Coach Kyle Whittingham’s primary concern last month was the Utah Utes‘ receiver corps’. Their absence of a defined hierarchy. One week into the Utes’ fall camp session, coach admitted he and his staff were still searching for a clear leader among the team’s pass catchers. Even with that uncertainty, there’s a rising belief in the national landscape that the Utes might be a sleeping giant in 2025, as per Phil Steele. The new conference banner has a sense the arrow could be pointing up again.
He is buying all the Utah stock he can. Phil Steele, breaking down the Utes’ outlook on KSL Sports, didn’t mince words: “I’m going to buy stock in Utah. Last year was an aberration. Will Cam Rising play? Will he not play? And then when he did come back, he didn’t look good. By the end of the season, they’ve got a fifth-string quarterback starting the final two games. They really had poor quarterback play last year.” Steele pointed out the turbulence at QB, noting that true freshman Isaac Wilson “struggled as you would think a true freshman would,” especially amid all the uncertainty. But in his eyes, the defense was never the problem, and it won’t be this year either.
Steele sees the offensive foundation as equally formidable. “Coach Whittingham told me he feels it’s the best offensive line he’s had here in his 21 years. And they’ve had some pretty good offensive lines,” he said. The run game should be a force with Wayan Parker and Rogers in the fold, while the receiving corps got a facelift in the transfer portal with names like Ryan Davis from New Mexico. This comes alongside Larry Simmons and Tobias Merriweather. At QB1, Steele is high on Devon Dampier, praising what he did at New Mexico and pointing to the arrival of his play-caller, Jason Beck, as a massive boost.
November 30, 2024: New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier 4 scores a touchdown during the NCAA, College League, USA football game between the New Mexico Lobos and the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Clarence T.C. Ching Complex in Honolulu, Hawaii. /CSM Honolulu USA – ZUMAc04_ 20241130_zma_c04_753 Copyright: xGlennxYozax
The schedule, Steele believes, has enough winnable games to make a run at the Big 12 title realistic. He pointed to last season’s close losses and noted that road trips to West Virginia and Kansas look favorable. For Kyle Whittingham, some concerns remain, especially in the receiving hierarchy, though he’s starting to see clarity.
“Less so [of a question mark],” Whittingham said. “But still not a true pecking order. We’re starting to get some semblance of it and some idea, but we need to really see some extensive live work on Saturday to make a decision.” The Utes aren’t short on options. Five transfer receivers have arrived, joining returners Draiden Zipperer and Luca Caldarella. That’s a buffet of targets for Dampier to work with, and early impressions have been encouraging.
In fact, Kyle Whittingham singled out a few bright spots from fall camp. Cal transfer Merriweather has turned heads, as have Zipperer and freshman TE JJ Buchanan. “I’d say they’ve made big strides,” Whittingham said. “So that’s been a big plus for us.” With a more stable QB situation, an elite-level defense, and an O-line built like a brick wall, Utah is positioning itself to control games in the trenches. If the receiver group settles into a rhythm, the offense could open up in ways it never did in 2024.
Kyle Whittingham on the position battle for backup QB
Kyle Whittingham isn’t hoarding his passers like someone stockpiling snacks before a road trip. But he’s also not stopping at one. Sure, QB1 is locked in, but coach is making sure the next man up is battle-tested, not just “clipboard-ready.”
When asked about the race for backup QB, coach Kyle was clear in his words: “That’s really a dead heat right now. Isaac [Wilson] is playing really well, and so is Byrd [Ficklin]. We’re going to continue that, hopefully not for a lot longer, but it’s not the same urgency as if you were battling for QB1. We know who QB1 is, that’s the most important thing. But we’re going to continue that QB2 battle at least through the scrimmage on Saturday — maybe beyond.”
That’s not greed. That’s competitiveness at its finest. QB2 may never see the field in some seasons. But in today’s game, depth at the position is crucial. Injuries happen. Momentum shifts. Sometimes the game needs a jolt. Whittingham knows the stakes. This isn’t just about “having a guy.” It’s about having the right guy ready when the helmet gets tapped.
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