that Utah is known for, but that doesn't mean he isn't effective in what he does. "He's a big, strong guy that's not going to be moved. It's crazy when he plays high, he's not getting moved. So he continues to work on that pad level, on his inside hands, and things of that nature. But he had a really good spring, and with what he's doing, and as far as creating the havoc in the run game and stuff," Elliss said. Jamal Wallace might have been the most unknown of the three additions, but Eliss says Wallace has the motor to be a solid contributor come fall. "Jamal is so quick off the ball, and he runs, he can run," Elliss said. Those three mixed with returners Karson Kaufusi and Pupu Sepulona give Elliss a lot more to work with than he had last season. "The competition is tight, and there are a lot of guys who want to be the starters. It's a good problem to have right now that we have Lucas, Jam, and Jai, all three competing to start this coming fall," he said. You can watch the full media session below, including Elliss' take on how Kaufusi and Sepulona have adjusted to a bigger leadership role: