Utah Utes football: Casteel working his way back into Utes' rotation

Brent Casteel is working his way back into the rotation.

For the first time since suffering a season-ending knee injury in a loss to Air Force on Sept. 8, the all-conference wide receiver got his name on a stat sheet. Though he wasn't involved in full-contact situations, Casteel was credited with a pair of catches and two rushes in last Saturday's scrimmage at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

"I'm feeling better," said Casteel, who is taking things one day at a time while working on his routes and getting his timing down with quarterback Brian Johnson. "My knee's fine. I'm just going out there and making sure I'm catching everything that's thrown to me."

Casteel is one of several players, including fellow offensive stars Johnson and running back Matt Asiata, who are being held back this spring for precautionary reasons after recovering from injuries suffered last season. They're in a "thud" group that can get wrapped up but not tackled to the ground.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham noted that Casteel is able to do everything on his once-injured knee.

"We just don't feel we want to bring him to the ground (on a tackle) until the fall," said Whittingham.

Despite the limitations, the senior receiver is a happy camper.

"The bottom line is it's very, very awesome to be back out here," said Casteel, who is confident he'll bounce back from his injury and eventually take his skills to the next level.

"It was a mental thing in the beginning. But as far as right now, since I've been out here playing, it's not a mental thing," said Casteel. "I know I can run. I know I can play on it. There's nothing I can't do right now. So the mental part is out. Once the summer comes, I'm going to be training very hard so when I come into the season I should be fine."

Casteel's recovery is going well. He's already squatting 485 pounds and believes the knee is stronger than it used to be.

That's good news for a Utah offense that could have used his abilities a year ago — on offense and returning kicks. Casteel's versatility resulted in 1,026 yards receiving, 470 yards rushing and 607 yards on kickoff returns over the 2005 and 2006 seasons combined. He scored 15 touchdowns for the Utes, including one in last year's season-opener at Oregon State.

A week later, though, Casteel got hurt and was sidelined for the remainder of the 2007 season.

The outspoken athlete, who once spoke of winning the Heisman Trophy, stepped out of the spotlight during his recovery. Although he enjoyed watching his teammates, it was difficult not to participate. In addition, Casteel didn't want to be a distraction.

Contrary to rumors that were circulating, the talented athlete wasn't going to pursue a pro career if all had gone well last season.

"I would have stayed. I want to get my diploma and graduate from college," said Casteel. "(The injury) didn't derail me at all. I had no intentions of leaving early or anything like that.

"I'm still in a good situation, and I'm just going to make the best of it," he added.

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E-mail: dirk@desnews.com