"You've got to have confidence to play the position and Corbin has a lot of confidence," Johnson said. "And rightfully so."

Louks worked closely with Johnson the past two seasons.

"Brian taught me a lot. He taught me a lot about film study," Louks said.

"That's one of the biggest things I took from him, how to prepare for a game and all the little things defenses do to tip their hand."

In-house competition is another thing Johnson knows a thing or two about. At Utah, he explained, the best players play. The coaches believe it and the athletes have bought into it.

"Competition is competition," said Johnson, who believes complacency can set in when positions are just handed to someone. "It's nice to have a guy on your heels at all times."

Utah's quarterback situation is no different. Johnson thinks it will make all three quarterbacks better and he's excited to see who emerges.

"I think it's more rewarding to get pushed all summer. You never want to relax and think that you've arrived, thinking you don't have to compete for the job," Johnson said. "I know Corbin wants to win this thing fair and square and I'm sure the other guys do as well."

The Utes wrapped up summer conditioning last week and will open camp next month.

E-mail: dirk@desnews.com