Not trying to stir up trouble but I’ve got a question about Utah NIL deals.

[UTE98]

Okay, this may not be popular but I’m wondering if many on this board aren’t giving Rising a pass, while coming down harder on JJ.

I have no idea which of the two will get a bigger NIL next year. But $ for $ JJ has probably aided in more wins the past two seasons than Cam.

JJ struggled with injuries this year, but he played in almost every game the past two years.

Cam obviously got a bigger NIL deal for the past two years, but were the results worth the $?

Not a popular opinion, but I’d rather have JJ back next year than Cam. JJ’s injury is not a blown out knee trifecta. Anyone who thinks Cam is going to not be less effective next year due to the knee is “in my opinion” up in the night.

So why does Cam get the pass? And JJ is seen as expendable? I am interested in others opinions. Save the personal attacks. It’s my opinion, based on my observations. Please provide reasons I’m wrong, don’t just call me an idiot or worse.

[cj13]

This can’t be a real take lol.

[The Miami Ute]

Because RBs as a position are expendable. Rising was 1st Team All PAC 12 in 2021 in the most important position in the field and would have been in the same area in 2022 if Nix, Williams, and Penix hadn’t parachuted in. In addition, if you look at JJ’s total production in the last two seasons, it’s just slightly more than what Jayden Daniels got this season as a QB. If JJ had produced stats like a Booker, White IV, or a Moss, in my view, you might have an argument. By the time the 2024 season rolls around, Rising will be well over 18 months removed from his injury and should be fully recovered. If you don’t believe that, just look at Penix who overcame four consecutive season ending injuries while at Indiana. 2018 – ACL, 2019 – dislocated the SC joint in his non-throwing shoulder, 2020 – ACL, and 2021 – dislocated joint in his throwing shoulder.

[W16Ute]

I think we saw this year what pretty good (great if healthy) running back room is like without an effective quarterback. We have quite a few effective running backs (Bernard returning especially helps). Couldn’t find a passable second string QB.

[AlohaUte]

[Tony (admin)]

You’re just trying to stir up trouble!

[EagleMountainUte]

It is interesting. I have been one of the people with reservations about his repaired knee. Obviously someone out there felt like paying him 1.5-2million.

I hope it all works out.

I also don’t get how people give him the pass for getting paid while lying about his recovery timeline. Seems pretty clear he wasn’t completely honest at the best.
Lie, mislead, deceived, miscommunication call it whatever you want.

[The Miami Ute]

Eagle, I don’t think we’ll ever know the reality of that story. If Rising was economical with the truth regarding his recovery timeline, is Whitt so hard up for a QB that he’d keep someone that lied to him? That’s a tough pill to swallow for a head coach. It really looks like no one (Rising, Whitt, Utah medical staff, etc..) comes out looking good on this issue. And you can probably throw in Kuithe’s situation in there as well. That’s a guy that by the time the next football season rolls around will have been absent almost two calendar years.

[EagleMountainUte]

We do know the reality. His doctor was permitted to put out a piece in the Athletic about it.

[The Miami Ute]

Would you keep a guy that lied to your face and potentially derailed your season by not being honest about his injury situation? I know I wouldn’t. This is not Whitt’s first rodeo. If he didn’t know the extent of Rising’s injury that’s as bad as thinking he could play this year with a blown-out knee. I’m sure that there’s a lot of smoke and innuendos associated with this issue that we’ll never be privy to because it paints a lot of people in a bad light.

[EagleMountainUte]

Well Rising is a HOFer in Utah history and Whitt is a legend.
People want to say whatever with this but it doesn’t shed a good light on either side.

[RoboUte]

The problem is there’s no context which dispels that bad light, only shines it in different directions in different shares. Just because we don’t know how the mistake was made at an extremely detailed level doesn’t mean we need to ignore the plain logic of it occurring at all.

[RoboUte]

“is Whitt so hard up for a QB that he’d keep someone that lied to him?”

IDK look at our roster and you tell me.

[AlohaUte]

Being wrong /= lying. Most people when they are in the prime of their life physically think they will heal faster and feel like they are fully good to go before they are. Doesn’t mean he was lying. Stop being so cynical.

[EagleMountainUte]

Stop being so cynical how so?

I mean we have debated and discussed this topic to death. If you choose to ignore reality to remain positive by all means go ahead.

The recovery time for his surgery never changed. It was always November 16th. You would have to be stupid to think it wasn’t that.
His doctor even admitted that. So either Whitt lied, miscommunication or was deceived.

[RoboUte]

When you’re THAT wrong it’s lying or idiocy. If I believe I can fly to the moon in my washing machine and I’m stupid enough to believe that I’m not lying but my word is still just as worthless. Btw in this metaphor I basically work at NASA (Head coach of a D1 football team with decades of experience), so my lack of understanding about the sort of machinery that gets me to the moon is fairly perplexing, to put it extremely kindly.

[krindor]

It’s not about the absolute in a vacuum value. It’s about comparison to the next best alternative.

No Cam means the next best alternative is…Bryson Barnes. Maybe Brandon Rose.

No JJ means the next best alternative is…Jaylon Glover, Ashton Jeanty, Micah Bernard and potentially the second year guys.

That’s not an attack on JJ, who has been great and deserves love from every Utah fan. It’s just a reality of where we have larger needs

[chinngiskhaan]

Ashton Jeanty would be great!

[WasatchRanger]

I don’t think Jeanty is in the portal – I believe he basically said he was going back to Boise for next year. He would be an incredible get though.

[J Rocksville]

Ashton jeanty?

[noneyadb]

Difficult to compare the two. JJ is a converted QB trying to play RB. Without Cam Utah isn’t the Pac12 champs.

[Italy88]

Only January 2, and I’m pretty sure this will stand as the worst take of 2024.

[Trailgoat]

Excellent off-season post to keep the board energy rumbling :)! Crazy times when your QB1 gets paid over $1 mil not playing a down of football over the last year and half rehabilitating his knee. Far removed from the situation so I am guessing some entity agreed there was still a lot of ROI through Cams NIL local advertising, etc. I don’t live in SLC so don’t if that was the case. To one of your points, there’s a lot of pressure, expectations, and risk going into next season on the QB1 position. If Cam gets injured early or struggles to play at the same level everyone expects, its full rewind to the 2023 season and kneegate is sure to come back out for discussion. I am choosing the positive stance Rising has a killer season leading our Utes to the first 12 team CFP. I am more worried about the Oline at this point!

[RoboUte]

Why not pay Cam to not actually play? We pay Ludwig $2 million to coach quarterbacks.

[radioUte]

Seems pretty clear that everyone involved (Rising and Whittingham) intentionally slow-played the return timeline, most likely in order to preserve our high preseason ranking. Once Rising started taking heat further into the season, and he felt like he wasn’t getting Whittingham’s support for something they had both been doing, he orchestrated the news from his doctor to take some of the pressure off. I don’t fault Rising for that.

[Yergensen]

This is the best possible explanation I’ve seen to date. Maybe the motive was different, perhaps it was to keep the competition guessing.

In any case, hard to believe this was solely the Rising camp withholding information or giving misleading information and if so, Whitt needs to get his ship in order.

[RoboUte]

That idea is plausible. But it kind of jumps the border into comical disaster when you get to week 6 still playing that game, as they very much did. Given that the preseason is pretty over by then. On top of that if you’re playing 4d chess with your preseason ranking in week 6 then you’re exactly the sort of person who I’d peg to entirely forget that you should have more than one quarterback on your team. Or really… any quarterbacks at all.

That doesn’t mean that’s not the explanation, all the other explanations are comical disasters as well so why not this one.

[RoboUte]

I’m not sure how you would arrive at the conclusion that Jackson is more instrumental to our wins than Cam, rather than somehow counting Cam as instrumental in our losses this year, which is sort of a funny way to look at it.

Oh and you’re wondering why we’re giving Rising a pass? Well he’s a good player who has given a lot to the team, so that’s fine enough. But there’s more, the real answer is hero worship. Cam Rising could strangle two babies in the spokes of his Ute branded wheelchair during the national anthem and most of this board would want him back for his 12th season. The degree to which the average poster here absolutely idolizes Cam Rising is frankly concerning. It’s probably damaging marriages.

[Yergensen]

Dude, your analogies are hilarious. The stuff that must run thru your head. Funny stuff.

[RoboUte]

conventional is overrated as it is

[Rick]

Are you serious? JJ is a big back who does not use his size. He lacks vision. He has very limited lateral movement. He runs high which usually contributes to his fumbling issues. JJ is not a top 10 running back in Utah history and I would probably say he is not even a top 20 running back. I respect him switching positions and I do believe he gave us all that he had but to say he is more valuable than Cam is an insult to both Cam and to the game of football in general.