Kyle Whittingham finally breaks silence regarding Utah football QB battle.
The Utes are in the midst of fall camp, with few questions to answer. One of the more interesting debates for Utah football in 2024…
The Utes are in the midst of fall camp, with few questions to answer. However, one of the most intriguing challenges for Utah football in 2024 is who will back up starting quarterback Cam Rising. During week two’s media session, head coach Kyle Whittingham indicated that a split had begun.
Don’t expect a solid response until the lights shine brightly on Rice-Eccles Stadium, as they do for most Utah football games.
“It’s shaping up, we did have some separation,” Whittingham said of the QB2 fight. “With the way we’re handling the reps and getting players involved, there won’t be enough time to make any depth chart pronouncements or extreme alterations for another week. By next week–one week from today–we should have a good idea of who is two, three, and four steps behind Cam. That’s the timeline. We made improvements last week. I won’t say it’s a dead heat anymore since there is some jockeying for position going on, but we aren’t ready to make any public pronouncements about it yet. We need a larger sample size.
Whitt hopes to have a clearer perspective later this week, at a scrimmage on Thursday. As usual, no media or fans will be permitted to attend, but it appears that Utah expects to have a more solid answer to one of their most pressing problems this fall.
“That will give us our best look at what we’ve got,” Whittingham said.
The late arrival of Cal Poly transfer Sam Huard is something Utah must consider in the QB2 fight. The former five-star recruit joined the program in May and is catching up on the reps Brandon Rose and Isaac Wilson have on him due to his extended time in the program. Whitt reports that Huard is picking things up quickly.
“He’s playing catch up in the assimilation to the offense,” Whittingham said. “He’s doing a good job. He’s a really bright kid and has made up a lot of ground and executing pretty darn good given his situation that he wasn’t here in spring ball. That was the biggest deficit he faced is just a lack of knowledge of the offense.”
“Taking care of the football- number one,” Whittingham stated. “Getting the team into the end zone—number two.” You have to move the sticks along the road and get first downs, but in order to do so, you must take care of the football, be a smart decision maker, get the ball out on time, and have command of the offense–command in the huddle. They have a million things to accomplish, but it all starts with taking care of the football.
