Whittingham: Naming Starting QB Wasn’t Obvious But Apparent

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah football has their starting quarterback in place for the 2020 season opener against Arizona on Saturday, Nov. 7.

Although Whittingham hasn’t told the media or public about who the starting signal caller is, the Utah head coach said it wasn’t obvious but apparent who the starter should be.

“I won’t say obvious but it was apparent that one had outperformed the other two,” Whittingham said. “So it wasn’t a case where we had none of the three performing the level needed to because all three were performing very well. But one of them separated himself and in enough separation where it was pretty unanimous as far as the coaching staff as to what direction we’re going to go. Now, Andy (Ludwig) obviously has the most say – I guess I would have the most say – I really trust Andy and rely on him and lean on him for those decisions, and we were in the same camp on this one.”

Whittingham said that it was apparent who the starting quarterback was when they named the starter.#GoUtes @kslsports

— Trevor Allen (@TrevorASports) October 30, 2020

Whittingham has mentioned in the past that he won’t announce the starter until closer to the season opener. The head coach might opt to make the fans and media wait to unveil the quarterback when they trot out onto the field for the first drive of the 2020 campaign.

The reason for that is so Utah doesn’t tip their hand to the Arizona coaching staff. This forces the Wildcats to prepare to face three quarterbacks.

Reminding Players Of COVID-19 Protocols

With the news that broke on Thursday night that Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence tested positive for COVID-19, Whittingham was asked how often he and his coaches remind their players about adhering to the COVID-19 protocols.

“Only about 10 times a day and they hear it at nauseum from us as coaches they hear it from me,” Whittingham mentioned. “Every time we have a gathering of the entire team prior to practice after practice to hear it from their position coaches in their position meetings. They hear it from their coordinators in their unit meetings. It’s a constant reminder and a constant, I don’t want to say battle but because I believe our guys are doing a great job keeping themselves out of harm’s way. At least the test results will bear that out.

"Only about 10 times a day." – Whittingham said about how often they remind their players to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols.#GoUtes @kslsports

— Trevor Allen (@TrevorASports) October 30, 2020

“It is something that we continually remind them of, harp on it, educate them and any new information we get,” Whittingham added. “For example the other day there was something that if you eat out at a restaurant you’re twice as likely to get the virus than if you just eat at home and just trying to continually educate them and remind them that this is a time for sacrifice. It’s hard, these guys are college kids and it’s a time in their lives where they should be having some social interaction and having get togethers but they can’t do that. That’s just part of the deal. The sacrifice that they need to make to accomplish something that they’re all striving for is trying to win football games.”

Relying On 2020 Recruiting Class

One of Utah’s best recruiting classes in school history is the 2020 signing class. It is filled with talented players and it shows as the true freshmen are in line to get significant playing time this season.

“Talent is the common thread with that class,” Whittingham stated. “I think that’s a big reason, particularly on defense that we were able to land a bunch of those guys is because of the departure of nine starters and virtually every one of those guys in the NFL. That created opportunity for this recruiting class and that was a big selling point for a lot of these freshmen is, ‘hey, these guys are all gone. There’s a great opportunity for young guys to come in and play right away.’ I think that was a big reason why we were able to attract and land so many of those quality recruits on the defensive side. We’re thrilled with the offensive guys as well. But I think that really helped us out with this recruiting class, the opportunity that presented itself with the departing guys.”

Whittingham said that the young players will have to just settle into a game. #GoUtes @kslsports

— Trevor Allen (@TrevorASports) October 30, 2020

Whittingham has mentioned multiple times throughout fall camp that upwards of “half a dozen” of freshmen will see significant time this season.

Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.