Utah Utes football: Caleb Schlauderaff quietly anchors offensive line

SALT LAKE CITY — With a name like Caleb Schlauderaff, it seems like it would be difficult to go through life and not be noticed. There are plenty of John Smiths in the world, but there can't be more than one Caleb Schlauderaff.

Yet the starting left guard for the unbeaten Utah football team may be the most invisible man on the whole squad. Schlauderaff probably gets less attention off the field than any Ute starter or anyone on Utah's offensive line, which happens to lead the nation in fewest sacks allowed.

But that's just the way Schlauderaff likes it.

"I don't really care about that," he said. "I kind of like being (unnoticed), so I can walk to school and no one knows who I am. I can go out and no one recognizes me as a football player. I like being under the radar — it makes life a lot easier."

Schlauderaff says whenever he goes out with teammates "people will say, 'Oh that's Jordan Wynn.' I'm just the big guy next to him."

Yeah, just a big, 6-foot-4, 302-pound guy.

Offensive lineman in general don't get much attention, compared to guys like Wynn and running backs Eddie Wide and Matt Asiata or Mr. Everything Shaky Smithson. However, even among the offensive linemen, Schlauderaff seems to get lost in the shuffle.

Last year, tackle Zane Beadles got a fair amount of attention as a first-team All-American and the winner of an NCAA post-graduate scholarship. This year, highly-touted JC transfer John Cullen, was the guy everyone wanted to talk to in fall camp since he was Beadles' replacement and the new guy on the O-line.

When starting center Zane Taylor was named captain just prior to the season, he became the center of attention. Then when Taylor got injured early in the season and missed a game, right guard Tevita Stevens got some publicity when he moved to center to cover for Taylor.

Schlauderaff? All he's done is perform superbly for four years as a starter on an offensive line that is among the best in the nation this season. In five games, the Ute line has given up just one sack and it came against the backups in a rout of New Mexico.

If you look at the offensive line season statistics (yes, they actually keep such things), Schlauderaff is No. 1 with a 91 percent grade for plays won (the only player over 90 percent) and is far and away the leader in "pancakes" with 10 on the season (compared to three for the next best guy)..

But the engaging Schlauderaff isn't bothered he and his fellow offensive linemen don't receive the attention the skill players do.