Have we seen Barnes’ ceiling as a QB?

[chinngiskhaan]

If he could just get a little better at making pre-snap reads the offense would be so much better. Thoughts?

[ProudUte]

I say no we have not.

He has always had someone looking over his shoulder and really has not been the long-term starter. Now he is the guy for the next 6 games, he will have a chance to develop and gain confidence.

(I admit that I was not high on Barnes being the guy at the first of the season, but I will gladly eat crow.)

If he pulls off a miracle and Utah wins out – he will be the story of the CFB season.

[Charlie]

I don’t expect to see a ceiling with so few starts, his ceiling is not too much higher but he can win more games.

[Rick]

Incremental improvement each game may be enough with this defense. The pick six was a terrible decision. The incomplete pass on our second-to-last possession on 3rd down was a panic throw in the face of a good rush but it has to be completed. If he does complete it the game is most likely over.

I love his toughness and there is no question he’s improving.

[SoUtahUte]

Please, give Bryson some love. We are talking about a 1A football player from a school with a graduating class of 36 going into the fabled Coliseum and he takes down the reigning Heisman Trophy Winner and on top of that he is a fantastic human being. Bryson Barnes is a fantastic story and his coaches and teammates love him and have confidence in him, so should we!!!

[W16Ute]

I agree with sentiments that he could continue improving. He needs to slide more… Keeps getting lit up.

He’s got balls though. Not afraid at all.

[2008 National Champ]

Really, the only thing holding him back right now is his protection. He throws a really nice deep ball, puts touch on it when needed, has been adept at fighting off tackles and has been a good scrambler. The only thing that you can really fault him for is the Baylor game where he was obviously not on the same page as the receivers and recognizing when he has to throw the hot route.

We may very well have seen his ceiling but Utah only needs a game manager this season. For 2023, if he continues the way he has the last two games, his ceiling is more than enough to get the job done.

[Charlie]

Myself, I think what was holding him back was the ability to make quick decisions. He was quicker tonight than in the Cal game but not as quick as the league’s top QBs. Next week, maybe a bit quicker still?

[2008 National Champ]

Right now he’s struggling to pick up the underneath drops which is probably something he didn’t have to deal with at his level of high school. It should be something he can either work through or find ways to check out of those routes when he reads zone under.

The pick was definitely on him but I didn’t think the routes on that play did him any favors. 3 receivers to that side ran digs to the stick which put multiple defenders in the same area. I’m not sure he had space to get the ball to any of them. Even one of those receivers running a deeper route could have easily pulled the coverage away and given a better chance to get the completion. As it was, Barnes needs to see that and either throw it away or find something else. That should come with experience. I hope.

[The Miami Ute]

Actually, Barnes reminds me of Bob Griese when he was at Purdue. If you look at this photo you can see a resemblance:

BOB GRIESE

You never know…at this point, Barnes has more of an NFL future than Cam. Heck, he could be the next Taylor Heinecke.

[2008 National Champ]

c’mon, we all know 1972 doesn’t happen without Earl Morrall. If Barnes is the Morrall of 2023 Utah, we are in for a pretty fun ride

[utepilot]

Dude…. We won like an hour ago. C’mon.

[chinngiskhaan]

C’mon what? Did I say anything even remotely negative? I just asked a question for discussion. What is the problem?

[UtahMan17]

The only thing you can know for sure about Bryson is that he’ll work harder than anyone, keep level headed, and just keep getting better and better. I think with him you have to throw expectations out the window and just enjoy the ride. There will be ups and downs, he has limitations, but he’s probably always the toughest guy on the field and will never quit. Have to love watching a guy like that lead the Utes. He’ll be far from perfect, but he’ll get better every week. Go Utes.

[Caliman]

WHERE’S YOU ALL BARNES HATERS AT?

[bopahull]

I can’t say I was a Barnes hater, I’ve always loved the kid, but I certainly had (have) my doubts, but he certainly dispelled a lot of them last night.

[The Miami Ute]

Have you ever heard the phrase “hate the sin but love the sinner?” That’s where I was with Barnes. Hated his play but liked him as a person. If people here were complaining about him it wasn’t because they disliked him as a person but because his play wasn’t up to snuff. Nothing personal about it. Now that his play has improved, people here are rightly praising him. That’s called giving someone his/her due and it’s only natural.

[DrahtUte]

I think Barnes is probably at least equal to Cam as a passer at this point. He might not be the runner Cam was but he’s not a long ways behind.

If Barnes keeps improving in making better and quicker decisions and growing as a leader, we may see him catch up to Cam overall at some point.

[Central Coast Ute]

As far as a leader goes, he’s already there. His team rallied around him last night. Bills even came up to him and told him how proud of him he was.

[123punt]

Love Barnes. He exemplifies Utah’s ideology. It seems like his decision making is improving, save for a few obvious plays, including the pick six (ouch).

Tangential, can we get Johnson out on the field somehow? Seems like his athleticism should be able to fit somewhere on the field.

[CityCreekUte]

I think the last 2 weeks have been huge improvement for him because he knows he’s starting and they are tailoring the offense around what he can do and where he’s at. I don’t think they did that as much for Florida thinking that he was a temp.

Dunno what his ceiling is but I think he’s gonna keep improving.

[Charlie]

We should keep in mind that Barnes in HS was 1A. I don’t know how many of us have peered into HS football in rural, small school America at that level. I expect he never got to learn or experience football before college on the level that 98% of D1 athletes experience in HS or even in middle school. I am fairly sure there is not little league football in Milford. When he arrived at Utah as a walk on, I can only imagine he may been at the bottom of the totem pole in the walk on group. I can imagine that would be like, hay can you come throw some passes the other walk on receivers while we talk to the scout team QB for a few minutes. He worked himself from there up to the point of practicing with the 1s and 2s while on non scholarship resources which is little and maintaining maybe nearly a full time job at Lowe’s. Quite a handicap. A P5 program is not a place I often see a 1A football player without a scholarship grow up. I don’t want to underestimate him, I will let Oregon do that.

[bopahull]

Actually Charlie, there is little league football in Milford.

[Charlie Foxtrot]

I think that Whitt did the smart thing in announcing that Rising (and Kuthie) are out for the remainder of the season. Barnes doesn’t need to look over his shoulder and wonder if the next week is going to be the week that Cam is back, so that distraction is now gone.

This also allows Barnes to get the starting reps as well as a game plan that is developed around his skill set and capabilities. He has already had a huge struggle game at Baylor earlier in the season, and beating SC at the Coliseum has got to be a big confidence booster. Obviously Barnes has grit and tenacity and now sprinkle in some confidence and his rocket is probably just barely getting off of the launch pad.

Will it be enough to take us to another CCG? I don’t know, but I do know that every team we have left on the schedule better not underestimate a Barnes lead Utah offense.

[Caliman]

we have not seen BB ceiling yet, he has shown signs of improvement extending plays out of the pocket, even running down field when passing lanes get shot down. I agree he needs to work on his reading progressions; that will come with more reps and practice. If He comes back next year he’ll be as good a QB as CR has been. BARNES IS LEGIT PEOPLE AND HE KEEPS GETTING BETTER AS COACHES AND FAN SUPPORT INCREASES.