‘He has such a competitive drive’: What an NFL team will be getting in Spencer Fano

A star on the offensive line at Timpview, Fano had schools from all over the country vying for his services. Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh played cards with Spencer and his family, while Oregon’s Dan Lanning flew in for a game of Monopoly. Utah put the all-out blitz on as well.

Harding, Whittingham and the Utes were honest with Fano and didn’t promise him any starting spot.

Timpview senior offensive tackle Spencer Fano celebrates with his teammates after winning a 5A football state semifinal game 38-0 over Salem Hills at Cedar Valley High School in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. | Yukai Peng, Deseret News

“I really think the fact of how honest we were. I know he had a lot of people talk about how if he came to their particular school, he was going to start and offered him really a lot of false hope,” Harding said. “But I think what Coach Whitt and myself, we just talked about the opportunity to play close to home, be a hometown hero, and have an opportunity to come in and start right away.”

Harding also outlined how Fano could have a similar path as Bolles, a local product who came to Utah after spending time at Snow College and developed into a reliable starting NFL tackle.

In the end, Fano prayed about his decision and chose Utah over Oregon, Michigan and Clemson.

“I’m a very religious person and I prayed about it really hard,” Fano said in 2024. “I feel like there might’ve been other schools at the time that, I don’t know, might’ve piqued my interest a lot, but at the end of the day when I prayed about it, I felt like I got my answer was Utah.”

A day later, Fano’s brother, Logan, announced his transfer from BYU to Utah. The pair played together in Salt Lake City for three years and now will likely accomplish their NFL dreams together — most mock drafts peg defensive end Logan Fano in the fourth-to-seventh-round range.

‘Collective experiences’ paid off

Fano’s freshman season at left tackle had its ups and downs, but the experience he gained was extremely valuable as he packed on the pounds under the watch of Utah’s strength team.

“I think just his ability to allow the game to slow down as each, really, game went on or certainly as the seasons went on,” Harding said. “As a true freshman, a little bit shaky at times, inconsistent at times. But I think all of those collective experiences allowed him to play really at a high level, both his sophomore and junior seasons.”

In 2024, Utah moved Caleb Lomu to left tackle and Fano back to his high school position of right tackle. With a full college season under his belt, Fano played at an extremely high level in his sophomore and junior seasons.

Fano finished the 2024 season with a Pro Football Focus grade of 92.6 — No. 1 among offensive tackles that played 100 or more snaps — and allowed just one sack and 11 hurries the entire season. This season, he ranked tied for No. 11 among offensive tackles that played 100 or more snaps with a PFF grade of 83.9 and allowed no sacks and just five hurries while helping the Utes set school records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in a season.

“Early in his career, there were times where he had a difficult time of letting go of a bad play and it ended up costing him another play too, but he really matured through the process and really became a one-play-at-a-time type of approach that I think really benefited him as he continued to get later in his career,” Harding said.

‘An immediate NFL starter’

At the NFL combine, the athleticism that Fano displayed on tape really shined throughout the drills. His combine production score, per NFL.com, was first among offensive tackles, and his 4.91-second 40-yard dash time was second among offensive tackles.

Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano (22) runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 1, 2026. | Michael Conroy

Fano’s athleticism at his size — 6-foot-5.5 and 311 pounds — is one of the key selling points for teams looking to draft him in the first round, along with his track record of excellence at the collegiate level, his footwork and his reputation for playing with violence.

It all adds up to an NFL-ready starter.

“Fano has the feet, demeanor and recovery balance of a starting NFL tackle. He also has a knack for losing slowly, despite possessing average length and core strength. He has the talent to be an immediate NFL starter at right tackle or guard,” said The Athletic NFL draft expert Dane Brugler in his “The Beast” draft preview.

One question left to be answered by whichever team drafts him is whether Fano will play at tackle or at guard.

“He has such a competitive drive that I think wherever he ends up on Thursday, he’s going to go in there, and I tell the NFL teams, in a respectful way, but he’s going to have an idea of who the top guys are in that particular room, and he’s going to want to outwork those guys so that he puts himself in a position of leadership and a position that’s respected by others.”

former Utah offensive line coach Jim Harding on Spencer Fano

Fano’s tape at tackle speaks for itself, but his arm length was measured at 32 1/8’’ at the NFL combine. At Utah’s pro day, it measured 32 7/8″. Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, a number of arm-length measurements at the NFL combine were off, so the measurement at Utah’s pro day, which falls just short of the standard 33-inch arm length for NFL tackles, should ease minds in the front office.

Though Fano thinks that he will play his “best ball” at tackle, he’s open to playing anywhere along the offensive line, and backed that up by working out at all of the spots on the offensive line at the combine.

“I know that the NFL is very much a numbers-driven, analytics-type deal,” Harding said. “I think he can play tackle. I think his film speaks for itself, but yeah, I’ve heard the same thing that some teams may opt to think he’s better fit to be inside. I’m confident that he’ll be successful no matter where a team puts him.”

There’s little doubt that Fano will be taken in Thursday’s first round, but how early will he be selected?

Where will Fano get drafted?

Mock drafts have Fano being taken as high as No. 6 to the Cleveland Browns and as low as No. 16 to the Houston Texans. Wherever he goes, teams will be getting not just a talented player, but an extremely hard worker.

“He has such a competitive drive that I think wherever he ends up on Thursday, he’s going to go in there, and I tell the NFL teams, in a respectful way, but he’s going to have an idea of who the top guys are in that particular room, and he’s going to want to outwork those guys so that he puts himself in a position of leadership and a position that’s respected by others,” Harding said.

Fano’s vocal leadership was something that stood out during his time at Utah. Most offensive linemen are happy to lead by example, but Harding described Fano’s style as “unique.”

“I think Spencer is really unique in that he had no problem speaking to not only the offensive line, but the offense and a lot of times the entire team this past season,” Harding said. “Really, his vocal leadership was backed up by his play. And so I think he earned the respect of his teammates based on his play and then probably gathered a lot of additional respect just because what he was saying, he was expecting that of himself as well.”

Off the field, Fano will likely be a social media star for whichever team that drafts him. He has a big personality and has appeared in a number of funny videos for Utah’s social media accounts, including this one of him singing “Fall for You” by Secondhand Serenade.

While he can be goofy and make his teammates laugh, ask anyone around Fano, and when it’s time to lock in and go to work, he’s as dedicated as the best of them.

“He’s not putting on a show at all. His personality when he’s off the field is very approachable. I think he can really get a room to gravitate towards him,” Harding said. “He’s a great kid. He is goofy at times. He’ll make funny faces and things like that, and if you didn’t know him well enough, you would say, ‘OK, well, this kid’s really immature,’ but that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

“He has a really good way of knowing when it’s time to dial in and lock in terms of what he’s got to do, and then that other switch that he doesn’t take himself too seriously.”

History will be watching

On Thursday night, Fano and fellow offensive tackle Caleb Lomu have the chance to make University of Utah history if they are selected in the first round. It would mark not just the first time that multiple former Utes were drafted in the first round of a draft, but only the third time in NFL draft history that two offensive tackles from the same school are picked in the first round.

For two seasons together, Fano and Lomu were the anchors of Utah’s stout offensive line, remaining in Salt Lake City even as offers to go elsewhere came in.

“Each offseason, not trying to get anybody in trouble, but each offseason, these two got countless phone calls to go into the portal and they trusted that they were going to be developed, that they knew that everything they needed to be successful was right there,” Harding said.

During his recruitment, Fano talked about wanting to start right away as a freshman and go to the NFL draft after three years. On Thursday, that dream will be realized.

Fano will be watching the NFL draft on TV at a party with his family and friends, with Harding flying in from Michigan to join the Fano family for the occasion (Lomu will be having his own watch party in Arizona, but Fano beat his former teammate to the punch in asking Harding to join him first).

“I think these two families are incredible. I think the kids are remarkable. They’re going to, wherever they end up going to, make whatever locker room they end up in better. Not only do I think they’ll be better because of the type of players they are, but they’re going to be better because of the type of people that these teams are going to be drafting,” Harding said.

Fano is ready to take the step up to the NFL, and he’s excited to represent the University of Utah while doing so.

“It’s so awesome. It’s so awesome. I get to rep the Utes everywhere I go. I can’t wait to make those bets when my team, when the Utes play against some other college teams, say whoever wins, you get to wear their gear. Yeah. I’m excited,” Fano said.

Utah’s Spencer Fano participates in a drill during Utah football's pro day at the Spence Eccles Field House in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 19, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

In case you missed it

Former Ute left tackle Caleb Lomu is projected to be selected in the first round. Here’s what former Utah offensive line coach Jim Harding had to say about Lomu ahead of the NFL draft.

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