Utah’s battle for quarterback begins

SALT LAKE CITY — Ah spring, the tease to football we hate to love.

Real football is still months away, but any opportunity to watch or talk football will be had and enjoyed thoroughly. For the University of Utah, spring football is an opportunity to move on from four-year starting quarterback Travis Wilson, who helped Utah improve each season.

Although more took place at Utah’s first practice of spring, all the conversation was about the new quarterback battle and who will be the leading candidate for the starting job coming into fall camp. Head coach Kyle Whittingham said it’s an open battle between the three quarterbacks currently available on the roster for spring: junior Brandon Cox, junior college transfer Troy Williams and freshman Florida standout Tyler Huntley.

“They’ll all three being given an equal opportunity until proven otherwise,” Whittingham said. “If one starts to separate or two starts to separate, then we’ll adjust the reps accordingly. Right now, they’re all going to get their turns and we’ll see what they can do.”

It’s a common statement from Whittingham regarding his quarterbacks, but the past few years the understanding has been the job was Wilson’s to lose, despite camp being an open battle for the starting job. However, this year, it’s truly an open battle among quarterbacks, with no immediate favorite projected.

Sophomore Chase Hansen was previously seen as the heir to the quarterback throne, but a strong showing on defense last season has him projected on the other side of the ball. Hansen is still an option at quarterback, but will likely be more of an insurance policy after recovering from an injury should any of the three quarterbacks not be able to perform at a high level.

Cox, who has been with the program the last four seasons, has arguably an advantage over the other two quarterbacks simply because he understands the program and has had the most practice in a Whittingham-led spread offense. Whittingham, though, counters that the best quarterback will start no matter length of time with the program.

“Brandon does have a head start because he’s been in the program for four years now, and is obviously the more comfortable one in the scheme. But they’re all going to get their chance and an equal opportunity,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if he’s been here four years or four weeks, the best guy is going to play.”

Cox told ESPN 700 that he’s coming into spring camp with the idea of improving each day and not necessarily worrying about being the team’s starter.

“For me, it doesn’t really change that much,” he said. “Every day, my main objective is to win the day and get better and compete as much as I can. With Travis being gone, I’m trying to take the same initiative and just try to get better day by day and lead my team to score touchdowns.

Cox added that he’s improved as a passer and feels more comfortable in his role in the pocket. However, he’s always got an eye open for the run should a play break down, which is Cox’s strength as a quarterback.

“I feel like with more reps I’m only going to get better,” he said. “I feel like I’ve progressed as a pocket passer, I can stand in there and deliver a good ball. And when things break down, I’ve always been a playmaker and I’ll do what I do best. I’m definitely developing and getting better every day.”

Williams came into the program as the perceived favorite for the starting job, having been a talented quarterback at the junior college level and having experience competing for a starting job in his short stint at Washington. Williams, though, said focusing on the starting job is not his main focus.

“You can’t get too caught up in it or you’re going to try to make the perfect ball every play,” Williams said. “It’s football, you’re going to mess up. You’ve just got to take it one play at a time.”

Williams is more of a pocket passer and tries to beat defenses through the air instead of his feet. However, he’s mobile in the pocket and can provide some versatility to the offensive schemes should he need to roll out to extend a play.

Huntley may have impressed people the most for his mature leadership as a quarterback on Tuesday. Whittingham praised the freshman’s effort, saying he was “impressed” with Huntley’s leadership skills with the team. He added that Huntley had the “quarterback persona.”

“He did some good things for his first practice as a Division I football player,” Whittingham said. “I thought he showed a lot of poise and a lot of confidence.”

Huntley, too, is listed as a dual-threat quarterback, which to Whittingham is a guy that can make the plays in the air, but extend plays with his feet as well as thinking about the run first.

“It doesn’t matter, they’ve just got to be able to do both and excel at both,” Whittingham said. “The value of extending a play at quarterback is tremendous — to be able to get out of a jam and out of trouble and make a play. Tyler Huntley did that a few times (Tuesday). That’s a huge commodity for a quarterback.”

A change to the offensive scheme is having the quarterbacks play under center from time to time. With Wilson, Utah operated in a shotgun formation as part of the spread offense. Whittingham, though, put the quarterbacks under center Tuesday in the team’s first practice to add a “wrinkle” to the offense.

“We just think it will help our overall package on offense to get under center a little bit,” Whittingham said. “There’s a lot of value to it — short-yardage situations and not having to take the ball five yards back in the snap. There’s a lot of things that we think adds to what we’re doing. We just think it’s going to be a good addition.”

The battle for quarterback will become more clear as camp progresses, but Whittingham doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to name a starter by the end of camp. Should one separate themselves organically from the rest of the pack, Whittingham will embrace it and hope the team buys into the system coming into summer conditioning.

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