‘Has all the traits that you look for in a tight end’: Why former BYU basketball forward Caleb Lohner is playing football at Utah

Former BYU and Baylor basketball player Caleb Lohner (81) goes through drills during fall camp at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. The former college basketball player not only changed schools, but sports too. | Utah Athletics

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

After everyone had left the practice field on Monday, Caleb Lohner was the only player that remained.

The sound of the JUGS machine pierced the air, with Lohner catching ball after ball, putting in extra work after Utah’s first padded practice. Playing organized football for the first time since the eighth grade, the former BYU basketball player is taking all the reps he can get.

In 2019, Lohner signed to Utah’s basketball program, and since then, it’s been a journey that led him back to the school he originally pledged to — but now in a different sport.

‘I was just blown away’: Lohner signs with the Runnin’ Utes

Lohner arrived at Wasatch Academy from Dallas in 2019, moving to Mount Pleasant, Utah, to bolster his game and play on one of the most talented prep basketball teams in the nation.

At Wasatch Academy, he was a star on a team that finished with a 27-2 record and a No. 3 national ranking in MaxPreps’ final high school basketball poll. Lohner averaged 14.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game on that loaded team, and his 6-foot-6, 230-pound frame, along with his skill and agility, made him a key target for a lot of college teams.

“The thing that makes him so special is that he really does move like a guard, being as tall as he is, and as big as he is,” Wasatch Academy coach Dave Evans told the Deseret News in 2020. “He already has a strong body, unlike a lot of top high school players, and he really works hard to get better.”

At the time, Lohner was ranked as a top-100 recruit in the nation, and had offers from a host of…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/traits-look-tight-end-why-224855852.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-08-06 22:48:55

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