Utah Utes football: Beadles put NFL on hold for degree

HENDERSON, Nev. — Zane Beadles was one of three Utah players from the Sugar Bowl championship team to seek and receive a favorable early draft evaluation from the National Football League.

Paul Kruger and Sean Smith opted to enter the draft and were taken on the first day. Beadles chose to go back to school.

"I was never that serious to begin with. It was more for me to just kind of see where I was at in the eyes of an NFL-caliber scout and to get my name out there," Beadles said. "I knew I was going to graduate in December, and getting my degree is a thing for me."

The mechanical engineering major insists it was an easy decision.

"In my mind, the whole time I was coming back," said Beadles, who joined head coach Kyle Whittingham and linebacker Stevenson Sylvester in representing Utah at the ongoing Mountain West Conference football meetings.

The return of Beadles, a 6-foot-4, 305-pound left tackle, is something Whittingham appreciates.

"We're elated that he decided to come back," Whittingham said. "... He's been a four-year starter for us and has done so much for this program. His time will come in the NFL."

Beadles, an All-American candidate, played a pivotal role on last season's 13-0 squad. But that was then and this is now.

"Last year was great. But the thing is every year brings a new set of circumstances and new challenges," Beadles said. "I'm excited to take these challenges on. It's my senior year. I'm excited to take the senior leadership role and see what we can do this year."

Things are different each season, he added, and each squad has its own identity.

"What worked for the '08 Utes may not work for the '09 Utes. It's just a matter of finding what works for this team," said Beadles, who explained that confidence is one of the common threads. "We know how to win, obviously. We have guys that played a big role in that season and know what it takes to get to that point."

The plan is all laid out and was discussed in a recent team leadership meeting.

"We talked about having a great blueprint to go off of from the '08 season. Everything that worked from the '08 season may not work for the '09 season, so we need to tweak some things here and there. We obviously have a good blueprint to start from."

e-mail: dirk@desnews.com