Hope we don’t end up regretting passing on this kid

[Ghost of the HEB]

If you haven’t heard, 2 throws Darts.@JaxsonDart ➡️ #GatoradePOY#FightOn✌️ pic.twitter.com/wM3Y35RPLh

— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) May 26, 2021

[ProudUte]

Gatorade player of the year; threw for over 4500 yards and ran for over 1000.  His team dominated the 6A ranks.  He is a 4-star legacy player with the body of a grown man, and for some reason, we passed on him.

I will likely get some thumbs down for this post, but IMO he should have been our number one target last year.  I love coach Whit, and I am so glad he is our coach.  Nonetheless, he has made some mistakes over the years, and I think this was one of them.

Jaxon is a stud.  I wish him well, but it will be hard to cheer for a kid playing for our top rival in the south.

 

Go Utes!!!

 

[Dresden_Stormblessed]

Didn’t Dart pass on us as much as we passed on him? He wanted out of Utah and we let him go. Does it suck other teams have really good local players? You bet. But we’re headed in the right direction. Give Costelli and JQJ a chance. We’ll see if Dart survives at the college level. USC has had MANY well-recruited QB’s go there to fizzle out and transfer. They have 9 QB’s on their roster. 3 of them are better players than Dart right now. They may not have better stats, but they’re better QB’s. Dart very well may be incredible for them. But the U is on a much better trajectory and it’s only a matter of time before he regrets his decision. My guess is he goes there, is benched for 2 years, bails, and finds mild success somewhere else while we’re still growing and improving.

Utah will OWN USC. Just wait. They kept Helton around and have plateaued as a program. I’m completely confident in our future. Costelli fits our scheme. JQJ fits our scheme. I’m seeing signs of promise on the next QB coming in and we’re going to be just fine.

[ProudUte]

Don’t get me wrong – I am excited and hopeful for the QBs in our QB room.  I have no idea if Dart will be better than any of them.  I just hate to see us miss out on this kid.  Oh well.  It is what it is and I hope we end up being the South champions for the next 4 years.

 

[Dresden_Stormblessed]

Well said. It does suck seeing the Penei, Noah, Suamataia, Tufele, Dart, and others not come play on the hill. We’re getting the results we need to make that not the case in the near future. The state of Utah has produced some seriously elect kids. Dart was not on the radar when he was surrounded by mediocre kids, got recruited by Corner Canyon, and broke record after record. If he’ll switch high schools to play, he’ll probably switch colleges quickly. Dart might be better than the ones we have coming in (I doubt it) but he didn’t want to be a Ute and there’s not much we can do about that. Hopefully, we can embarrass him just like we embarrassed Jayden Daniels the first time he played the U: 4/18, 25 yards, and a pic.

[Stone]

This topic was discussed on here quite a bit during the lead-up to national signing day. 

1 – Utah had already “committed” to its QB for the class before Dart’s senior year (when he played for a new school and surprised everyone, including the recruiting services). Some schools can sign multiple great QBs per class, but the speculation was that it was not an option for Utah (i.e., Utah either had to stick with Costelli as the sole QB or risk losing him by *trying* to get Dart). I have no sources, but that was the implication by many that seemed to know.

2 – Dart was not a sure thing. So, even if Utah was willing to risk losing Costelli, there was no guarantee that recruiting Dart would have been successful. Again, I have no sources, but the word on the street was that Dart was likely interested in Utah as an underclassman, but when the big names came calling as he blew up (in a good way) his senior year, he was star-struck and more interested in going to a USC-type program. 

I wish Utah could have signed both Costelli and Dart, but my impression has been that it was not an option, so Utah stayed loyal to the guy that had already committed to them (and has been a big cheerleader for the program). As the saying goes: A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush.

It is always tough to watch local kids go to conference rivals. That said, we have beat all of the teams in our division with kids from their backyards, so it happens to everyone. 

[Johnny]

I was staying with a friend in Los Angeles last week who is big at USC. You never turn down a scholarship to USC during these current times. His dad is a Ute, I’m sure he said the same.

[Rick]

Gatorade POY when half of the schools in the US didn’t play or played a truncated season at best.  We had Costelli and Dart was a late bloomer who transfered in high school.  I think we got the better guy but only time will tell and maybe Dart decides to transfer again.

[Anfernee]

I take a quick glance at SC’s recent QB recruiting and quarterback room.

2022: “USC quarterback Jaxson Dart has entered the transfer portal.”

[PhiladelphiaUte]

Well, if he DOES turn out to be really good, I think it would be safe to say that in the path forward, Utah will be paying a LOT more attention to Kjar’s QBs.

[Central Coast Ute]

Why do people still assume Utah passed on him? He’s not Zach Wilson and he has never ever said if Utah offers, he’s going to Utah.

[Ute Dub]

I already regret passing on him because we have to keep having this discussion about the recruiting process with fans that are uneducated about the process. Utah didn’t pass on him, like he’s some automatic get. Costelli is 6’3” 220 and runs a 4.4. Utah committed Costelli back when Dart was a 3 star.

Peter Costelli 4* QB Utah commit running a 4.4 40YD at 6’3″ 220 lbs

Dart vs. Costelli

[CincyUte]

I regret all the great “Dart throws darts in Utah win” headlines we’ll never get to enjoy.  Our loss is USC twitter’s gain.

[ProudUte]

Don’t get me wrong – I am 100% behind Costelli.  I hope he ends up the best QB in Ute football history.

[AZUTE]

Half the HS is America didn’t play football last season so take is award with a big * next to it

[Charlie]

Already I don’t regret it. At the time Utah made a good decision. Over time all schools have recruits turn out better or worse than expected. I am sure when he committed he could have still come to Utah if he wanted, he would not have been turned down. Since he went to USC with even more QB competition, it is clear to me he preferred that opportunity more than the Utah opportunity. I wonder if folks in Cali hold church and agonize over athletes that leave and come to Utah? You don’t always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need…