The University of Utah held a press conference with Jim Harding, Kyle Whittingham, and all three competing QBs today. Below are the notes and the next press conference will be on Wednesday morning.
Kyle Whittingham--
-Looking forward to the development of the secondary with almost all of them being first and second year players. Excited to see what goes on with the pads on.
-The Very pleased with QB knowledge of playbook and now it's down to the execution. Says there are a lot of positive things going on with the group.
-Talking about the QB differences, Whittingham really emphasized Rising being a dual-threat. With Lisk and Bentley being pocket guys, Whittingham said Ludwig won't make them runners.
-"We're going to do what we do best and we're still trying to determine what we do best with this group." He says they're extremely comfortable with the offensive line and them being able to be successful with both pass blocking and run blocking.
-They have five capable guys at running back. If one doesn't stand out above the others, Whittingham wants it to be a group of three, since they all can do different various things as runners.
-Whttingham lost 27 pounds, since the quarantine hit. Says he wants to lose another 10.
-Nick Ford is currently working at tackle, but with them wanting the best five on the field, his versatility will make his position fluid. Whittingham says regardless of where Ford lines up, he'll be one of the best linemen in the Pac-12.
Jim Harding--
-Doesn't see a huge adjustment for the OL in regards to whoever wins the QB competition.
-They're fortunate with the consistency that they have with Orlando Umana.
-Keaton Bills is heavily in the mix for the starting five on the OL.
-Bam has shown a ton of improvement, but he wants to see consistency from him leading into the season.
Drew Lisk--
-He decide to return instead of retiring--like Whittingham said could happen--from football because the program has done so much for him.
-Says his biggest thing he brings to the QB room is consistency--always having a level head.
-Says Rising shows up every day wanting to be great and compete.
-In regards to accepting the QB decision..."We're going to have to, right?" He then went on to say he doesn't expect there to be any issues.
-He tunes out the noise when it comes to Rising and Bentley being talked about in the battle and not him, very much.
-After the experiences last year, one key thing learned is to never slack because you never know when you'll get thrown into the fire.
Cam Rising--
-Being named the backup for the bowl game really opened his eyes and gave him valuable reps. Stuff he hopes to show he grew from as he goes forward with fall camp.
-He said his scout team reps were valuable and have been serving him well with going up against the no. 1 defense and a lot of guys doing great things already on Sundays.
-Asked about the differences between the QBs, he said, "Oh, I don't know. I guess you'll just have to see me play and find out yourself."... (Everyone LOVED that quote)
-The time he spent up in the press box with Ludwig was very valuable and he was able to see football from a different side of things.
-"Iron sharpens iron." He enjoys the competition in the room.
-Cam has become a quote machine, BTW. "Pressure is something you feel, when you're not prepared.
-He's the one QB of the three that didn't hesitate when says he'd accept the results. (To the defense of the others, they didn't say they'd argue it).
-To have another year (with no one losing a year this year after him losing one in 2019) is a valuable thing, especially when you have a complex offense like this.
Jake Bentley--
-The last few months have been a mixed bag of emotions for him with not knowing what would happen. Says it helped him dive deeper in to the offense, though and it's been a productive time for the team.
-He thinks seeing all of the different blitzes and schemes he saw in the SEC will help him get through any situation.
-Regardless of what would have happened with the season, he said he still would have came back. He said it never really crossed his mind.
-Asked about the eventual QB choice, he paused and said, "I think so, I think so."
Now, to Bentley's defense, later on another question he explained in the interview that he chooses to be positive with his "mental energy," and see himself and the team with a positive outlook, It was honestly a good answer that you need from a QB. Says he's not going to think about not winning the job and that he'll just be the best teammate he can be.
Kyle Whittingham--
-Looking forward to the development of the secondary with almost all of them being first and second year players. Excited to see what goes on with the pads on.
-The Very pleased with QB knowledge of playbook and now it's down to the execution. Says there are a lot of positive things going on with the group.
-Talking about the QB differences, Whittingham really emphasized Rising being a dual-threat. With Lisk and Bentley being pocket guys, Whittingham said Ludwig won't make them runners.
-"We're going to do what we do best and we're still trying to determine what we do best with this group." He says they're extremely comfortable with the offensive line and them being able to be successful with both pass blocking and run blocking.
-They have five capable guys at running back. If one doesn't stand out above the others, Whittingham wants it to be a group of three, since they all can do different various things as runners.
-Whttingham lost 27 pounds, since the quarantine hit. Says he wants to lose another 10.
-Nick Ford is currently working at tackle, but with them wanting the best five on the field, his versatility will make his position fluid. Whittingham says regardless of where Ford lines up, he'll be one of the best linemen in the Pac-12.
Jim Harding--
-Doesn't see a huge adjustment for the OL in regards to whoever wins the QB competition.
-They're fortunate with the consistency that they have with Orlando Umana.
-Keaton Bills is heavily in the mix for the starting five on the OL.
-Bam has shown a ton of improvement, but he wants to see consistency from him leading into the season.
Drew Lisk--
-He decide to return instead of retiring--like Whittingham said could happen--from football because the program has done so much for him.
-Says his biggest thing he brings to the QB room is consistency--always having a level head.
-Says Rising shows up every day wanting to be great and compete.
-In regards to accepting the QB decision..."We're going to have to, right?" He then went on to say he doesn't expect there to be any issues.
-He tunes out the noise when it comes to Rising and Bentley being talked about in the battle and not him, very much.
-After the experiences last year, one key thing learned is to never slack because you never know when you'll get thrown into the fire.
Cam Rising--
-Being named the backup for the bowl game really opened his eyes and gave him valuable reps. Stuff he hopes to show he grew from as he goes forward with fall camp.
-He said his scout team reps were valuable and have been serving him well with going up against the no. 1 defense and a lot of guys doing great things already on Sundays.
-Asked about the differences between the QBs, he said, "Oh, I don't know. I guess you'll just have to see me play and find out yourself."... (Everyone LOVED that quote)
-The time he spent up in the press box with Ludwig was very valuable and he was able to see football from a different side of things.
-"Iron sharpens iron." He enjoys the competition in the room.
-Cam has become a quote machine, BTW. "Pressure is something you feel, when you're not prepared.
-He's the one QB of the three that didn't hesitate when says he'd accept the results. (To the defense of the others, they didn't say they'd argue it).
-To have another year (with no one losing a year this year after him losing one in 2019) is a valuable thing, especially when you have a complex offense like this.
Jake Bentley--
-The last few months have been a mixed bag of emotions for him with not knowing what would happen. Says it helped him dive deeper in to the offense, though and it's been a productive time for the team.
-He thinks seeing all of the different blitzes and schemes he saw in the SEC will help him get through any situation.
-Regardless of what would have happened with the season, he said he still would have came back. He said it never really crossed his mind.
-Asked about the eventual QB choice, he paused and said, "I think so, I think so."
Now, to Bentley's defense, later on another question he explained in the interview that he chooses to be positive with his "mental energy," and see himself and the team with a positive outlook, It was honestly a good answer that you need from a QB. Says he's not going to think about not winning the job and that he'll just be the best teammate he can be.
