In the six-plus months since Cam Rising became the starting quarterback for the University of Utah, I have pondered aloud a handful of times as to whether or not the 2023 starter is on the roster, or at least committed and on the way.
At least for the moment, there is a striking lack of experience behind Rising. In my mind, three-star quarterback Mack Howard’s commitment late last month didn’t simplify this question, it only further muddled it.
The easy answer in regard to whether or not the 2023 starter is already here or committed remains, well, maybe?
Since the advent of the NCAA Transfer Portal in 2018, Kyle Whittingham has shown a willingness to dive in for help at quarterback.
That willingness has not always panned out. Jake Bentley and Charlie Brewer are prime examples of that. Rising, meanwhile, has certainly panned out.
Either way, Whittingham has embraced the portal for immediately eligible veteran help. If it is determined that a quarterback is needed, rest assured, he will hit the portal for one again, which leads to a question.
How much opportunity will high school quarterbacks have to break through?
“The portal gives teams another pathway to add immediate-impact transfers, which is a good thing,” Cooper Petagna, a national recruiting analyst for 247sports, told The Salt Lake Tribune earlier this week. “It doesn’t force high school QBs on the field if they’re not ready. I do think it takes the right type of kid, person, relationship to handle it. There has to be an understanding for whatever the situation might be.”
The last quarterback Utah recruited out of high school who started a game was Tyler Huntley in the 2019 Alamo Bowl. Rising started the 2020 opener, followed by Bentley starting the final four games. Brewer started the first three games of 2021, Rising started the final 11.
Rising is now entrenched as the starter. Working under the assumption he will not return in 2023 as a sixth-year senior, the projected dichotomy inside the quarterbacks room becomes quite interesting.
Ja’Quinden Jackson, a Texas transfer, will be a fourth-year junior in his third season at Utah in 2023. Beyond Jackson, the rest of the room is high school players Utah recruited.
Freshman Nate Johnson, who will arrive on campus this summer, is the second-highest rated quarterback recruit in program history. Classmate Brandon Rose is enrolled early, going through spring practice, and has received optimistic initial reviews from offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig. How Bryson Barnes fits into future plans is the topic of some debate, but for now, he is locked in a spring battle with Jackson to determine QB2 behind Rising.
This is at least an educated look at what Howard will be walking into upon arrival in January 2023. A position room on the young side, but still with everyone in front of him in terms of experience and seniority within the program.
“Utah is a program where you’re not totally sure what the path to the field is going to look like,” Petagna said.
Other things on my mind
• Utah’s nonconference basketball slate for next season is coming together with, very unofficially, three more holes fill. There is nothing currently on there to blow your hair back, but there are enough resume-building opportunities that if the Utes handle business, they can be in the at-large mix. For those hollering for more-attractive games, remember, the Pac-12 plays 20 games now, including two in December. Loading up on OOC stuff, knowing you have to play Arizona and Washington State between Dec. 1-5, might not be prudent.
• There’s really not a lot of smoke out there right now in regard to Craig Smith’s open assistant spot. I keep hearing the same two names whenever and wherever I ask, and I’m really not convinced this job goes to either of them. Keep in mind, Smith was exceptionally deliberate in filling out his bench staff last spring
• It’s still early, but I would be surprised if Ja’Quinden Jackson is not Cam Rising’s backup when Utah opens at Florida on Sept. 3 at The Swamp.
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