Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Kyle Whittingham has certainly not given away every last detail of Cam Rising's status this month, but the University of Utah head coach has been a little more transparent than careful observers may have expected.
That essentially came to an end late Monday afternoon, 10 days before the Utes open the season against the University of Florida.
"He's progressing, he's progressing through practice," Whittingham said to a question regarding whether or not Rising remains a limited practice participant, as has been the case since the beginning of fall camp on July 31. "It's a day-by-day thing right now, and that's as good as I can tell you."
After weeks of Whittingham conceding that Rising was a limited participant in practice, we have reached the point of August where things are going to be kept closer to vest outside the Eccles Football Center. For example, back in winter, Whittingham said he would like to see Rising at full capacity 10-14 days before the opener in order to feel comfortable putting him on the field. That timeline was backed up to seven days at one point earlier in camp.
On Monday, Whittingham quipped that the cutoff date to make a decision on Rising could come 10 minutes before kickoff.
"We're truly unsettled," Whittingham said. "There's really no deception at this point, it's just we'll see how things progress."
The intrigue surrounding Rising, his surgically-repaired knee, and whether or not he can get all the way back in time to start the season has been palpable for almost eight months.
That said, the last few days have been a reminder that while Rising's status is important, so, too, is what's going on behind him, because not only are Whittingham and offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig trying to identify Rising's backup, they are trying to identify the most viable option to start a game if Rising cannot.
In the wake of redshirt freshman Brandon Rose being lost for an undetermined amount of time for what is believed to be an upper body injury, Bryson Barnes and Nate Johnson are now locked in a QB2 battle that Whittingham on Monday labeled a "dead heat," while adding they are on equal footing at the moment.
Ludwig on Friday lamented the fact that Rose is hurt, but he also pointed out that finding reps for two quarterbacks is easier than finding reps for three.
"Those two, Bryson and Nate, have gotten considerably better at almost every aspect of quarterback play," Ludwig said. "Have they arrived yet? Absolutely not, but it is as much an improved position group as anywhere on the football field.
"Unfortunately, we lost Brandon to an injury a week ago, and Nate Johnson was a huge benefactor of that, getting more reps and he's really responded well. Bryson, obviously, as I've said many times, has a great mastery of the offensive system. Those two young guys have really made the most of this opportunity."
With Rising's situation in the air, and Barnes and Johnson fighting for QB2, one obvious question now becomes: If you're Whittingham and Ludwig, at what point do you really have to decide that it's time to cater a game plan to either Barnes or Rising, just in case?
Ludwig will quickly tell you that such a process began during spring practice, and that Utah will not be caught off guard if Rising is a late-week or last-minute scratch. That is all well and good, but in the next breath, Ludwig gave the real answer, which has everything to do with who he decides to put on the field.
"I believe the system has enough flexibility and versatility that we can shift emphasis based on personnel available," Ludwig said, noting that while the scheme would not change under Barnes or Johnson, the play-calling would. "We saw a lot of that last year with the roster, there was some rollover week to week, just what we're going to focus on and who we're going to feature."
