Brian Johnson finds a home in Uteville

SALT LAKE CITY — Things were strangely familiar, Tuesday, for the University of Utah football team. Brian Johnson was there with the other quarterbacks, directing the attack and generally acting like he owns the place.

Which, in a way, he does.

After all, Utah is not just his house, but his home. It's been that way since he was 16. Thereafter, he's mostly just been moving in.

The only difference is that now he's outside the yard lines, not inside.

The former Ute quarterback and Sugar Bowl MVP was hard at work with the team Tuesday afternoon, his first on-field day as the team's quarterbacks coach. Just over his shoulder at the Eccles Field House hung the banner from the 2009 Sugar Bowl, a game in which Johnson was at his crafty best.

Now all he has to do is get the current quarterbacks to what he did — be almost perfect through 13 games.

The Utes opened spring drills under stormy skies — literally, not figuratively — though they did finish a disappointing third last year in the conference. (They did, however, manage a Poinsettia Bowl victory to end on a high note.) Rain kept them from practicing outside, so they took it indoors, where both Sugar Bowl and Fiesta Bowl banners hang. It was business as usual on First Day: a hard workout followed by a lot of talk about, well, hard work.

For Johnson, it was a considerable change of angles. Instead of standing behind center, he's standing on the sidelines. Instead of sweating, he's making people sweat.

Same deal, different view, right?

Not really.

"I think you never reach that point of gratification, that camaraderie, hanging out with the guys — that's something you never really can duplicate," he said. "That's a once in a lifetime opportunity, to play college football."

Speaking of opportunities, Johnson has a big one. At just 23 (his birthday was last month), he's a full-time college assistant coach. After spending 2009 trying to hook up with pro teams in three leagues, he wound up back at Utah, which is like pairing Vanilla Bean ice cream with chocolate sauce.

"I wouldn't rather be anyplace in the world than here, being around the program I love," he said.

The transition from player to coach isn't always (ever?) easy. It's a bit like watching the Food Channel. Everyone wishes they were doing the cooking, not watching.

"You'll never do anything like that again, even in the professional ranks, it's not the same. ... it's stuff you can't replicate coaching," he said. "But I do think it's about the closest thing you can get to it, without actually doing it."