Spring ball for the defending back-to-back Pac-12 football champs is upon us. It’s time to take a dive into the UteNation spring position previews.
We begin with a position that Cam Rising has solidified for the last two seasons, and the full expectation is for him to do so again in 2023. While there is some worry about his torn ACL suffered during their Rose Bowl Game against Penn State, the belief throughout the football program is that Rising will be fully ready when Utah kicks off the season on Thursday, August 31st.
Injury or not, Rising would have played sparingly throughout spring ball, in an effort to give the younger guys needed reps. Now every snap is crucial as Utah needs to develop Rising’s heir apparent.
Sophomore walk-on Bryson Barnes has filled in admirably at times for Rising over the last two years, but it’s not a slam dunk that he remains the No. 2 quarterback.
Let’s take a look at what to expect this spring.
The starter
Cam Rising
This spring is all about mental reps and rehab for Rising—who has already earned his place as a Ute legend. He’ll also be looked upon for his continued mentoring of the quarterback room. He can run the offense in his sleep, so regardless if he was healthy or not, he would have had a light workload this spring.
The race for the backup
Bryson Barnes
He won hearts around college football by throwing a touchdown pass in the 2022 Rose Bowl. During the following 2022 season, the walk-on pig farmer from Milford, Utah completed 37-57 passes for 430 yards. He threw for four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Barnes has a big arm and he’s a surprising threat in the run game. He needs to show consistency over the spring. He’ll also want to focus on taking the easier passes. A quick look back at the Washington State tape and he was consistently looking off of targets open in the middle of the field and instead making risky throws between the hash mark and the sideline.
It’s never easy to be thrown into a game at a moment’s notice, but that happened twice at Washington State and during the 2023 Rose Bowl Game. While he didn’t perform badly, he didn’t solidify the role of next man up after Rising.
Nate Johnson
Blessed with ridiculous speed that plays just as well or better on the gridiron, Johnson saw action in four games in 2022 to maintain his redshirt season. Used mostly in rushing packages, Johnson had five carries in the season for 51 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed the only pass he threw, which was a misdirection play that went for a 16-yard touchdown pass.
This spring is a big one for Johnson, as he has a big arm to go along with his dynamic legs. Johnson, however, is still refining his mechanics and working on accuracy. If he can figure that out, watch out.
It’s time to see just how real the Nate Johnson hype train can be.
Brandon Rose
This spring will be Rose’s second spring ball with the Utes. After arriving early in 2022, he outperformed expectations, only to struggle during fall camp. Rose quickly turned the corner, however, and received rave reviews as the scout team quarterback.
Rose has a cannon for an arm and looks to be capable as a dual-threat. While Johnson had the game results in specialty situations in 2022, Rose is considered by some sources close to the program to be neck and neck with Johnson.
Don’t sleep on him in the race to be Rising’s heir apparent.
Mack Howard
A signee for Utah’s 2023 class, Howard graduated from high school early to participate in Utah’s spring ball. The Mississippi native will look to make enough of an impression like Rose did last spring, then hope to continue any momentum through fall camp.
UteNation’s take
To reiterate, the full expectation of the program is that Cam Rising is ready to go at the start of the season. This isn’t just lip service, although that panic among Ute fans will continue regardless until they see him on the field.
In the race to be Rising’s heir apparent, the time could be coming for one of Rose or Johnson. Last fall, there was anticipation that Rose would push for the No. 2 spot, but his fall camp struggles did away with that, quickly. Now he’s more comfortable at the college level and has proven himself on the scout team as a true up-and-comer. Johnson may have only been used for specialty plays, but his talent is tantalizing and he’s coming into spring ball brimming with confidence and swagger.
If neither of those two separate themselves from the pack, Barnes is a serviceable option in relief.
