Eugene weekly., October 02, 2003, Page 32, Image 32

Paris Warren
A Duck Who
Became A Ute
Junior wide receiver Paris Warren
has been thinking about the upcoming
game against Oregon all summer.
If you’re a player at Utah the BYU
intrastate rivalry game is usually the
game one looks forward to, but not
so for Warren. Paris played at Oregon
in 2001 and despite the Ducks winning
the Fiesta Bowl he decided to transfer
to another program. He looked at Boise
State, Fresno State, Utah State, and
Utah and chose to become a Ute.
Even as a redshirt freshman with
Keenan Howry, Jason Willis, Cy Aleman
and Samie Parker ahead of him,
Warren thought he should have received
more playing time. Ironically one of
the few games in which he saw action
in 2001 was against Utah and as
a receiver he caught a pass from Joey
Harrington behind the line of scrimmage
and then completed a 50-yard pass
to Justin Peelle to set up a Maurice
Morris touchdown.
So, why has Warren been
concentrating so intently on this game?
“Revenge”, Paris told DI in a recent
Photo courtesy: University of Utah Media Services
by Jerry Thompson
interview. “I want to show them
(Oregon) what they missed out on.”
Warren said he liked the “school”,
but he didn’t agree with how the pro-
gram was being run and how players
were rotated. For the most part during
2001 it was Howry, Willis, and Parker
at the receiver positions. Washingon
State and Oregon State, for example,
consistently use 3 or 4 receivers in
their formations while most of the time
Oregon uses two as they rely on the
use of the tight end more than some
teams. Paris said that he wanted to
stay at Oregon and would have if they
used three or four receivers as a standard
formation. “We line up with four
receivers every play”, Warren explained
referring to Utah’s offense this year.
Warren said that midway through the
2001 season he went to coach Bellotti
twice and asked about playing time but
he didn’t receive the answer he wanted.
Even though he said the Duck coaches
tried to talk him into staying, he
decided to transfer.
When a Division I football athlete
transfers to another D-I program
outside of the conference, he loses
a season of eligibility. So, Paris lost
his sophomore year and is now a junior.
Warren and Keith Allen were in the
same class at Oregon and were neck
Photos by: Walt Grondona of Walt’s Photography
Warren, a cousin to Onterrio Smith, is a multiple threat for the Utes.
In 2001 for Oregon vs. Utah, Paris threw a 50-yard pass to Justin Peelle.
10 OCTOBER 2, 2003
DucksIllustrated
and neck in competition after the 2001
spring game. Warren caught 6 passes
for 117 yards and a touchdown in that
game in Hillsboro. It’s easy to see why
the talented athlete from Grant High
School in Sacramento, and cousin of
Onterrio Smith, had high expectations
going into the 2001 season. The
bottom line seems to be that Warren
basically wasn’t willing to wait his turn,
so to speak at Oregon, and he opted
for a program where he would almost
be guaranteed a lot of “PT”. Ironically
in the spring of 2002 Howry and Willis
were not able to play due to injuries,
Aleman left the team, and Keith Allen
was also limited due to an injury.
The Ducks actually had a shortage
of receivers in the spring of 2002.
If Warren had stayed, he and Samie
Parker would have been the focus of
attention. Howry didn’t reach full
speed until the middle of last season,
so who knows what role Paris would
have assumed. It is almost certain
that with Keith Allen’s unfortunate
knee injury at the beginning of this
season Warren would have been in
the starting rotation this year. The
Ducks were basically forced to recruit
two junior college receivers. It is not
too much of a stretch to say that the
loss of Warren has given Kellen Taylor
and Marcus Maxwell an opportunity
they might not have received.
At any rate, Warren is now a Ute
and he says he is very happy there.
“I fit in just right in this program,”
Paris said. First year head coach Urban
Meyer has used Warren in a variety
of ways. Warren is not only a receiver,
he sometime lines up at quarterback
where he can pass or run the option.
Paris said it’s fun to be utilized that
way and it reminds him of high
school where he was used as a shotgun
quarterback to run the two-minute
offense. He pointed out that it is
more enjoyable at Utah because he
has “more blocking” than in high s
chool. So far this year Paris has 24
catches for 245 yards & 1 touchdown,
and has returned 2 punts for 38 yards.
Paris’ goal is to play wide receiver
in the NFL. He talks to Onterrio about
“every other day” and Smith tells his
cousin to keep working hard. Warren
said that Onterrio tells him he is trying
to “work his way up” with the Minnesota
Vikings. Although he separated himself
from the Ducks, he watched the first
half of the Oregon-Michigan game and
talks with Samie Parker every week.
In retrospect Warren wishes things
would have been different, but is happy
with the way it have turned out. The
versatile Warren is a big part of the
Utah offense so don’t be surprised if
the Utes do “ute-ilize” him in some
special ways against the Ducks.