It amazes me to see so many crap on Wilson

[The Lone Wolf]

The kid was a 4* elite 11 kid. Utah has never landed a QB with as many offers and physical tools. The kid has a gun, impressive wheels, and elite size. It’s pathetic how many Utes rip on this kid when the problem is clearly the scheme and offensive philosophy, as well as an overall lack of O skill talent. Utah has had it good for the last 4 years. Travis won Utah a lot of games and took Utah to new heights.

If you are going to be mad, be mad at Whittingham. Whitt plays a defensive grind-it-out style. He wins with aggressive physical D and a conservative run based O.Utah will never be Oregon as long as Kyle is there, so it’s bizarre how fans expect anything more than Travis.

Next year you are all going to miss that kid. Hansen is now a safety. The QB cupboard is bare, and Utah is in trouble. If you think things are ugly this year, just wait until next year. Manning can’t move, Cox can’t throw, and Williams only other offer was Alabama Birmingham. Travis can run and throw and had offers from half the PAC. Next year is going to be brutal.

[Anonymous]

I agree 100% Utah will miss Wilson.

[Tony (admin)]

@thelonewolf I think philosophy is only part of the issue with Wilson. I’d say it is 35-40% at most.

The other 60-65%: Wilson seems to not be seeing the whole field, locking onto one receiver and throwing it to him regardless of whether anyone else is open or if the receiver is double covered.

He does not step up and let the rush go by like many QB’s do instinctively. He goes back with the rush and takes far too many sacks for huge losses. Along those same lines he rarely knows when/how to get rid of the ball to avoid taking a loss.

I’m a Wilson fan. He practically won the Michigan game for us single-handedly. But from a “pure” QB standpoint I don’t think he has the instincts of a thrower. He has the instincts of a runner.

[Puget Ute]

Yup. Fans suck. I can see why many college players end up hating the fanbase.

[Anonymous]

Positives: Wilson does a good job with the read option run and he’s at his best going north/south. Will risk life and limb for the extra yard at the end of a run.

Negatives: Serious flaws in his mechanics. Low release results in numerous passes blocked, tipped. Footwork is horrible. 75% or more of his passes are off the back foot even when not under pressure, resulting in horrible accuracy. He does not see the field well, particularly over the middle. He is quick to leave the pocket and is afraid to stand in and take a hit, which is in direct contrast to his willingness to die while running. Huge target while running in short yardage situations (see 1st and goal series against UCLA).

I’ll give it to Wilson that he’s a warrior who gave it his all. But his skill set and flaws result in a low ceiling. The coaches did the the best they could with him. I thought he was a 3 star recruit. Star ratings are worthless once you’re signed into the program. Many 4 star and 5 star kids never amount to anything (see Jake Heaps and Max Wittek). The crime here is that the coaching staff was never able to find a QB to supplant Wilson. Baker Mayfiled simply showed up on campus as an unrecruited transfer. Vernon Adams?’ Luke Falk? Too many misses. Hoping that Troy Williams is a good one for Utah:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-football-former-narbonne-qb-troy-williams-passes-for-383-yards-seven-tds-20151122-story.html

[Utemachine]

I will always appreciate Wilson for his toughness and grit. He made bad decisions, inaccurate throws, and did not develop in a good QB. We could argue for years as to who was more culpable. The simple answer is the coaching staff and Travis are to blame. Fans have every right to expect more from both.