The University of Utah is entering their 2022 football season armed with the best quarterback they’ve had since Alex Smith. Yep, I did it, I went there. Brian Johnson - he was a football savant, who in reality as a senior, had an average arm and was no longer a big running threat in 2008. Tyler Huntley didn’t develop into a star until his senior season with Andy Ludwig mentoring him. With another Pac-12 championship season and/or more, Cam Rising could surpass the legendary Smith.

Will it be easy? No. Is it realistic? Yes. One thing Utah coaches and players will tell everyone is that Ute fans and the Pac-12 have yet to witness the dual-threat Rising at his best.

Rising is Utah’s ticket to an explosive and steady offense. The crucial question over the next month will be whether Ja’Quinden Jackson or Bryson Barnes show significant separation to back Rising up.

The Starter

Cam Rising

6-foot-2 and 218 pounds, Junior

The Captain of the captains, the juice to the Utes swagger, Rising is looking to etch his name into Utah lore as one of the greatest Utes of all-time. He’s a preseason candidate for a multitude of awards, yet he’ll have a chip on his shoulder with the disrespect he’s getting being named Preseason All-Pac-12 Second Team—after being named to the First Team at the end of 2021. In the offseason, Rising was invited to the Steve Clarkson Quarterback Retreat and the Manning Passing Academy. There are also national things in the works—not just through the Utah program—to keep Rising front and center with college football fans all year long.

Rising was healthy all of last season, following his 2020 shoulder surgery, but he’s 100% back to himself now, as his shoulder is more fluid and back to full strength. If he continues his performance he had in the spring, there are no limits to what this Utah offense could do.

The Backup Contenders

Ja’Quinden Jackson

6-foot-2 and 227 pounds, Redshirt-Freshman

The former 4-star quarterback has reached a crucial year in his development. He’s shown flashes of jaw-dropping plays, but the book on him has been that if his first read isn’t there, he’s better off running the ball. If he can show improvement on this key issue, the backup job is his. Although, he could be looking at a similar situation to former Ute Jason Shelley, who was the primary backup only if/when the Utes needed him for extended periods. The primary reason behind this is that the offensive game plan would have to change.

Bryson Barnes

6-foot-1 and 206 pounds, Sophomore

Barnes played in three games as a walk-in freshman, including being thrust into action against Ohio State for the last 10 minutes of the Rose Bowl. During that game action, Barnes was 2-2 for 23 yards, including a game tying touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid. He also showed surprisingly good wheels during that action. He’s a safe-bet at quarterback, one that you can plug in immediately if Rising needs a brief spell. However, the jury is still out on whether he can do it in an extended period of time.

Brandon Rose

6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, Freshman

The 2022 3-star recruit benefited from arriving early and participating in spring ball, as numerous people in the program were impressed enough with his progress. It’s too early to say for certain, but Rose has this presence that is easy to get behind and ride with. Of the incoming quarterbacks, Rose might not have the highest ceiling, but he has the highest floor.

Nate Johnson

6-foot and 190 pounds, Freshman

Widely considered an athlete up until spring of 2021, Johnson took tremendous strides in becoming a complete quarterback. Not only did Johnson make it to the Elite 11 finals, the dual-threat quarterback also has blazing speed to go with his developing arsenal. Johnson has an extremely high ceiling as a quarterback. The only question is, can he realize that potential with all of his recent development?

UteNation Take

The reality is that it’s Rising and then everyone else. It’s a giant gap. However, Jackson made good progress under Ludwig’s tutelage in the spring and the hope is that continues and he becomes Rising’s heir apparent. The most likely situation—unless there’s big separation—is Barnes is the in-game backup while Jackson is the backup with a week to prepare a new game plan. Of course—in no offense to these two—Utah will hope that this isn’t a scenario that they’d even have to rely on, as Rising is their ticket to confetti raining down and a crack at the CFP.