It's official, sophomore QB Tyler Huntley will be leading the offense when the Utes kick off the season on August 31. The program held their cards very close to the vest on this one and the coaches were being straight up with us when they said that the competition was very close.
I'll be honest, I was fully expecting Troy Williams to be named the starter today, and I was shocked when they announced it was Huntley. When we observed practice, I felt that most days Williams appeared to be more consistent, but there was one day near the end of fall camp when Huntley really shined. I think he made great strides throughout camp and the coaches can see that the switch has flipped for him. There will likely be growing pains with him during the season, but his ceiling is very high.
Some people are saying that this move was made by the coaches because they knew they weren't going to be able to compete for the south title this season. That is false. This is a high risk/high reward move that could pay big dividends this year, and will certainly pay off next year as well.
Personally, now that the initial surprise has worn off, I'm excited about the move. It shows me that Whittingham wasn't bluffing when he said that Troy Taylor has full control of this offense. If Whitt were making the call, I'm thinking it would have been Williams, as he's the safer choice, and we've seen similar decisions in past QB battles. This season is going to be a very interesting one.
I'll be honest, I was fully expecting Troy Williams to be named the starter today, and I was shocked when they announced it was Huntley. When we observed practice, I felt that most days Williams appeared to be more consistent, but there was one day near the end of fall camp when Huntley really shined. I think he made great strides throughout camp and the coaches can see that the switch has flipped for him. There will likely be growing pains with him during the season, but his ceiling is very high.
Some people are saying that this move was made by the coaches because they knew they weren't going to be able to compete for the south title this season. That is false. This is a high risk/high reward move that could pay big dividends this year, and will certainly pay off next year as well.
Personally, now that the initial surprise has worn off, I'm excited about the move. It shows me that Whittingham wasn't bluffing when he said that Troy Taylor has full control of this offense. If Whitt were making the call, I'm thinking it would have been Williams, as he's the safer choice, and we've seen similar decisions in past QB battles. This season is going to be a very interesting one.
