Travis Wilson a rare quarterback in Utah history


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SALT LAKE CITY — Depending on what side of the fence you sit, you're either a fan of Utah's quarterback situation or you're not. Either way, Travis Wilson is slated to be Utah's starting quarterback coming into the season, and it's quite a rare feat.

Wilson has elicited a wide range of criticism from a fan base intent on success in a highly-competitive conference. Many, of whom, have criticized Utah and Wilson for the lack of production from the quarterback position since joining the Pac-12.

"Some people talk that we're not very good at quarterback," co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Aaron Roderick said. "I think all of us feel like we've got something to prove — me as their coach and them as players."

Throughout Wilson's ups and downs and even the fear of losing the sport altogether after a season-ending brain injury his sophomore season, he's pushed harder, dedicated himself to get better and improve, and has beat out the quarterback competition each year at Utah. As a result, Wilson is set to be the only four-year starter at quarterback in school history.

"I've definitely gone through a lot in my time here, but I think everything has made me stronger and helped me mature through my life," Wilson said. "I'm really grateful that I get one more opportunity to leave a mark as a QB here."

In a conference full of skilled quarterbacks, with the "next man up" just as good or better than the last, Wilson has lead Utah through the transition of the Pac-12 and has seen his fair share of successes and failures.

In his sophomore season, Wilson threw 16 interceptions and saw many sour on his ability to lead Utah. Coming into his junior season, head coach Kyle Whittingham and then-offensive coordinator Dave Christensen preached about the need to be more careful with the football and that Wilson needed to cut down on his mistakes.

Utah Utes quarterback Travis Wilson (7) celebrates the win over USC during Pac-12 action in Salt Lake City Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014. Utah won 24-21. (Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News)
Utah Utes quarterback Travis Wilson (7) celebrates the win over USC during Pac-12 action in Salt Lake City Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014. Utah won 24-21. (Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News)

While sound advice and strategy from the coaching staff, Wilson seemingly struggled with confidence and was left looking over his shoulder as backup quarterback Kendal Thompson intermittently took over the starting role. Confidence was something Wilson mentioned several times last season as the starting role continued to be in question until Thompson sustained a season-ending knee injury against Oregon.

"There were times that were up and down, but I'm glad I got to finish the season and finish on a good note," he said. "Now I've just got to make sure that carries onto this season as well."

Following the Oregon game last season, Wilson looked more composed, confident and a quarterback ready to lead Utah for his fourth season.

"Just knowing that I've got a lot of games behind me and I've done a lot of good things," Wilson said, speaking about why he believes he's ready to start the 2015 season. "There's always things I can improve upon and I've just got to continue to play with confidence and playing my game and taking the easy throws. It's all about playing within myself and not trying to do too much.

"I think the biggest thing is just being consistent," he added. "Last year my goal was to get my turnovers down and that was something that I did. I think this year is being consistent and just making sure that I finish out games."

Travis Wilson Stats

YearClassGCmpAttPctYdsY/ATDIntQB Rate
2012FR1212820462.713116.476122.2
2013SO913323756.118277.71616129.6
2014JR1319031360.721706.9185134.7

Freshman quarterback Chase Hansen said he believes Wilson has been everything Utah has wanted in a quarterback and that occasionally he's been judged too harshly for his performance on the field.

"I have a lot of respect for Travis's play on the field. I think a lot of people really miss what he really does because he is a much better athlete than people give him credit for," Hansen said. "He's a really accurate passer, he's a great passer. I think sometimes he gets a bad rap for whatever reason because of that expectation of what we should have. Obviously quarterback is a lot harder position to play than many think. But I think a lot of it comes from the expectation more than anything. I think Travis is a really awesome quarterback.

"What I've come to find with being at the U. for awhile is that there is a very high expectation for — of course every school is this way, but I feel like for some reason Utah specifically, you had Alex Smith, Brian Johnson — high expectations of what the quarterback should be," Hansen added.

In Wilson's three years at Utah, he's had a different offensive coordinator and scheme put in place each year. Each one of the coordinators had asked something different of Wilson, which is something Hansen said is one of the factors as to why Wilson may have struggled over the years.

"The mental part about the position is by far the hardest part. I think, especially in Travis's position, I don't know how many coordinators it's been, but trying to grasp everything every year is like starting anew. I think that would be hard," Hansen said. "But I could see how what Travis has kind of been through would be really hard mentally."

With Roderick being promoted to co-offensive coordinator, the offense has stayed relatively the same from last year, but with more aspects of the playbook that play into Wilson's and the backup quarterbacks' strengths.

"I'm stoked. It's my last season here, so I want to make it my best," Wilson said. "It's definitely slowed down a lot and it definitely helps having kinda the same offense. It's really nice not having to think a lot and just being able to play, and it all comes natural."

"Every guy is pulling for the guy that's on the field because every guy understands the burden that that guy carries — the weight that's on your shoulders when you're out there," Roderick said. "There's never any favorites. Your favorite is who gives you the best chance to win, and that's what it's all based on."

"I've been through a lot of adversity," Wilson said. "But I'm really grateful I've gotten to play football for this team and to be in this city."

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