Utah Utes football: Peel is healthy, ready to contribute

John Peel has been playing for Utah for six years now — longer than Kyle Whittingham has been the head coach and longer than anyone else on the Utes' team.

Actually, playing might not be the correct word. While this is Peel's sixth year on the Utah football roster, he has sat out for three full seasons and half of another. While he has contributed on special teams, he has caught just one pass as a receiver.

That should all change this year for Peel, who is being counted on to be an essential part of the new Ute offense under offensive coordinator Dave Schramm.

The senior from Arizona is fighting for one of the four starting receiver spots and is likely to play a lot whether he ends up at No. 1 or No. 2 in one of the receiver positions.

"He'll be in there quite a bit," said Schramm. "He'll be an integral part of what we do, no question."

Schramm sees Peel perhaps taking over the role Bradon Godfrey had the past couple of years as a sure-handed receiver over the middle. He said Peel is valuable because he can play all four receiver spots — the X, Y, Z and H positions — thanks to his speed, good hands and intelligence.

"He knows them all," Schramm said. "He's a great guy to have. He's one of those older guys that knows every position, and if you ever got in a bind, you could put him in there and you know the job would be done. He's a leader, and he's been around for a long time."

OK, coach, you don't have to rub it in. However, while Peel is not the oldest guy on the team at age 23, he, along with running back Ray Stowers, has been around the longest.

Peel came to Utah back in 2004, in a class that included Brian Johnson and Brent Casteel, having been recruited personally by former head coach Urban Meyer. He played at Chaparral High in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he was first-team all-state and chose Utah over Boise State.

"The first time here I fell in love with it and verbally committed on my trip," he says.

However, he injured his knee his first year at Utah — a portent of things to come — and sat out as a redshirt in 2004. The following season, Peel played in seven games, mostly on special teams, but missed nearly half the year with a groin injury.

In 2006, Peel was switched to defensive back, but he was rushed from camp in an ambulance one day with neck and back injuries, which turned out to be so serious he couldn't compete in either the 2006 season or 2007 season.

Finally, Peel was healthy for all of last season and played in all 13 games, as a backup receiver and on most of the Utes' special teams.

"I'm staying healthy," he said. "That's my No. 1 thing. It's a huge deal. (The injuries are) all behind me."