Travis Wilson sidelined with season-ending pre-existing condition


Save Story

Show 1 more video

Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — University of Utah starting quarterback Travis Wilson will miss the remainder of the season after doctors discovered a season-ending pre-existing health condition.

Wilson missed Saturday's game against Oregon after sustaining a concussion during the Arizona State game. Wilson had tests performed last week where doctors said he would miss the season after discovering a pre-existing condition.

"Through the concussion diagnosis process a preexisting problem was discovered," Whittingham said. "They proceeded to give him an angiogram to take a closer look. At that point they discovered there was a preexisting problem that needed to be addressed and continue to be monitored."

The condition may be career-ending, but the team will wait to learn more about the injury in the coming months.

Team doctor David Petron, M.D., released the following statement Monday night:

"A preexisting condition was discovered after Travis Wilson underwent a CT scan to further evaluate the symptoms of a concussion. The findings on the CT scan led to an evaluation with an angiogram, which showed what appears to be a previous injury to an intracranial artery. We do not believe it is life threatening and there is a possibility he could play football in the future if it remains stable. It will be further evaluated with follow-up testing in approximately three months."

"Travis is a tough, competitive kid and very upset by this, obviously," Whittingham said. "He's disappointed, to say the least. He was a good part of what we're doing, and we'll miss him as our starting quarterback. But most importantly is his long-term health."

Wilson will address the team sometime Monday to discuss his condition, but Whittingham stressed he'll still be part of the team moving forward and will be involved in any type of recruiting the team will need.

"As far as we're concerned he's still part of our team moving forward, recruiting-wise. We're going through that right now as to how to handle it. We don't have answers and we won't for a couple of months, likely. We're in the process of evaluating all that."


Travis is a tough competitive kid and very upset by this, obviously. He's disappointed, to say the least. He was a good part of what we're doing and we'll miss him as our starting quarterback. But most importantly is his long-term health.

–Kyle Whittingham


Utah will go with backup quarterback Adam Schulz as the team's quarterback moving forward. Schulz got his first start last week against Oregon where he was 13-of-30 for 181 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Whittingham said Connor Manning and Brandon Cox will back up Schulz, but neither will be used unless there is an injury to Schulz. Both Manning and Cox are set to redshirt this season, barring injury.

The Utes have not had a starting quarterback play an entire season since 2008 when Brian Johnson was the team's quarterback. Wilson started out the season with elite numbers, but as the season progressed Wilson had struggles.

The season has not been kind to the University of Utah football team. On the field, the Utes have stood toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the Pac-12 but have come up just short outside of an upset win over Stanford.

Those losses can be easy to deal with — Monday starts a new game plan, practices begin and a fresh start is given each Saturday out on the field. However, what has been happening off the field is a lot harder to deal with.

Deaths of prominent friends, family and even a member of the team have taken their toll on the Utah football community. And key injuries have plagued the Utes all season.

However, the season does move on regardless of any outside circumstances, and the Utes have a tough task ahead of them to achieve their goal of making it back to a bowl game. The Utes need wins over Washington State and Colorado to make that happen.

"It's been a rough year in a lost of aspects," Whittingham said. "We just have to move forward and take it as it comes."

Most recent Sports stories

Related topics

SportsUtah Utes
Josh Furlong and Robert Jackson

    ARE YOU GAME?

    From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.com’s top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast