[Holladay Ute]

I’m most curious to hear commentary about the WR room, the RBs behind Parker, the defensive line, and the depth in our secondary.

[Holladay Ute]

I’m most curious to hear commentary about the WR room, the RBs behind Parker, the defensive line, and the depth in our secondary.

[pedro]

All I’m saying is that he was clearly a leader. Hell he didn’t even go to half the games last year. It was his 2nd year of having hardly played at all and you expect him to still be invested?

I’m not worshiping the guy, but he deserves his due. He broke a lot of barriers at Utah that most QB’s haven’t been able to do (earn Whit’s trust for example).

Furthermore, I have yet to see anyone reference last year or even the year before for Cam’s leaderships skills.

BTW are you going to say the same about Damuni? Of course not, because his injury situation was so controversial. I’m ok if you don’t like him, but give him his due.

[HATUman]

Mmmkay punkin’

[BeachUte]

What you’re saying is just not true. You tell me to grow up and you’re over here spreading baseless rumors like a 16 year old girl in the back of class.

Cam never once lost the locker room. If the culture dipped, it’s on Whitt – not Cam.

[HATUman]

I completely agree with your take. I’m not trying to slander Cam—he gave us some of the best seasons we’ve ever had. But after reading yet another thread gushing about his leadership, I hesitantly offered some insider perspective that didn’t align with the fairytale. Some people can’t handle that.

You nailed it: the money changed things. It changed the expectations. It changed the dynamics. We saw the same thing happen with Tavion Thomas—another guy who had a breakout year and then let NIL and outside noise go straight to his head. Fans didn’t hesitate to call that out, and most of us have already forgotten him. No one threw a fit when he got sidelined.

But with Cam, it’s like any critique—even mild, grounded, firsthand insight—is seen as blasphemy. That’s the double standard. I’m not saying he was a bad guy. I’m saying the ending was complicated. And pretending otherwise doesn’t help anyone—least of all the program going forward.

That said, the cat’s out of the bag. I’ve said what I needed to say. Now I’m ready to move forward. I cannot wait for the season to get going and to see what Jason Beck’s offense looks like with Dampier at the helm. I’m as excited as ever for Utah football. Go Utes.

[Holladay Ute]

You can disagree w/out being a complete jerk.

[HATUman]

One of the biggest frustrations I have with the Utah program lately is the lack of transparency. Years ago, I had the privilege of being close to the program. I was on the sidelines during games and practices, connected with players and staff. I saw how things really worked. It was a special time, and I’ll always be grateful for it. Utah Football was, and in many ways still is, a huge part of my life (so don’t ever associate me with the team down south again).

But since stepping away, it’s been tough watching from the outside. The communication has dried up. Fans are left piecing things together from cryptic interviews and sanitized sound bites. So when a close friend of mine—someone now working directly with the team—shared what was actually happening behind the scenes last year, it helped make sense of a lot. You don’t have to like it, and you’re welcome to hit the thumbs down. But it’s the truth.

Let me be clear: I don’t want to take anything away from Cam Rising. I’m genuinely grateful for what he did for the program. The guy gave his body for this team and left us with memories we’ll talk about for years—back-to-back Pac-12 titles, Rose Bowl appearances, the grit, the energy… all of it. He was electric.

But I also had some insider perspective that I thought a few of you might find interesting. And to be honest, it’s been hard to read all the praise calling him a “leader of leaders” in some of these threads, knowing what I know. Because what I saw—and what I’ve heard from people still in that building—doesn’t match that narrative.

Whitt publicly stood by Cam. And when asked why, he said, “What do you do with a kid who won you that much?” That loyalty means something. And I love that about Whitt—he modeled exactly what he demands from his players. He didn’t throw Cam under the bus, even when things got tense. He felt like he owed it to him. That’s leadership too.

But behind closed doors, the situation with Cam soured. Whitt was visibly upset with how it played out. And players in that locker room? They felt it too. From what I was told, Cam wasn’t present. Once he was ruled out, he showed up for what was required—but he wasn’t involved. He wasn’t mentoring the younger guys. Wasn’t lifting the offense from the sideline. Wasn’t leading.

That’s not just me talking. Go back and watch the games. Look at the body language. Cam looked disengaged. Joking on the sideline during a 7-loss season while a young QB was drowning. That’s not the energy of a guy trying to steer the ship from the bench. That’s the energy of someone who clocked out. And yeah, it caused friction.

Micah Bernard was asked directly about the locker room divide last year. He said he knew exactly what it was about—but chose not to say. Well, I just did. You can ignore it if it makes you uncomfortable. But don’t pretend the players didn’t feel it. Don’t pretend it didn’t affect the season.

I’m still grateful for Cam. I’ll never take away what he accomplished here. But leadership isn’t just about highlights and postgame quotes—it’s about what you do when things fall apart. And last year, when the team needed him most, the leadership we needed wasn’t there.

You can downvote it—but it doesn’t make it any less true.

[HATUman]

When he was on the field? No argument—Cam was elite. A gamer. A warrior. I was all-in like the rest of you. But it’s not what he did on the field I’m talking about. It’s what we didn’t see—on the sidelines and behind the scenes—where the leadership piece fell apart.

And that’s the thing: what you don’t know, you don’t know. Sorry to burst your bubble. Some of you want to worship the image, but I got a glimpse behind the curtain. It’s like they say—never meet your heroes.

Doesn’t mean I hate the guy. Doesn’t mean I’m trying to erase what he did for the program. I’m just not gonna pretend the ending wasn’t messy, or that NIL didn’t play a role in shifting the dynamic.

If hearing that offends you, maybe take a minute and ask yourself why.

[HATUman]

Not a hate boner. Learning this information was pretty shocking to me when I first heard it too. I’ll always appreciate what Cam did in 2021 and 2022. No sane fan would take away his impact—two Pac-12 titles, two Rose Bowl trips, and a culture shift. That version of Cam? Legendary.

But that doesn’t mean he’s beyond critique. I’m not making stuff up—I sat on this for a while before saying anything. The info came from someone inside the program, and I figured a few of you might actually want to know what really went down behind the scenes.

Instead, I get accused of “hating”? Please. Grow up.

I didn’t say he was lazy. I said he checked out after the injury. He cashed big NIL checks, barely engaged with the team, and it rubbed guys the wrong way. That’s not slander—it’s what happened. You don’t have to like it, but don’t pretend it didn’t affect the locker room.

Cam will always have a place in Utah football history. But just because a guy balled out two years ago doesn’t mean you turn a blind eye when the leadership falls off a cliff. I’m not the one who’s too sensitive here—you are, if you can’t handle a little truth.

[Author]

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