Recent injuries cast some doubt as Utah moves closer to fall camp

Utah hasn't even started fall camp yet and they're already down two players.

Kyle Whittingham announced the other day that Keith McGill, who suffered a season-ending injury against Arizona State last season, will now redshirt due to the lengthy rehab of his shoulder surgery. His loss was a bit unexpected, but not terribly damaging, since Utah is pretty stacked at the corner spot, where McGill had been playing since spring - with Ryan Lacy, Reggie Topps and Mo Lee all most likely ahead of him in the depth charts.

The injury that will hurt is that of new offensive lineman Marc Pouvave, who announced he tore his Achilles tendon on Twitter earlier today (the tweet has since been removed). If true, and it appears that it is, Pouvave won't be returning this season with an injury of that severity.

It's a big blow for an already uncertain offensive line. Though Pouvave had yet to play a down at Utah, he came in highly touted and now the coaching staff has to find a replacement - and quick. Worse, if there is another injury, either during camp or the season, on the line, the Utes' depth here becomes dangerously concerning.

I don't want to hit the panic button just yet, but we all know the offensive line is pretty much the only thing standing between Jordan Wynn and a hulking defense gunning to hit him on every down. Wynn's durability is now more important than ever because he's going to often be vulnerable out there, especially on his weak side.

That could seriously dampen expectations this season. Without a halfway decent O-line, our quarterback very well could be a sitting duck and every play, and potential hit, could leave us wincing all season (or until it finally knocks him out for good).

So, it's important someone step up and fill this void. Utah's season might just depend on it.

Scratch that ... it will depend on it.

Get well soon, Marc. You're a great guy.