The University of Utah may not have made it to the CFP for this football season, but the level of play from the program hasn’t gone unnoticed. Prospective players see a program that is stable yet on the rise and are itching to be a part of it. As the coaching staff is hard at work trying to get ready for the December signing period, they’re scouring the high school and junior college ranks for the best fits for their program. However, today they received a potential instant impact boast that P5 programs were coveting.

Three-year South Carolina starting quarterback Jake Bentley is a Ute.

Ute Nation first hinted at this last week, shortly after Bentley announced his intentions to grad transfer, and he went public with his decision today.

What Utah is getting

Bentley is a seasoned quarterback that can absolutely sling it, as he threw for 510 yards and five touchdowns against a talented 2018 Clemson defense. One thing he doesn’t do well is run, but that’s not a detriment when you have Andy Ludwig devising the offense. Overall in 2018, Bentley threw for 37 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, while completing 61.9% of his passes. He should be even more successful in a pass-happy league like the Pac-12.

In 2019, Bentley’s season was cut short after a midfoot injury required season-ending surgery. Therefore, as big of a pickup as this is, it’ll be something to monitor.

With Bentley, Jason Shelley, and Cam Rising on board, it’s about to be one interesting quarterback battle. Both Shelley and Rising have the experience in the system—and Rising had his time sitting with Ludwig in the both—but Bentley has three years of starting experience in arguably the toughest football conference, the SEC.

Expect the offense remain explosive, with three very capable options to choose from. That’s how big this commitment is, regardless of him only having one year of eligibility remaining.

What this means for the class

Bentley is the second quarterback transfer for 2020 into Utah’s program, following the addition of Baylor’s Peyton Powell, who will have to redshirt this upcoming season. After cutting ties with Katravis Marsh, the Utes were in desperate need of quarterback depth, and while they still could pursue someone for the future like Tate Rodemaker out of Georgia, the Utes can also now move on to the 2021 class of signal-callers.