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"The heartbeat of a football team is the quarterback position and I think everyone who has any intelligence about the game understands you must have consistency at that position to be a championship team." ­— Ron Jaworski

Well. The heartbeats of the state's college football programs have grown faint — for a variety of reasons. Questions abound. One of them: Can we get a jump-start here? In the months ahead, consistency will be up there, out there, somewhere, but who knows exactly where?

Nobody.

Neither the coaches, nor the quarterbacks themselves are fully aware.

Utah, BYU and Utah State are moving through a thick quarterback fog bank.

The Cougars and Aggies, as of right now, have terrific QBs, but injuries have blurred their situations, and potentially altered them. As for the Utes, there are certain things you can count on in this life … the loyalty of a good dog, the satisfying taste of Ben & Jerry's Karamel Sutra, and sporadic play out of Utah's quarterback.

It's written in the stars.

Either the Utes are recruiting the wrong athletes or they aren't handling them properly once aboard. Questions have been asked regarding the herky-jerky manner in which Kyle Whittingham has or has not built the confidence of his QBs, the quarterback-adverse play calling, the overemphasis on avoiding turnovers, to the point of freaking the QB out, and asking him to run plays that do not suit his strengths.

"What's the worst thing that can happen to a quarterback?" Terry Bradshaw once said. "He loses his confidence."

But there's also the player himself to question, what he intrinsically brings to the team. Ty Detmer said on Friday there are nuances to successfully playing quarterback:

"There are parts of it you can learn, but at the end of the day you've got to have a little something extra. You've got to be able to stand in the pocket with a guy bearing down on you and not even know that that's happening because you're focused down the field. And you've got to be a team leader. Some of those things you can learn and you can practice, but there are some intangibles that you can't teach. They just sort of have to be in somebody to take them to the next level.

"There are kids who are going to be able to learn some of those things. But if they don't have the extra intangibles, they're probably only going to reach a certain level and stay right there."

When it comes to Utah's quarterbacks, they've stayed right there.

But now, they may no longer stay.

Two or three of Utah's QBs could be transferring. After what he's been through, who could blame Travis Wilson for leaving, especially if Dave Christensen remains as OC? And what about guys like Conner Manning and Brandon Cox and Chase Hansen?

When asked who he thought would be next year's starter, former Ute quarterback and current analyst Frank Dolce guessed that freshman Donovan Isom would be the guy. Others say Kendal Thompson. Who knows?

Again, nobody.

At BYU, Taysom Hill has the starter's spot nailed, but coming off his second substantial knee injury, you have to wonder what version of Hill will show up. If his ability or his inclination to run is hampered, can he do what he must with his reads and his arm to thrive? What about his durability?

Good questions.

Another one: Who will man the backup mop if another mess needs to be cleaned? Trent Hosick, a big-time recruit who began his college play at Missouri and had a great year in JC, is a dual-threat guy who verbally committed to BYU, but now might go elsewhere. Tanner Mangum returns from his LDS mission in June.

No program in America has been affected by injury at quarterback like Utah State. Chuckie Keeton, who could receive a medical redshirt, got hurt each of the past two seasons, leaving the Aggies to scramble for help. Darell Garretson stepped in a year ago, then again this season, then he was knocked out. Craig Harrison took over, and he was injured. And Kent Myers took the wheel.

Where's that leave USU?

It might be time for Keeton, who could transfer without sitting out, to move along. With Gary Andersen now at Oregon State, there have been whispers the veteran might head to Corvallis.

Garretson appears the logical choice, if he stays healthy.

If … if … if.

If consistency at quarterback, a team's heartbeat, is the single greatest on-field factor for success in college football, there's been very little of it around here. And thing is, nobody knows what's in store — and where the answers are — for the Cougars, Utes and Aggies heading into whatever comes next.

GORDON MONSON hosts "The Big Show" with Spence Checketts weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 97.5 FM and 1280 AM The Zone. Twitter: @GordonMonson.