Where Utah's quarterback room ranks among the rest of the Big 12

Despite having a top 10 QB in college football, Utah's QB room is still up in the air and as a result do not come in at number 1 on the latest Big-12 rankings list.
Sep 23, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Cameron Rising (7) warms up before a
Sep 23, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Cameron Rising (7) warms up before a / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Cam Rising has been deemed a top 10 QB multiple times this offseason, and while Isaac Wilson had a dazzling spring game performance, he is still in high school. The more experienced QB Brandon Rose had a disaster class of a spring game showing, resulting in questions arising about the security of the QB position should an untimely injury occur.

The Sporting New's writer Bill Bender complied alistranking the best Big-12 QB rooms and Utah came in at the third spot behind Colorado at #1 and Arizona at #2. In his analysis of the Utes situation, Bender said, "Rising is back for a seventh season, and he led Utah to a pair of Pac-12 championships in 2021 and 2022. Rising averaged 2,716 passing yards, 454 rushing yards and 29 TDs in those two seasons. He missed all of last season while recovering from a knee injury. Bryson Barnes transferred to Utah State, and Nate Johnson transferred to Vanderbilt. Kyle Whittingham is counting on Rising to stay healthy this season. If he does, then a Big 12 championship in Year 1 is possible."

Sep 23, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Cameron Rising (7) warms up before a
Sep 23, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Cameron Rising (7) warms up before a / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Bender currently has Rose down as the backup QB, however, with the spring transfer portal now open, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Kyle Whittingham go fishing for another experienced field general to give the QB room some security and some much-needed insurance for such a crucial season.

Luckily, there is still plenty of time before the 2024 season kicks off and while Wilson has proven to possess the skills needed to be the future of the program, bringing in an experienced backup would prove beneficial to Wilson's development and provide fans with peace of mind after the nightmare that was the 2023 season.


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