'Gaining more trust': How freshman QB Byrd Ficklin is proving himself at Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — The last time Byrd Ficklin was a freshman, it was a completely different experience for the Oklahoma native.

As a freshman in high school, Ficklin said it was "absolutely terrible," because "nobody wanted the freshman on the field" and his team was losing a bunch of games.

Nobody wanted to see the freshman on the field, but he threw for 2,455 yards and 21 touchdowns that season, while adding an additional four touchdowns and 150 rushing yards en route to being named by the local newspaper its newcomer of the year.

"I just knew that would be the only time that that was going to happen," Ficklin told KSL.com. "And from then on, I've just been playing high with confidence — and you're bound to play good. Play with high motor, high energy, and you're going to keep yourself up, as well as you're going to keep players around you up. It's hard to die whenever you have high energy."

By the time he graduated from Muskogee High as a three-star quarterback, Ficklin had been named the offensive player of the year and became the school's record holder in career passing yards and touchdowns.

It's safe to say his teammates were happy to see that freshman eventually stay on the field.

As Ficklin now transitions to his new life as a freshman again — this time at the University of Utah — there's a different feeling about him being on the field this time around.

Fans still want to see Devon Dampier as the team's starter under center, but in the small sample size Ficklin got against Cal Poly on Saturday, there's excitement for what he could bring to the Utah offense in years to come.

Ficklin — who goes by Byrd because "growing up, I had no meat on my bones. ... I just looked like a newborn baby bird, couldn't put no meat on my legs. And it was like, he's like a little bird" — threw for 53 yards on 4-of-4 passing, and added 55 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including an impressive 38-yard TD run that included stiff-arming a defender.

"I seen the opportunity to get in the end zone, and I just had to get in there," Ficklin said. "It was no matter who was in front of me, I was gonna make something happen. And I was in that zone to go do it, and I did it."

It was a standout performance for the freshman who has been making an early push for backup duties since he first enrolled in spring. Utah head coach said his freshman QB looked "really good" in the quarter and a half he played, with little to no drop off in offensive production when Dampier left the field.

"He's an athlete, he's cool under pressure, and a true freshman, just right out of high school," Whittingham said. "And I thought he handled his opportunity really well."

It was a low-stakes opportunity to see the freshman in action, and Ficklin lived up to the early billing. Enough so that it left many wondering whether Ficklin had supplanted sophomore Isaac Wilson as the team's new QB2.

Whittingham, though, wasn't quite ready to make that a permanent deal, even if Ficklin has been the first QB called upon when Dampier has exited the game early in back-to-back blowout victories.

"Isaac Wilson does have a redshirt year that, combined with wanting to find out more about Byrd in live situation, has led to what you've seen the last couple weeks," Whittingham said. "But no, if it was a long-term situation, then not saying that that has necessarily changed.

"Byrd did do a great job," he added. "I thought he really handled the offense well. Played a full quarter and a half, 4-for-4 throwing the ball, had a really nice run on the touchdown run, and really looked poised and did some good things. So, it's still a work in progress — or he is still a work in progress — but I wouldn't say the depth is necessarily changed right now."

But it's not difficult to see a path this season where Ficklin could be named QB2. Ficklin is certainly not a finished product, and the experience of utilizing a true freshman last season in games will give Utah some pause, but he's showing promise.

Ficklin, who describes himself as "level grounded," said he's ready for any opportunity the coaching staff gives him this season.

"It feels good, because they're being able to see what I can do, as well as I can show what I can do," he said. "And showing what I can do is gaining more trust. I can only do so much in practice for them to trust me. Seeing that real game situation and how I handle pressure is what they want to see, and to be able to showcase that I'm able to handle that and I'm able to be put on that stage, it means a lot to me, but as well as to them, because they know they're able to put me in that situation."

Stacking those good performances will be key for the freshman QB who hopes to gain more live experience, even if just for a little bit. In the meantime, Ficklin continues to learn from Dampier and how he processes the game.

The two share similar traits in the way they play, so having Dampier as the veteran player has been a valuable asset, Ficklin said.

"He's done a lot of things that I haven't seen before, but he's really just that player who get the ball in his hands and something good is happening," Ficklin said. "And I believe that if he's able to do it, I'm able to do it, too. And the offense is able to trust me with that, as well.

"He's teaching me as well as he's coaching me," he added. "I might do something good, but he's telling me what I could do that was better. But really, just playing ball, playing behind him, and watching him as a leader is helping me grow as a leader."

And for the time being, there's little complaint about the freshman being on the field.

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