Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham will wait until kickoff to reveal the team’s starting quarterback against in-state rival BYU on Saturday.
The Utes will decide between freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson and sophomore quarterback Brandon Rose. Wilson, who has completed just over 55% of his passes for 1,200 passing yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions, was benched in favor of Rose midway through Utah’s 17-14 loss to Houston two weeks ago.
Whittingham said a decision has been made, but he will keep it under wraps until game time.
“Yeah, we’ve got a good plan right now,” Whittingham said on Monday. “We’ll keep it to ourselves, obviously, but we have a plan going forward. I guess nothing’s ever set in stone, but we feel like we’ve got a situation that is best for us and gives us the best chance to win.”
Cal Poly transfer and former five-star quarterback Sam Huard will not be in play for the quarterback competition moving forward. Whittingham told The Zone last week that the quarterback had season-ending surgery.
Whittingham on Monday praised Rose for steadily improving behind the scenes. The coach noted the sophomore quarterback was hampered by an injury that left him out for six to eight weeks last season.
“He‘s done well,” Utah’s coach said. “He was really doing well last year in addition, but had that injury that knocked him out for six or eight weeks, which really set him back, and then didn’t get much of anything going last year because of that. But Brandon has made steady and continual progress since he’s been in the program. He is playing his best football right now as a Ute.”
Utah quarterback Brandon Rose looks to pass against Houston during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
Utah‘s head coach also doubled down on the team’s long-term vision of having Wilson become the quarterback of the future.
“Well, just generally speaking, we have a ton of belief in Isaac, and we think he’s got a big upside,” Whittingham said. “We didn’t know he’d be thrust into the starting role a game and a half into the season. The plan was hopefully for Cam [Rising] to stay healthy. Isaac would get sporadic playing time along the way and continue to develop. Then Isaac takes over in spring as the number one guy.
“Everything was accelerated so much ... but the bottom line is, we have a lot of belief in Isaac.”
