Quote yesterday from Whit.
Nothing against Barnes personally, he’s a gritty kid and is a fantastic story. But he’s just not a D1 starting QB. If the other two haven’t made enough progress to beat him out, that’s…very concerning. If we’re rolling him out against Florida and Baylor, then I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we start 0-2.
#prayforcamsknee
He was not “pushed aside” during camp. Whitt said that the other two were being given reps because the coaches already know what Barnes is and they needed to find out what the unknown players could do.
The simple fact is we don’t have a backup with the swagger and talent of Rising. Only a few programs have elite QBs waiting in the wings and we are not one of them. Part of this is due to just how good Rising is- either the best or second best in school history IMO.
I have real doubts about how ready Rising will be for Florida and real doubt about Florida being a big underdog. They will be stacked with elite athletes at every position. Their inexperience may hurt them but their DEs, LBs, and Tackles will be monsters and will have their ears pinned back coming for our likely gimpy and tentative star.
Frankly I’d rather see Barnes play the OOC games and give Rising more time to recover and prepare for conference play.
Why is he not on scholarship?
Seems like he was a walk-on who saved our bacon ( see what I did here) on more than a few occasions
I thought this was covered last season and they put him on scholarship. I could be wrong.
I also worry about Rising being “ready” but his ACL repair will only heal completely over time. Everyones protoplasm is different. Crossed fingers…
Furthermore, we have known for years that Whitt emphasizes lack of mistakes over gun slinging. A QB that can do both is almost magical and that is What Rising has been. Hopefully he will be again this year.
Barnes will be fine though. We can win games with him if needed. While we don’t have elite and ready QBs waiting in the wings, I am pretty sure that at this point in their careers, Whitt and Ludwig are able to recognize a real D1 QB when they see one.
Have some faith man! Go Utes.
Two things are going on here with Bryson being informally named as QB2:
Mostly, Whitt is signaling that needless mistakes are just not tolerable. (Cam has made enough enormous plays and won really big games to have some leeway.)
If Rose / Johnson aren’t ready, they really need to do what it takes to get ready, right now.
There’s no coddling in Whitt’s system. Either you do what it takes to get ready, or you don’t.
Remember the ways we used or lined up Johnson & JJ last year? Depending on the opponent, that kind of stuff works. (Hats off to Penn State for making it apparent there’s no option for that against them.)
If we had Barnes directing the offense, we’d be OK. Imagine a pitch to JJ or Nate and a passback to Barnes (if the defense falls asleep)? Bryson is faster than Cam.
We’re not even to double digits in August. Have some faith. Both in the process, and in Barnes.
Barnes is an ok game manager who can eke out some wins against the Wazzus of the world, but I just don’t know that he’s a QB who can step up and lead a team in big games. The best word that comes to mind to describe him is “serviceable”.
Hopefully I’m wrong here and he’ll be ready to take the reins, if needed.
Prairie View A&M is D1
(sigh)
He’s not a P5 conference title contender caliber starting QB.
Better?
As Utah fans, I think we have been conditioned to not believe what the coaching staff says about Quarterbacks. They seem to be great at assessing talent for most positions, but QB is not one of them.
Don’t we remember recently when our QB was ‘good to go’ after an injury but looked super hobbled/limited? Or is my memory failing me?
I remember rolling out Jordan Wynn at USU to end his career.
Hopefully Cam is rehabbed better than Wynn.
That said everyone who plays the game does so injured. It’s a matter of “injured enough” on whether they are a go.
Ludwig is able to assess QB talent.
I think part of what’s going with fans’ reactions is Cam (and QBs like Alex Smith and Brian Johnson) make it look much, much easier than it really is.
Uteopia has far more insight into the offense than me, and I’m sure he’d say it’s a lot more complicated and changed than what he was involved in.
But I think as an example, I’d point to the interview about new WR coach Alvin Whitted, and what Vele said about him, what he brings, in terms of going way beyond the Xs and Os to read how a coverage is going to be based on foot placement of the DBs, some of the subtleties even veterans like Vele wouldn’t pick up on.
Essentially “this is what I learned from the NFL…” with Vele being blown away.
Barnes has a huge advantage on Rose & Johnson just because he’s been here a while and he really pays attention and the game for him has slowed down, mentally.
Whitt’s being honest in where things are today… which is also a major spur for Rose & Johnson.
I have enough crap to worry about. Not that this shouldn’t bother me, but I’m trying to compartmentalize things like this and keep them in their respective pecking order.
I’m not entirely convinced. If I recall, it was his decision to start Charlie Brewer.
Ooof…calling out Ludsy
No, not really. I like what Ludwig brings. I just don’t understand why we consistently have quarterback ‘issues’. Injury and development issues have been pretty persistent at Utah for quite a while, even as we have cycled through offensive coordinators. Sure, all teams have their weaknesses. I guess Whittingham is the common denominator, but I really can’t complain about him.
I read this as coach speak (and Whitt’s brand in particular), pushing guys to work harder, meanwhile not showing his hand to the first opponent.
Twitter (screw X) had a some coach insight from Whittingham stating that all 3 are on even ground atm behind Cam.
The comfort level with the offense was mentioned by Whittingham.
However, he said that Johnson and Rose make some unreal plays.
We’ll see as camp progresses.