Eric Kjar was nestled in a Ogden sports bar while he watched his former Corner Canyon protege, Isaac Wilson, struggle to lead Utah’s offense on TV.
Wilson has been tested by fire early in his freshman campaign. For the second week in a row, the former four-star recruit was called on in the first half of a game to take over for seventh-year quarterback Cam Rising, who injured his right hand vs. Baylor last Saturday. It’s resulted in a slew of struggles for the freshman Wilson.
He has looked uneasy in the pocket. Overthrown passes to his receivers. Failed to get in rhythm like he did in fall camp.
Against Baylor, Wilson finished 4-of-9 with 30 passing yards and the Utes’ offense went scoreless in the final two quarters of the contest, while his high school head coach watched from his seat and ate food from his plate.
Kjar, though, sees this as a positive, a moment to not only prepare the quarterback for the rest of the season but also a chance to ready him for 2025, when he potentially replaces Rising as the starter.
“It’s good for him but it’s also tough because as the backup you don’t get the reps to be fully prepared,” Kjar told The Salt Lake Tribune. “He’s not in a position to where he’s just given every opportunity to be successful.
“If it were a different kid, I think it would be a little problematic to maybe throw him in this early. For Isaac, you’re not going to hurt his confidence. He’s pretty unflappable and built for situations like these. I see it as a huge positive, even though, maybe it hasn’t gone perfectly for him.”
After the game, Wilson pinned his struggles on a lack of composure. He admitted that he wasn’t as prepared for the moment as he should’ve been. Some might even chalk it up to freshman jitters.
“I’ve got to stay calm, cool and collected,” Wilson said after the game. “I’ve got to trust in my teammates and the team is going to trust in me. Coach (Andy Ludwig) always says take care of the ball and great things will happen.
“We’re going to evaluate that. I think I could’ve helped the defense, personally, by getting the ball moving just a little bit more.”
After Saturday’s game, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham described the quarterback’s injury as “not serious.” But he would not provide an update on Rising’s injury this week.
“We won’t say who will play quarterback that’s just not how we do it,” Whittingham said on Monday
If Utah’s captain isn’t ready to go against Utah State on Saturday, Wilson will have to be ready to lead the Utes’ offense.
Whittingham indicated that the Utes won’t use a dual-quarterback system as they did with Nate Johnson and Bryson Barnes on the roster in 2023.
That means it could very well be Wilson’s week to lead the offense.
Kjar has seen this play out before. During the 2022 season, when Wilson was a junior in high school, he struggled in a 42-7 loss vs. Bishop Gorman on the road. He was clobbered by linemen. Airmailed throws. Couldn’t find his poise in the pocket.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes quarterback Isaac Wilson (11) as the Utah Utes host the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, NCAA football in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024.
Kjar has seen some of that in Wilson’s first two stints under center with the Utes. But, in that same season at Corner Canyon, Wilson gathered his footing and flipped the switch, Kjar said.
Utah will certainly need that if Rising’s hand injury is long-term.
Kjar expects Wilson to recover nicely if he’s called upon to be the starter this week or for a longer period of time.
“He’s a perfect one to wade through some of these troubles that he’s had a little bit already,” Kjar said. “Maybe he isn’t playing the way he would like to or isn’t being as productive as he would like to, but I would definitely expect that from him in his next game, if he does have to play.”
Similar to his brother, Zach Wilson, who’s now with the Denver Broncos, Isaac Wilson is learning to embrace the heat of the pressure. Last season, Zach became the starter after Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles during New York’s first drive. He also struggled in his second season at BYU, finishing with 2,382 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns and nine interceptions. On the Jets, he underperformed despite the lofty expectations that came with being the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
Isaac has learned from his brother’s struggles, too, but will have to embrace his own growing pains after his first two appearances with Utah. After his second week of struggles, Isaac received an encouraging text from his brother. “Hey don’t worry about it,” the message from Zach read, “I know you’re going to be hard on yourself, but you got to take the easy completions.”
Kjar believes Wilson’s struggles, and what his brother has gone through, will serve the young Utes quarterback positively in the long run.
“They’re preparing him if something does happen to Cam,” Kjar said. “Now at least he’s gotten some experience and some of that rust knocked off. Then he can go into a week like this week, if he’s required to, where he’s got to prepare like he’s the starter, and get enough reps and fully prepare. And now he doesn’t have to worry about not having game experience.”
For now, the status of Rising’s prognosis seems to be positive. ESPN 700 reported on Saturday that Utah’s starting quarterback’s X-rays were negative.
But if Rising isn’t able to go, Kjar expects an improved performance from Wilson this week.
“I think the coaches believe in him a ton,” Kjar said.
“I think you’ll see him be a lot more confident. Plus, I think the game plan will be built around the fact that he’s an inexperienced quarterback going on the road, playing against a team that they should have success against. He’ll be put in an environment where he’s pretty protected in different situations and where he can have a lot of success.”