Isaac Wilson returns to Utah after entering transfer portal – Deseret News

Isaac Wilson travels back to Utah.

The Utes quarterback entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal when it opened to explore his options, but the opportunity to return to Utah was always there, even after the Utes acquired New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier.

Less than two weeks after entering his name into the portal, Wilson is back in Kyle Whittingham’s program.

The move leaves the Utes with four quarterbacks ahead of the 2025 season – Dampier, Wilson and true freshmen Wyatt Becker and Jamarian Fickli – after signalmen Brandon Rose and Sam Huard entered the transfer portal.

“I have to sit down with coach Jason Beck and coach Koy Detmer on Friday and discuss the offense,” Wilson told Blair Angulo of 247Sports. “It’s a lot more of what I did in high school and I’m really looking forward to competing and seeing what I can do in it. They’ve had a lot of success with quarterbacks in the past.”

Wilson returns to Utah after a tumultuous 2024 season in which he was thrust into the starting lineup as a true freshman.

Cam Rising only played 2.5 games last year, suffering a finger injury in Week 2 against Baylor that kept him out until Week 6 against Arizona State, where he suffered a season-ending lower-body injury.

Wilson, who won the backup quarterback job over Rose in fall camp, played in nine games and seven starts in his first college season.

The former four-star quarterback from Corner Canyon won his first two starts on the road against Utah State and Oklahoma State, increasing the Utes’ record to 4-0, but things would go downhill from there as Utah won the next five games, the Wilson had started, lost.

In the third quarter of Utah’s loss to Houston, Wilson was benched and Rose left the game and started against BYU. However, after Rose suffered an injury, Wilson was back in the team’s starting lineup against Colorado and Iowa State before suffering a season-ending injury in the loss to the Cyclones.

Wilson threw for 1,510 yards and 10 touchdowns with 11 interceptions in 2024 with an accuracy of 56.4%.

Utah’s offense was the weak link on the team, as the Utes averaged just 23.6 points per game (14th in the Big 12), passed just 199.4 yards per game (15th in the Big 12), and 130, Gained 4 yards per game (12th in the Big 12). the Big 12).

Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig resigned midway through the season after Utah failed to score more than 19 points in three games against Arizona, Arizona State and TCU. Mike Bajakian assumed the role of interim offensive coordinator.

Despite a largely disappointing season, there were some bright spots in Wilson’s game.

His best throw of the season came at the end of the year with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Dorian Singer, who caught the perfectly placed ball over Heisman winner Travis Hunter. He showed his potential in other games, including a throw against Utah State where Wilson didn’t take the easy way out on the first down, but instead made a harder downfield throw to Money Parks and dropped the ball perfectly between two defenders scored on a 20-yard gain and a 71-yard touchdown pass against TCU.

However, there are certainly things he can improve on his game if he wants to be an effective Power Four starting quarterback.

In his first year as a college quarterback, Wilson was too inaccurate, too turnover-like, held the ball too long at times, and his field vision and reading skills need improvement.

“He comes in on his own and watches a lot of film, so we do everything we can. “He’s doing everything he can to continue to develop and see things quicker,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “And that was another problem in the (Colorado) game, especially early on. It got better as the game went on, but I held the ball too long and had to go through these tests and spit it out or put it in the pocket and run.”

At the same time, several factors worked against Wilson. Until Week 7, the true freshman shared starting drills with the Rising, as the starting decision sometimes depends on the game day.

The success stories of true freshmen starting college football are rare for good reason, as Utah has discovered, and signing a player who attended high school less than a year earlier typically doesn’t result in immediate success.

What does the immediate future look like for Wilson and the Utes if Wilson returns to Utah?

Dampier is expected to win the starting job in 2025, although there will certainly be competition between him, Wilson and the other quarterbacks. Dampier has his own issues with accuracy, completing just 57.9% of his passes, but was one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football in 2024 with 3,934 total yards of offense. Dampier has the advantage of experience in Beck’s system, where he fits perfectly into the quarterback-run-heavy offense.

If the Utes don’t acquire another transfer portal quarterback, Wilson would seemingly be capable of serving as the backup unless he puts in a fantastic performance in spring and fall camp, beating out Dampier. The best-case scenario would be that Dampier, who was durable at New Mexico and started every game for the Lobos despite rushing the ball 155 times, stays healthy and gives Wilson a viable redshirt year.

Utah still believes in Wilson’s potential, which is why the school welcomed him back for another season. Now it’s up to Wilson and the Utah coaches to make the most of that potential.