2020 Position Previews: Quarterbacks
In this new dominant era of University of Utah football, some circumstances are unfamiliar territory. The Utes have to replace Tyler Huntley, a signal-caller who just delivered one of the best statistical seasons for a quarterback in school history. As fans have been accustomed to, that usually doesn’t bode well for the following year.
Now entering their tenth Pac-12 season and coming off back-to-back trips to the Pac-12 Championship Game, the quarterback stable is stacked, even with the transfer of fan-favorite Jason Shelley.
The Utes return a solid and steady one-time walk-on who can hold his own at the P5 level: Drew Lisk. They have a hotshot who held his own in practices against one of the top defenses in the NCAA in 2019: Cameron Rising. They also shocked college football by landing SEC grad transfer Jake Bentley, a three-year starter.
So where does everything stand? How will everything play out?
The Contenders
Jake Bentley, RS SR | 6-foot-4, 220 pounds | 2018 stats: 240/388, 3171 yards, 27 TD, 14 INT
During his career at South Carolina, Bentley completed 626 of 1002 passes (62%) for 6,680 yards. Those are impressive numbers, but the statistic that won’t sit well with a Utah defense that thrives off of ball-control due to their aggressive attacking nature is his 50 to 27 touchdown to interception ratio. He’s a pocket passer who can throw it around the field with the best at the collegiate level, so the hope is that with Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig’s tutelage, he can limit his mistakes. If he can do that, the Utes would have a lethal offense with him at the helm.
Coming off a season-ending foot injury that cost him all but one game in 2019, the Utes are hoping he makes a full recovery. Depending on how the defense looks throughout fall camp, the staff could view Bentley’s arm as the best option to put a ton of points on the board.
Cameron Rising, RS SO | 6-foot-2, 225 pounds
A dual-threat quarterback, Rising is as competitive as they come, but also a tremendous teammate that guys gravitate to. After transferring from Texas, he redshirted in 2019 but also ran the scout team getting reps against a slew of eventual NFL draft picks. Oh yeah, and he did well, too. By season's end, the talk of the practices was the connection he had with Britain Covey, who was redshirting and finally recovered from his nagging knee injury.
Rising can make all of the throws needed in Utah’s offense and also take pressure off of the running backs with his legs. He’s had a year in a system that fits his skill set to a T and he’s going to make it hard for Bentley to easily win the starting nod. His game is the type that blends best with what the defense asks the offense to do.
Drew Lisk, RS SR | 6-foot-1, 205 pounds | 2019 stats: 7/9, 52 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
It’s no secret, Ludwig loves what Lisk brings to the table in the film room and on the field. We saw that last year when he shocked everyone by putting him ahead of the Utes’ 2018 hero, Shelley. Lisk is steady enough that, if a bonafide star breaks out at running back, would do well at guiding the Utes’ offense. Lisk is more of a traditional pocket passer- he can wing it, but he has yet to show that running is an asset he can bring to the table in order to keep defenses honest.
The Newcomer
Cooper Justice, FR | 6-foot-6, 230 pounds
Justice was Utah’s lone 2020 quarterback signee, and while he has an intriguing skill set for the coaches to work with, he’s a raw prospect who will need some development and coaching before he’s ready to contribute. In a lot of ways, Justice’s game is similar to Travis Wilson’s- from his stature, to his footwork in the pocket, to his deceptively dangerous running ability. Justice has a strong arm, he just needs to refine his game and improve his timing and accuracy- something that Andy Ludwig should be able to help him with. Expect him to redshirt this season.
Ute Nation’s Take:
Ludwig has a long-standing connection with Bentley, dating back to recruiting and their SEC days. At the same time, Bentley struggled at times in the spring due to learning a new offense and also because he still had metal in his foot—which has since been removed. It’s going to be a battle with him and Rising, who is more than ready to lead this team. In the end, it’s tough to beat a guy with three years of SEC starting experience, if he’s healthy. This battle is going to be intense and Bentley will have to win the offense over, something Rising had already started doing. Regardless of what happens, both quarterbacks will be needed at some point. As a staff, we tend to think that it’ll be Bentley early on, but if Rising gets extended action, it’ll be tough to put the future—which is extremely bright—on the bench.