Utah Utes football: Derrick Shelby has grown into huge role

SALT LAKE CITY — Derrick Shelby has been playing a big role for the Utah football team ever since his freshman year when he started for the unbeaten, Sugar Bowl-winning team as a "skinny" 245-pound nose guard.

Now Shelby has morphed into a muscular, 270-pound defensive end, who's playing the best football of his career and just keeps getting better every week, according to his coaches.

"He's playing exceptionally well," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. "He came in here a tall, skinny kid with a big frame and a lot of athletic ability and worked his tail off in the weight room to get himself where he is today. The past three games, he's played his best game as a Ute every week and has been as productive as any defensive end in the country."

After leading his team in tackles, getting a couple of sacks and intercepting a pass and returning it for a touchdown last week against Pitt, Shelby earned Pac-12 defensive player of the week honors as well as the Walter Camp national defensive player of the week.

Shelby has no explanation for his terrific play of late, except perhaps that he's finally been able to shed a clunky knee brace he was forced to wear last year after a serious knee injury his sophomore season.

"It was horrible," Shelby says of the knee brace. "Losing that much strength in your leg is tough to come back from, but once you regain it, you feel good. With the lack of the knee brace and better health overall, I got a bunch of strength back in my knee and my quad, so it feels a lot better. It's been a steady increase since then."

Also since last season Shelby was asked to put on an extra 10 pounds, which he feels has helped his pass rushing skills, allowing him to run over offensive linemen rather than around them.

"If you look at most of my rushes, they're mostly power rushes," he said. "When you get bigger you feel like you can push guys over, you won't see me running around guys. Adding bulk and muscle always helps to do that."

Defensive line coach Chad Kauha'aha'a praises the mental side of Shelby's game as well as the physical.

"He's got a lot of playing time under his belt and is putting all that knowledge together right now and that's why he continues to get better every week," said Kauha'aha'a. "He's a student of the game, a smart guy and he controls the defensive front. He knows what everybody is doing and what his opponent is doing — that's why he's so successful."

Defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake said Shelby looked at him funny when he asked him to put on an extra 10 pounds in the offseason, but that he followed through.