People have been wanting a breakdown of the quarterbacks so here it is. I was able to talk to some people I trust, who have seen enough of what these guys have done to have an opinion and has the knowledge of the game to know what they should be doing and what they can do better. It's more detailed for the younger unknown guys, and a little more general between Wilson and Thompson. I will still ask ARod about it and get his opinion because well, it was requested and he sees these guys all the time. Hope this gives you guys some answers you've been looking for!
1) Travis Wilson- like we've discussed before he is what he is; solid in practice- never really has a bad day, but never really makes anyone stop and go "wow". He's just a good, solid quarterback who can get the job done, but isn't necessarily going to impress anyone or take over a need to win game. I was told Wilson will look virtually unstoppable against teams like Colorado, Colorado St., Fresno State, etc. but tends to struggle against the better competition in the PAC-12. (This is all things we've discussed before on this board.) The question that was thrown my way was, is Utah trying to be a solid team or are they trying to be one of the best teams in the country? In my contacts opinion the coaches should be focusing to see if they can't find someone who can give them the edge against the PAC-12 schools, rather than staying with what is comfortable.
2) Kendal Thompson- not as much known about him, but did enough to be intriguing and show some potential. Said the Oregon State start was bad no matter how you twisted it and there were a lot of areas to place blame. First start jitters, dropped TDs by the receivers, a horrible fumble by Thompson and sloppy penalties all contributed to the trade out for Wilson. Said on the other hand when Thompson was given chances against #8 UCLA and Oregon the national runner up he was in complete control of the game which is something not often seen with Wilson other than against easier competition and with the exception of USC last year. Said Thompson appeared to have learned from earlier mistakes from starting the Oregon State game and was not making them in his start against Oregon which is a little hard to judge since he was unable to finish the game because of his injury.
3) Chase Hansen- described him as a really good natural runner and feels he's more likely than not the starter after Wilson and Thompson graduate unless they bring in a JuCo quarterback or a transfer. Said he doesn't have good arm strength or accuracy to this point but is still young in his career and has time to improve. Has good pocket presence, and appears to be incredibly intelligent with how quickly he's picked everything up and has a great work ethic. Reminded a little of Thompson just not as polished and perhaps not as elusive as a runner, but better at running than Wilson. Feels what will hold Hansen back from starting this year is that his passing isn't up to the level of Wilson and Thompson.
4) Conner Manning- described Manning as a very good quarterback, but is simply in the wrong system. Said he's a gifted passer with a knack for knowing where to go with the ball and how to throw different types of balls. Doesn't think he has the strongest arm but is smart and knows how to use his great touch to his advantage. Reads defenses really well, but what's holding him back is his lack of mobility. Said Manning is lightyears ahead of Hansen with regards to passing at this point, but Hansen can move around and extend plays which put him ahead in the pecking order. Suspects Manning will eventually transfer to a place with a huge offensive line that he can just sit behind and pick defenses apart. Thinks if that happens he'll have a very successful career.
5) Donovan Isom- said he has the strongest arm of all the quarterbacks, but needs to work on mechanics (both running and passing), footwork, and just knowing the offense and reading the defense. Said Isom is likely a year away from being able to compete in the college level but right now the game is too fast for him. Said for the moment Isom just moves to slow (literally and mentally) to be effective. Feels he just isn't ready at this point in his career, but when everything comes together he's someone to look for.
6) Brandon Cox- described him as being very similar to Hansen in that he can't pass consistently, but his problem is footwork whereas Hansen's problem is just working on his overall motion. Said sloppy footwork in the pocket is making for some of the eratic passes you guys see in practice, but other times when he gets his feet right he makes great throws. Said if you put Cox and Hansen side by side just throwing routes, Cox would look better. In live work Hansen is more effective because he has better footwork. Said Cox is more elusive than Wilson or Hansen but is also slower than them so he's not as good as a pure runner. Said if Cox sticks around he will most likely be Hansen's back-up next year.
1) Travis Wilson- like we've discussed before he is what he is; solid in practice- never really has a bad day, but never really makes anyone stop and go "wow". He's just a good, solid quarterback who can get the job done, but isn't necessarily going to impress anyone or take over a need to win game. I was told Wilson will look virtually unstoppable against teams like Colorado, Colorado St., Fresno State, etc. but tends to struggle against the better competition in the PAC-12. (This is all things we've discussed before on this board.) The question that was thrown my way was, is Utah trying to be a solid team or are they trying to be one of the best teams in the country? In my contacts opinion the coaches should be focusing to see if they can't find someone who can give them the edge against the PAC-12 schools, rather than staying with what is comfortable.
2) Kendal Thompson- not as much known about him, but did enough to be intriguing and show some potential. Said the Oregon State start was bad no matter how you twisted it and there were a lot of areas to place blame. First start jitters, dropped TDs by the receivers, a horrible fumble by Thompson and sloppy penalties all contributed to the trade out for Wilson. Said on the other hand when Thompson was given chances against #8 UCLA and Oregon the national runner up he was in complete control of the game which is something not often seen with Wilson other than against easier competition and with the exception of USC last year. Said Thompson appeared to have learned from earlier mistakes from starting the Oregon State game and was not making them in his start against Oregon which is a little hard to judge since he was unable to finish the game because of his injury.
3) Chase Hansen- described him as a really good natural runner and feels he's more likely than not the starter after Wilson and Thompson graduate unless they bring in a JuCo quarterback or a transfer. Said he doesn't have good arm strength or accuracy to this point but is still young in his career and has time to improve. Has good pocket presence, and appears to be incredibly intelligent with how quickly he's picked everything up and has a great work ethic. Reminded a little of Thompson just not as polished and perhaps not as elusive as a runner, but better at running than Wilson. Feels what will hold Hansen back from starting this year is that his passing isn't up to the level of Wilson and Thompson.
4) Conner Manning- described Manning as a very good quarterback, but is simply in the wrong system. Said he's a gifted passer with a knack for knowing where to go with the ball and how to throw different types of balls. Doesn't think he has the strongest arm but is smart and knows how to use his great touch to his advantage. Reads defenses really well, but what's holding him back is his lack of mobility. Said Manning is lightyears ahead of Hansen with regards to passing at this point, but Hansen can move around and extend plays which put him ahead in the pecking order. Suspects Manning will eventually transfer to a place with a huge offensive line that he can just sit behind and pick defenses apart. Thinks if that happens he'll have a very successful career.
5) Donovan Isom- said he has the strongest arm of all the quarterbacks, but needs to work on mechanics (both running and passing), footwork, and just knowing the offense and reading the defense. Said Isom is likely a year away from being able to compete in the college level but right now the game is too fast for him. Said for the moment Isom just moves to slow (literally and mentally) to be effective. Feels he just isn't ready at this point in his career, but when everything comes together he's someone to look for.
6) Brandon Cox- described him as being very similar to Hansen in that he can't pass consistently, but his problem is footwork whereas Hansen's problem is just working on his overall motion. Said sloppy footwork in the pocket is making for some of the eratic passes you guys see in practice, but other times when he gets his feet right he makes great throws. Said if you put Cox and Hansen side by side just throwing routes, Cox would look better. In live work Hansen is more effective because he has better footwork. Said Cox is more elusive than Wilson or Hansen but is also slower than them so he's not as good as a pure runner. Said if Cox sticks around he will most likely be Hansen's back-up next year.
