Utah Utes football: Senior linebacker Sylvester not satisfied

For the second consecutive year, the Utah Utes have a previous team captain participating in spring ball. Senior linebacker Stevenson Sylvester is following a path similar to that of quarterback Brian Johnson.

It's a situation he relishes.

"I feel like I'm kind of taking Brian Johnson's role on the defense," said Sylvester. "It feels good."

Playing football, he added, is something he believes he was born to do. It's a passion and an enjoyable one at that.

"I have fun every day," said Sylvester, whose leadership is example-based. "So people just look at me and try to have fun, too."

His demeanor, however, is deceiving.

The All-American candidate takes care of business on the field. He's made 182 tackles over the past three seasons, with 19.5 stops (including seven sacks) behind the line of scrimmage.

NFLDraftScout.com projects the 6-foot-2, 230-pounder as a second- or third-round pick in 2010.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said Sylvester has worked hard and done a nice job in all areas.

"Typically we don't have juniors as captains. So in spring ball, you usually don't have guys on the team that were captains the previous fall," he said. "But he was and he's doing a nice job with his leadership. He's come a long way since he's been in this program."

Sylvester has evolved from a part-time starter as a freshman to a major contributor. In Utah's 31-17 win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, he racked up seven tackles, three sacks and a fumble recovery.

The success, though, is something he'll reflect upon later.

"I'm trying to forget about it, trying not to live it too much because I'm trying to worry about which bowl game I'm trying to get to next year," said Sylvester. "I want to go to that national championship, wherever that's at, that's what I want."

Confidence is part of the former Las Vegas prep star's approach to the game. His philosophy includes not being afraid of anything and a belief that Utah can compete with anyone in the nation.

The Utes were the only undefeated team in the country last season and finished No. 2 in the final Associated Press rankings.

"It was just a great experience," said Sylvester. "I'll never forget it."

Now he's determined to top it.