‘He is a pleasant surprise’: Why Utah coaches are so high on BYU transfer, defensive end Logan Fano
One of the players that has turned heads early on during Utah’s spring practices is freshman defensive end Logan Fano.
Fano served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in San Antonio, Texas, before enrolling at BYU in January 2022.
“He has a high ceiling. He’s really athletic for how big he is. He’s somebody that can pass rush and obviously stop the run if we need him to.” — Utah defensive ends coach Lewis Powell on Logan Fano
Then Fano suffered a serious knee injury two weeks into the Cougars’ spring camp. The four-star recruit by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports never played in a competitive game for BYU.
In January 2023, the 6-foot-4, 238-pounder transferred to Utah. He’s healthy and fully participating in spring drills.
“Logan’s looking good. He was cleared (by doctors) as soon as he got here. He wasn’t limited in any of his workouts and it’s the same in spring. Everything looks good,” said defensive ends coach Lewis Powell. “He’s gained the weight he needs to and he’s had a great offseason. Right now, two days into spring, he is a pleasant surprise. We’re excited to see how he continues to develop throughout the 15 practices.”
During his career at Timpview High, Fano recorded 132 tackles, 17 sacks and three interceptions and he also had a defensive touchdown.
Powell can’t wait to see what Fano can accomplish with the Utes.
“He has a high ceiling. He’s really athletic for how big he is. He’s somebody that can pass rush and obviously stop the run if we need him to,” Powell said. “He can also drop in coverage and do everything we need him to do at a high level. We’re excited. He is everything we thought he was.”
Fano is enjoying his time at Utah.
“I’m loving it. It’s been fun,” he said. “I’m feeling really good. Things are starting to come along. At first, recovery (from the knee injury) was a kind of slow. But since I’ve been up here, things have gone really smooth. The coaches have been good at helping me acclimate to practicing full-go.”
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Meanwhile, Fano’s younger brother, Spencer (6-5, 290), is an offensive lineman that is also playing for Utah after signing last December.
“It’s been so fun. In high school it was cool to be able to play varsity with my little brother,” Logan said. “But there’s just something different about being able to play big-time football with somebody that close to me. It’s been huge for me to be able to have my little brother here pushing me and me pushing him.”
Coach Kyle Whittingham singled out the Fano brothers as two of the newcomers that impressed him on Day One of spring practices.
Offensive line coach Jim Harding is giving Spencer Fano, who’s also a Timpview High product, a chance to compete for playing time next fall.
“My general philosophy is, if you can help us win a championship, regardless of your age or year, we’re going to give you that opportunity. (On Day One) Spencer shows some really good things,” he said. “He was a heavily recruited kid but it’s not just about being heavily recruited. He has a lot of talent.
“Not in pads, but he’s not getting physically overmatched. He’s got a shot. He’s definitely going to get an opportunity to crack into that top five or top 10. This spring is huge for him. Being a mid-year graduate really helps him, getting these extra practices.”
