Reports confirmed today that Utah quarterback Corbin Louks—who many assumed would succeed Brian Johnson under center this season—is transferring to the University of Nevada. This came as a result of last Thursday’s new depth chart in which Kyle Whittingham named true fre
shman Jordan Wynn as first-string quarterback, and junior college transfer Terrance Cain as second-string.
shman Jordan Wynn as first-string quarterback, and junior college transfer Terrance Cain as second-string.With Louks spending most of his time playing safety over the weekend, Wynn and Cain got most of the reps in practice and the two are now neck-and-neck in their battle to start September 3 against Utah State. Spanish Fork product Griff Robles just returned from an LDS Church mission, and has assumed the role as third-string quarterback.
So what is to be made of this? How confident should Utah fans feel? Does this inspire confidence in the upcoming season, or should they employ a “wait-until-2011” approach and abandon hopes of a conference championship? Here is my best effort to break down the Utes’ quarterback situation:
1. Corbin Louks was simply not as good a quarterback as everyone thought. It’s plain and simple. Was he a good athlete? Obviously. Was he a tough tackle? Certainly. Could he make big plays with his feet? He proved it quite a few times. Could he be the team leader? Could he pass the ball? Could he make everyone around him better? Well, we weren’t so sure on those answers. The sample size was very small, as he only threw seven times last season. He never saw significant playing time in key games or in big moments (he didn’t even play against BYU or Alabama last year). I had the same feeling about Louks as I would about an Air Force quarterback passing the ball. Can he really throw the ball, or do his completions come off of trick plays and fluky sets?
But he made some big plays in other games and threw a few touchdown passes here and there over the last two seasons. He was seeing playing time as a freshman. By all accounts he was a good high school quarterback. Fans (and maybe even the coaches) kind of thought that he was being groomed into the system to take over after Johnson left.
But after just a few practices in fall camp, he wasn’t merely placed in a quarterback battle. He wasn’t given the benefit of the doubt, which a team leader would usually have. Coaches weren’t hopeful that he would pick things up later. He wasn’t placed on the second string to give him plenty of snaps to see if he’d come around. It wasn’t even like he was playing really well, but just happened to get beat out by others’ Heisman-worthy practice performances. No. He was demoted to third string. Behind a true freshman and a junior college transfer, neither of whom has any experience with either Utah’s system or a Division I opponent. This doesn’t happen unless it is painfully obvious that Louks was nowhere near where they wanted him to be as a quarterback.
Even he hasgiven up on the position. When announcing his transfer to Nevada (not exactly considered America’s quarterback factory), he stressed that he wasn’t moving to Reno as a quarterback, but as an “athlete.”
2. If Louks was this bad, why was there a quarterback “battle” in the first place? This is the big question I have. How much better than Louks is Wynn and/or Cain? If they are only a little better, I don’t know if that bodes well for the Utes in 2009. If they are head-and-shoulders better than him and this was an easy decision, then maybe the quarterback position could still be a strength on this team.
I tend to think it was the former. I haven’t seen the three quarterbacks play in fall practice, so I am not sure how it all played out. But judging by observations of media and coaches, it was by no means a foregone conclusion that Louks was much worse than his competition. All indications pointed to a tight three-way battle, each quarterback having their different pros and cons.
It seems to me that there was a quarterback battle, but that it wasn’t necessarily a great one where the quarterbacks were one-upping each other and wowing their coaches. It almost seems like a tryout where they chose to go with guys that had more potential in the long-run. A default “cutting-their-losses” pick.
3. So, should Kyle Whittingham start Jordan Wynn or Terrance Cain? Obviously, the coaches should go with the better quarterback. It looks like Wynn got the early nod here, but that Cain has closed the gap to the point where they are considered co-leaders at this point. So it is very simple…if they are close, it would make sense to start whichever player is younger, giving him more time to develop and create consistency in the program.
They should start Jordan Wynn unless Terrance Cain proves himself the much better quarterback.
4. If Utah starts a true freshman quarterback, it could be a relatively disappointing season. I suppose I could be an optimist and point to successful freshman campaigns in recent years. One of the more obvious examples was just last year with Boise State’s Kellen Moore leading the Broncos to a 12-1 record. Also last season, Ohio State started true freshman Terrell Pryor, who led the Buckeyes to a share of the Big 10 championship. Pat White had a great freshman season with West Virginia; Jake Locker had a fantastic individual freshman season at Washington. This season, freshman Matt Barkley will start for USC.
But it is pretty rare to witness a teenager join a program straight out of high school and lead the team to a conference championship. Even highly-touted quarterbacks struggle early while trying to adjust to the increased speed and complexities of the game. And it isn’t like Wynn would go up against WAC opponents every game, either.
5. Despite the strong supporting cast, it would be a great success if Utah finishes higher than third in the Mountain West Conference this year. Jordan Wynn will have a great supporting cast—a great defense, a functional offensive line, a workhorse in the backfield, and a host of speedy receivers and ballhandlers. You can have all the skill positions set, but if the quarterback struggles with ball distribution and decision-making, it can be largely for naught. Who knows? Maybe Wynn has a steady head on his shoulders with above-average intelligence and poise. He could end up having a stellar four-year career with broken records and great victories. But those achievements probably won’t happen this year.
Maybe I will be proven wrong, but history can’t be ignored.
Comments
Good thing Utah has a few "soft" opponents before their first real test in Eugene on September 19th. Wynn and Cain are certainly unproven, but with a solid defense and talented running back, the offense will not require superb quarterback play to be effective. If Utah's D can hold opponents to under 24 a game, I like the Utah's chances against their competition. As I watch the QB play unfold, any dissapointment will be offset by the 0-3 start BYU will have this year. And they have a senior quarterback.
Big mistake moving Manis #18 from QB to LB this season.
Hey, I went on a Phillippine mission with Joseph Young! How's it going, Joseph? It's me, Joseph Burgess! Nice article. Covered all the points. Should be an interesting season. Go Utes!
I think that the Utes will be fine with Wynn or Cain at QB, B. Johnson had some struggles in games last year and the defense pulled us through. I can see the same thing happening this year, but we won't have the benefit of B. Johnson leading last minute drives to save the day that could cost us a couple games.
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeak. Article. Dude. Numbers suck.
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