Why Utah Football is smart to take another 2022 QB

Utah football got its second commitment from a quarterback in a week as three-star recruit Brandon Rose pledged to the Utes’ 2022 class. 

It’s not often that you see college football teams take more than one quarterback in a recruiting class. But it does happen, even in this new era of the transfer portal and Utah football just took its second commitment within a week.

You might be wondering why the Utes might do this? Well, if you look at the two quarterbacks, they are a little bit different and without a truly elite option available for the Utes, putting their eggs into more than one basket makes sense.

On Friday, Utah football added 2022 quarterback Brandon Rose to the mix and the three-star prospect from California is a more traditional, pocket-style passer. He’s not exactly a statue — he did rush for 10 touchdowns the past two seasons, but he threw for more than 30 in 2019.

Rose is 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, and ranked 677th overall in the 2022 class, as well as 43rd among quarterbacks.

While it wasn’t surprising that Rose committed, the timing was a little curious. Just one week ago, last Friday, the Utes surprised some in the world of college football recruiting by winning the recruitment of three-star Nate Johnson, who was heavily targeted by Michigan.

Johnson is ranked 578th overall in the 2022 class but in terms of his game, he offers something very different than Rose. Johnson can throw the ball but he’s a track star — running the 100-meter dash in 10.5. So even though he’s greatly improved as a thrower, as his improved rankings demonstrate, he’s also got potentially elite running ability.

Why two is better than one for Utah football

The Utes have to be better at throwing the football and they know that. He’s a look at the Rose commitment by 247 sports’ Steve Bartle:

"“This is all about the desire to increase Utah’s odds at finding a long-term solution at the position. And the best way to do that is to add as much talent to the mix as possible and force the cream to rise to the top. And Utah has now secured commitments from five talented quarterbacks in the span of 15 months.”"

You have to try to throw as many darts as you can, so to speak, until you find a great quarterback. That’s clearly what Utah football is trying to do and if you aren’t going to land a sure-fire, five-star quarterback, why not take a swing on some potential?

MORE: Why Charlier Brewer should be Utah’s QB1

Johnson didn’t go to Michigan, in part, because of J.J. McCarthy, a five-star QB who signed in 2021. At least that’s the scuttlebutt. He’s the future in Ann Arbor. But in Utah, it’s wide open and either one of those two commits could wind up as the long-term answer.

That’s why it’s a smart move for the Utes, who know they need to upgrade.