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PROVO — BYU quarterback Zach Wilson grew up a Utah fan; that’s an established fact by now.
The true freshman who prepped at nearby Corner Canyon in Draper is the son of former Utah defensive lineman Mike Wilson, and his parents had tickets on the 50-yard line — often next to head coach Kyle Whittingham’s family — during his youth.
If there has ever been a Ute legacy product, it was Wilson. He went to all the camps, met all the coaches, hung out at all the alumni events — and cheered loud every time the Utes took down archrival BYU.
He remembers the good moments and the bad very clearly — Brandon Burton’s game-winning blocked field goal in 2010; John Beck-to-Jonny Harline in 2006; Austin Collie’s moment when “Magic Happens” in 2007; even the 54-10 thrashing that the Utes put on the Cougars in 2011.
“This is such a big game all around, from both sides, and it’s such a fun rivalry,” Wilson said. “I’m so grateful to be a part of it.”
He even got to know the coaching staff well: Whittingham and a former defensive coordinator named Kalani Sitake.
“I knew the family when I was at Utah, and I remember Zach coming to our camps when he was a little kid,” now-BYU head coach Sitake said. “We had a connection. But I knew a lot of these kids; I knew Austin Lee when we recruited him (at Utah, before Lee transferred to BYU). There are a lot of guys on both sides that I know.”
Wilson was always excited to add his name to those of rivalry legend. But he wasn’t prepared to add his name to the blue side until last December, when he signed with the Cougars over offers from Boise State, Iowa, Cal and others.
Notably absent from that list of offers: the team he grew up rooting on, the same team he will face at 8 p.m. MT Saturday at Rice-Eccles (Fox Sports 1, KSL Newsradio).
“We had all our eggs in the basket of the quarterback that we signed,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said of Wilson’s recruitment. “Typically, you only sign one a year; there are some exceptions to that … but typically it’s a one-a-year cycle. We got the early commitment from our guy, so it was a dead issue from that point on.”
The quarterback that Whittingham went full-Voldemort by refusing to call him by name is Jack Tuttle, the four-star signal caller from San Marcos, California, who also had offers from Alabama, Arizona, Boston College, LSU, Nebraska, San Diego State, Washington State, Wisconsin and a litany of others.
But Tuttle, who was the Utes’ highest-ever quarterback recruit, left the program before playing a competitive snap — after getting beat out by starter Tyler Huntley and top backup Jason Shelley.
The Jack Tuttle Era never got off the ground at Utah. And Wilson, the other quarterback who could’ve been in the Utes’ mix? He’s played in seven games as a freshman, started the last five, and has thrown for 1,057 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions, while adding another 125 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
“When it comes down to it, it’s what we could provide for each of these kids,” Sitake said. “He (Wilson) wants to play quarterback, and he’s playing quarterback now.”
Wilson doesn’t regret his decision; on the contrary, he’s learned to love the Cougars — as has his family, including his father Mike, due to the warm reception they’ve received since wandering into Provo.
Maybe the Wilsons will return to being Utah fans after their freshman quarterback son has graduated; they still have those same season tickets reserved at Rice-Eccles Stadium, though Zach’s uncle has used them in 2018. And they still are friends with Whittingham and his family.
But they’ve also built a lot of friendships on “the other side,” and have spoken openly of that.
“Being on the other side, I used to be a huge Utah fan,” Wilson said. “Coming out here with my brothers, though, we’ve built these great relationships, and I can’t wait to go out there and play.”
BYU is confident in Wilson as a quarterback, even after a few early struggles such as a 7-6 loss to Northern Illinois. Indeed, he’s seemed to grow out of his freshman jitters, and has found a rhythm with the offense — even knowing when to rely on the ground game, such as last week’s 45-10 win over New Mexico State when running back Lopini Katoa scored four times and Matt Hadley added two.
“He’s ready to play football,” Sitake said of Wilson. “I have a lot of confidence in him. Is he perfect? No, but that’s part of football; we want them to get to be perfect.
“He’s made some mistakes, but he’s learned from them. He has the mindset to rally back from any adversity that he’s seen. I love the way he competes, and he’s done a great job leading this team, especially as a freshman.”
Still, the rivalry game is a different animal. Mistakes can be magnified, critical plays can turn games, and the rivalry that is one of the closest in the nation — 10 of the last 12 matchups have been decided by one score or less, including last year’s 19-13 win by Utah in Provo — can take on a new meaning.
But that’s where coaching comes in. Wilson’s quarterbacks coach Aaron Roderick knows the magnitude of the BYU-Utah game, having played in it and coached on both sides. He’s prepared to step in and help the young freshman through his first.
“Something exciting is going to happen Saturday night. We’ll find out what that is,” Roderick said. “I’m sure there will be a lot of emotions that he will have to manage. There’s so much noise. I’ve tried to help him block that out as much as you can. Just focus that into preparing for the game, and don’t get sidetracked by any of it.”
Wilson doesn’t necessarily believe that you have to “throw the records out” in rivalry games, as the cliche goes. But he does believe one thing, as the starting quarterback of any team should believe.
“All I know is we are capable of going to Utah and winning, no matter what their record is or our record is,” Wilson said. “We have the players who can go out and compete — and win this game.”
Bravado or certainty? Saturday night, we’ll know.
