One surprise from spring - Utah's o-line improvement

Ask any fan what the weakest position was last year and most will probably say the offensive line. It was horrendous and helped amplify Utah's offensive woes. We all knew, for the Utes to improve a great deal this season, the line would also have to improve a great deal, and, fortunately, that appears to be the case this spring.

While everyone should be cautious with the news out of camp (especially spring camp), the fact the line has stepped up its game this early is a positive sign that maybe things will be better come August.

So, is this improvement believable and what does it mean for Utah if it holds?

Well for starters, it'll automatically make our quarterback position better. It's tough to have a good quarterback without a good line and if Travis Wilson, despite his struggles this spring, can line up behind a durable line, he might be in position to make the leap we're all hoping, and expecting, from him.

It'll also help with the ground game. Though Utah returned John White IV last season and Kelvin York proved to be a solid backup, the Utes' rushing offense ranked 9th in the Pac-12 - which, when you have the worst passing game in the conference, generally won't bode well for your success.

Hopefully this season, Utah can improve both their passing and rushing standing in the conference, because it's been downright awful the last two seasons. With the potential improvement on the line, I'm actually more optimistic in that regard.

What will be interesting, and has been interesting, is watching the development of Junior Salt, who missed last season due to injury after being moved to the offensive side. In Tuesday's practice, he lit up Utah's defense and could prove to be a force for the Utes' offense.

Of course, all this hype could mean the Utah defense is just as suspect and questionable as many of us feared.

But I'd rather not think that.