Making A Case For Each Utah Football Quarterback In Backup Battle

Aug 9, 2024, 2:52 PM

Utah Insider

SALT LAKE CITY – It’s week two of Utah Football’s fall camp as they prepare for the 2024 season. With all that returns from last year’s squad combined with quality additions made this off-season, Kyle Whittingham’s program is considered a top contender in the Big 12 Conference.

The backup quarterback position is one of the more intriguing storylines in camp. Utah has done well to address the position in its recruiting efforts to give the room a little makeover.

With three promising options for the backup spot, we make the case for why each one could end up winning that role.

Isaac Wilson’s Talent And Future Potential

The Corner Canyon product led his team to the state title last year after coming up short the year before. He amassed some gaudy numbers through the air during his two seasons as a starter.

.@dorian_singer1 😮‍💨😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/fxW9RFhvTW

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) August 9, 2024

He did so without the sort of talented weaponry we’ve seen at Corner Canyon in previous years (five-star receiver Jerome Myles was hurt most of last season). Essentially, he put the Chargers on his back which speaks to his ability and leadership.

Wilson enrolled early to get a jump on his acclimation to this level. There has been a bit of an adjustment but there’s also been a lot of positives from him this offseason.

There is a big adjustment at the college level in regard to the mental demands and preparation required to find success. So long as Wilson puts in the time studying the playbook as well as opposing defensive schemes, it all comes down to decision-making.

Wilson has the requisite talent to execute most if not all that he’d be tasked with doing. Given that he is a true freshman, if he secures the backup job, the future outlook sees a big boon.

Brandon Rose Has The Most Time In The Program

Rose operated as the scout team quarterback and redshirted his freshman season. He then competed for the backup/starting job last year before ultimately missing last season due to an injury he sustained in fall camp.

Dude keeps finding himself alohne in the end zone… 👀@caleblohner pic.twitter.com/xrkt8oBDUr

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) August 9, 2024

Entering his third season at Utah, Rose has the most time in the program of the three. This has been Rose’s cleanest performance in an offseason. He has made progress in his understanding of the offense, which was a particularly big focus for him in the months following the conclusion of spring ball.

Through the first ten days of fall camp, Rose has been praised by his teammates for how well he’s operated the offense. He’s taken better care of the ball, which we know is priority No. 1 in Utah’s evaluation of the quarterback position.

Hard To Top Game Experience For Sam Huard

Huard has talent as he was once considered the No. 3 ranked quarterback in the 2021 class behind only Quinn Ewers and Caleb Williams. He committed to Washington as a legacy prospect with high expectations.

He went through a difficult time in his first two years at Washington. The Huskies made two coaching changes, which led to Kalen DeBoer bringing in Michael Penix as a transfer quarterback. Ultimately, Huard hit the portal as playing time there just did not seem to be in the cards.

He hit the transfer portal and landed at Cal Poly, where he was reunited with his former high school football head coach, Sheldon Cross. Huard earned te starting job and tallied 2,247 yards and 18 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions.

Huard led the Mustangs to a 3-6 record but more coaching turmoil played a larger role in that. Still, the experience he gained is quite valuable and the arm talent is still quite good. Though Huard is playing catch-up in the playbook, that game experience and facing live competition cannot be replicated.

What Do Utah Football Coaches Value Most At Quarterback?

As you would expect, taking care of the football is the top priority for coach Whittingham and his staff in their evaluation of the quarterback position. That is a particularly important quality for the backup to have.

“Taking care of the football- number one, getting the team in the end zone- number two,” head coach Whittingham said. “You’ve got to move the sticks along the way, get first downs, but in order to do that you have to take care of the football, be a great decision-maker, get the ball out on time, have command of the offense- command in the huddle. There are a myriad of things they need to do, but it all starts with taking care of the football.”

All three quarterbacks in this race have reasons for optimism. There does seem to be some separation, which at this point of fall camp, seems to point to the players that have more time in the offense.