What it Means: Sleeper QB Justice is a Ute

The University of Utah finally got their quarterback for the 2020 class. With the immediate future of the quarterback position in good hands, the Utes were able to target an intriguing under-the-radar prospect that should prosper under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig. Lakeridge HS (also Oswego, Oregon) quarterback, Cooper Justice (6-foot-6 and 230 pounds), committed to Andy Ludwig Sunday before wrapping his official visit.

What Utah is getting

Justice may not have offers that jump off the page, but interest for him has picked as of late. He started one year for Lakeridge HS, after an injury—a broken hand due to hitting a helmet—robbed him of the starting job as a sophomore. Justice is a two sport athlete, starring on his high school’s baseball team, as well.

Justice is a deceptive athlete who can run when needed, but he displays a lot of potential as a drop-back passer. With superior arm strength, it’s only going to get better as he refines his release that looks to be a combination of a football and baseball throw—meaning there’s a lot more there that’s yet to be unlocked.

Give Justice one to two years to develop and the Utes just might have something special on their hands, as he places his soul focus on football.

What this means for the class

With South Carolina grad transfer Jake Bentley already in the fold, the Utes needed to add a prospect from the high school level, as they’ve also chosen to move Jason Shelley to safety. The need for a high school quarterback became even that much more of a necessity, when former commit Katravis Marsh and the Utes both chose to part ways. The Utes will now place their focus on the 2021 quarterbacking class in hopes of locking up a commitment from one much earlier in the process.