Everything this guy said about “Johnny Football” is what I’ve said about Zach. Great at the college level, but not against the talent in the NFL. Of course we’ll have to wait and see, but I’m not convinced Zach will be able to match the high expectations that have been set for him. Of course, Zach won’t have all the off-the-field problems Johnny had. At least I hope not.
The NFL DC’s will get him schemed right away. If he doesn’t adjust his game, just like Manziel, his career will be very short.
He is not as elusive as Johnny Football.
Reminds me of a different SEC QB who is currently in the league:
All this said I think Zach would be a great second-day pick. He needs to be a backup for a while.
I’m skeptical as well. Had he come to Utah, he would have never beaten out Huntley his Fr & So seasons. He definitely would have started last year.
Maybe he’ll be a star in the NFL but there’s just as good a chance that he’ll be a bust.
This is true of every first round QB. I don’t think Wilson’s odds are better or worse than anyone else drafted in the first round. He has all the tools that they have. He has experience. There are, of course, question marks, just as there are for everyone else in his situation.
Is this where I say I don’t really care how he fares in the NFL. If he makes it, great. If he doesn’t, oh well.
Yes, I cared enough to say I don’t care.
One of the all-time misses. In our yard. A legacy. A hard core fan. Recruiting doesn’t get any easier than that.
I’d push back on Justin Fields playing great against good teams. His best game was against Clemson. He was very inconsistent in Big 1G play. That said he has tremendous capabilities. Trevor Lawrence played in a very bad ACC but did win a National Title his Freshman year. Both guys are very early first round draft picks, no doubt. I just don’t think we can say they played a better schedule than P12, B12 or SEC. I have very little respect for the ACC or B1G. Very overrated conferences.
Have you seen the ACC? I’m probably taking Coastal Carolina and Navy over Wake and Syracuse. It’s bad football.
I will agree though. Typically the P5 is a better schedule than whatever BYU is playing. But, whoo boy were those 2 P5s bad this year.
Honestly, I still don’t think he’s a recruiting miss. I know I’ve said it before but he’s a slightly better Travis Wilson and against better teams it shows.
Impossible to say whether he was a recruiting miss IMO. He never would have beaten out Huntley, nor should he have. He’d just now be getting his first real chance at the U, and we have no idea how he’d fare against P5 defenses vis-a-vis any of our current QBs.
Do you think Wilson would have started over Huntley? I do not. He would have found himself behind both Huntley and Troy Williams as a freshman and behind Huntley as both a sophomore and junior. So, I have a hard time saying he was “one of the all-time misses” when I don’t think he would have seen the field for any meaningful playing time until this past season. I also believe based on what I have observed from him and his parents that he would have been a big problem if he was not the starter. ZW made a great choice for himself and Utah did just fine without him.
I would like to have seen a good competition. But let’s say Huntley beats him out. Okay, you redshirt Wilson his freshman year (18), he sits behind Huntley his R-FR year (19), and he competes with Rising for a job his R-SO year (20). 2020 is also a free year so wouldn’t you like to have a talent like Wilson coming back this season as a R-SO?
Also, are we denying he isn’t a tremendous talent? He had a QB rating (meant PER not QBR) of 196 last year. 196 is virtually unheard of. He had a 74 percent completion rate for 3,700 yards and 33 TDs to only 3 int. He also can use his legs to get out of trouble. He has no problem making any throw on the field – deep far sideline, skinny post, screen, whatever. But to put that QB rating in perspective, during Alex’s best year, he played the MWC schedule as well as a 3-8 Arizona, 6-6 UNC, 6-5? TAMU & 8-3 Pitt team in the FB. Not exactly world beater competition right? During that year, Alex had a QB rating of 176, the same rating as Huntley had his senior year versus much better competition. My point is this - its irrelevant whether he would have beat out Huntley in his FR or SO years. What’s relevant is we missed out on a layup recruit who is bursting with talent.
As for his parents, you got me there. I don’t know them, only through the uncomfortable TV interviews everyone has seen. Actually, I met the father & Zach one time very briefly at an in-state invitational football camp that both our sons were invited to. Zach was with him but his wife was not. Kalani dropped by briefly to say hello, but otherwise, they were just as chill as can be. Wasn’t hanging around any coaches, getting in their ear or anything like that. Just totally minding their own busines as far as I could tell.
He wouldve been at his dream school so maybe not playing a couple of years to be a 3 year starter wouldve been fine with him. Worst case he probably wouldve outlasted Jack Whatshishead.
Meanwhile, today in the real world.
His parents are good people. Salt of the earth.
I’m not denying that he has talent. He obviously has a lot of talent! I’m just saying that his path turned out great for him and that the Utes have not and will not suffer from not offering him.
These types of posts (and this type of thread) crack me up. My recruiting articles of faith;
The end.
Are you saying the #33 Pro Style QB in his class is a no brainer when you have the #8 already committed?
I am saying that anyone that says “oh we didn’t really need him” is crazy. Of course we did!