Talking ball with Lynne Roberts; Cam Rising’s candid injury conversation

[Music] you're listening to the Utah checkdown podcast and now your hosts Josh Furlong and Josh Newman [Music] welcome back to another edition of the Utah checkdown podcast I am Josh Furlong joined as always with my co-host Josh Newman Josh it's the afternoon how we feeling feeling all right man uh things got a little busy there in the last half hour uh for you and I but I think we're going to get to that a little later in the show here yeah we have uh we have a special guest joining us today and the only reason we're bringing her on is cuz she's an expert in football um no she's uh she's a 49ers fan so she's got that going for that but we've got Lynn Roberts University of Utah women's basketball head coach Lynn how are you doing I'm great Josh's thanks for having me on I appreciate it Go ners of course go ners I can't say that the Cowboys are playing them this week so I have to be I can't say that oh come on man you know what's gonna happen but it's okay oh jeez just cutting deep before the show you're digging deep on uh Josh with his Jets hat you know I mean this is we uh I do what I can I do what I can boys that's good that's good well let's let's jump in uh basketball season you started practice last week with your team officially uh there's summer conditionings and other things going on but uh you now get uh the opportunity to be able to be with your team just kind of break down for us what you know what's new with your team who are the newcomers and kind of go from there yeah it's uh it's crazy that basketball season is here isn't it like it's bizarre the NBA games are playing in Abu Dhabi and like it's it's uh it's crazy um but it's a good crazy I think our season ended on a high note is last year I mean we had a great season um and it kind of springboarded us into the offseason and I think uh you know we return our starting group last year that won uh 27 games and we've got uh the the bulk of our group back um and and we're excited I think the you know we have some new guys in that are going to help us and you know I've done this long enough to know though that everybody's undefeated in October and everybody's feeling great and the optimism is always high and you know we're looking good we're looking better but there's a long season ahead of us and uh we just got to chip away at it Lynn when you talk about the optimism obviously there's a lot of you know way too early top 25 polls going back to like right after the final four right those things come out immediately and they come out throughout the off season and uh the ESPN way too early top 25 has you guys at number five preseason do you take any stock in that at all I mean not in terms of you know I I don't know how accurate those things are if you if you compare the what the where everybody finishes with where they were predicted but uh I do take stock in it and that you know my objective in taking over this job was to make our program nationally relevant and I think you know we've done that and so uh I take stock in it that way but not in any way of like we've arrived and we're going to finish there um you know our goal is to go as far as we can and go farther than we did last year and and you know try to make a final four and that's a big task and like I tell our team you know doing great things is really really hard and you got to get lucky and you got to stay healthy and and a lot of things have to bounce your way but uh I think it's it's possible with this group um and so we're just G to focus on that and and you know I'm big on process and all the other coaching cliches but they're they're cliche for a reason like you got to stay you know just where where your feet are at and not get too far ahead of ourselves but I take stock in it in that I think that we're getting the recognition that that we've been working so hard to get um but now we got to prove it l you've always talked about how difficult this pack 12 is uh you know it it doesn't get any easier every year uh you split the conference Championship with Stanford last year as co- champions in the regular season just what do you see from this pack 12 obviously it's the last year of the Pack 12 but um at least the way it's currently constituted but what what do you see coming into this this year's campaign well I honestly think you know I was we have our media day on Tuesday and we have a head coaches group thread with the coaches in the conference and I I honestly think it's the best it's ever been if you look at the talent uh for our league it's it's ridiculous um in it in a good way and also in a competitive scary way um there's no roll over team uh from top to bottom it's it's competitive and um you know that's been the case since I've been here but I think every year it's gotten a little bit better so um it's unfortunate for a lot of reasons but it's unfortunate that this is the last season for p 12 but particularly in our sport where we have established ourselves as the best league uh in the country it's a it's a bummer so but it's kind of you know poetic that this last year of how it is um is probably going to be the most competitive and just kind of staying on that topic I mean is there something to be said now again with a veteran group and you guys accomplished a lot last year a lot returning is there something to be said that you guys are now essentially the hunted and not the hunter yeah I you know that's kind of a shift in thinking um and I think we can't get caught up in in in any of that uh it's hard to do and as a player you know it's harder uh but I think we've we've um relished in that Underdog role and I I still kind of see us as that where we still have to prove that we're worthy and we still have to prove that we are legit and it wasn't you know one hit wonder and and that's kind of how we've approached it uh our players still have a chip on their shoulder um which is good so I think my personality and and the personality of our team is we we will maintain that kind of Underdog role I mean we we've got obviously great talent but we don't have um you know we're not the flashy team team with the big splash whatever you know we're a we're a group that's that's the you know we're good because of the some of the parts and yes we have some individual pieces that are really good but I think what makes us uh great is that we're not C you know we're not a one or two dog trick uh it's we're everybody so and to that end I think that kind of relishes that Underdog role you know culture is always kind of thrown out as the buzzword in ath atics and you know coaches always want to talk about the culture um few can probably back it up I think you've been able to back it up the last few years and just you know you've tried you know over the course of the few years to be able to get different people in and and try to make sure that your roster fits what you're trying to do where where do you feel like you're at right now especially as you are the hunted now and you've got people that are trying to maintain that while still being College athletes yeah it's it's different it's a it's a mind mindset shift and uh the thing with our team right now is we're deeper than we've ever been and it's incredibly competitive uh kids that played you know limited minutes last year are expecting to play major minutes this year and they've worked and and they're looking really good so it's going to be while we have all five starters back you know our starting five isn't set it's it's it's competitive but I think that plays into again that we've got to stay hungry in our practice gym and compete with each other and then just let the outcome take care of itself but uh this group they want to be great they want to do things that have never been done in this program's history and and so that's encouraging to me Lynn can you kind of take us through the process of uh creating the non-conference schedule but specifically how the South Carolina game on a neutral floor came about yeah I mean you know as well as I do that scheduling is a is a science and it's not an exact one and you got to schedule to uh what you think will push your team and prepare it for league play but you got a schedule you know you don't want to over schedu um I will tell you this that this was the hardest year to schedule we've ever had by a long shot no one wanted to play us you know when I took the job eight years ago I people wouldn't stop calling like hey you want to play want to play want to play and now we can't get anyone to play us um but that game the the game you're talking about Josh in Connecticut uh that's a ESPN kind of sponsored event um and they're just doing kind of a showcase uh for women's basketball and and they called us and asked if we'd be willing to participate and we we jumped on that we didn't really know uh if they you know when they asked us if we were interested we didn't know who we were going to be playing but we knew it was G to be somebody good uh and then shortly there after we found it was South Carolina so what a great test for us I mean obviously they're you know the elite of the elite and it we play them on December 10th so we'll have some games under our belt before that but um still early enough in the season for us to be very very tested uh that's a different style basketball in the SEC um they're going to be way more athletic than we are um but I think we'll you know we're a better skilled team in terms of shooting um I mean historically uh so um it's going to be a great game so you know we play them and Yukon plays uh North Carolina and then UCLA plays Florida State so three games I think we're the final game on that Sunday um so we're excited about that and and again it's one of those games too where you want to win you're going to we're going to do everything we can but there's not a press it's not the tournament but it'll be a tournament like game if we advance in the NCA tournament that's going to be a great game we can pull from sticking with that a little bit you know women's basketball especially collegiately uh kind of had a breakout year last year at least nationally right I think there was a lot of interest if I remember right there was what N9 million people on that championship game 9.9 9.9 there you go 10 almost 10 million that does matter quite honestly um there there's obviously there's been a turn point right like the the game has always been good and you know we've talked about that with you before but in your view what what do you see as maybe change why are people more interested in it now has the game changed is it the athletes or or what what is going on in your view yeah I do think the game has I I mean personally obviously I think the game's been good for a long time but I do think it's better in the last 10 years it's gotten more athletic more skilled um the athletes are bigger you know like just I think it's developed pretty quickly in the last 10 years I do think one thing is in women's basketball you don't have players leaving early you know we have to deal with the portal um not quite to the extent as men's basketball but pretty substantially you know we being College women's basketball but we you know the the true studs in men's basketball they're one and done right and so if you're a blue blood Kansas fan or Duke fan or whatever um you know I remember back in the day you turn on a game on a big Monday or whatever and you you know some of the guys even if you're not a Kansas fan but it's like oh yeah I remember him or whatever um and now that's not the case so a lot of these programs they've got a new roster every year and I think that's hard for fans and for viewers uh I mean if you're a die hard you're going to watch him be a fan no matter what but just a college basketball fan it's kind of hard because you just don't know any of the guys or somebody that went to X University now is at Y and you just you know with the transfer and I think in women's basketball we've you know they the you can't leave early to go to to the W or to go profession I mean you could go play in Europe but uh in terms of the professional league in the United States you don't you don't graduate early to to go or you know one or two years and go so I think there's been some continuity with players and rosters that can get that get fans and the average spectator to follow more closely and I think you've seen some of the big Personalities in women's basketball the Caitlyn Clark from Iowa uh Angel Reese from LSU Haley vanl like there's there personalities Cameron Brink at Stanford I think Alyssa peely on our team is has gotten to that you know getting to that level so I just think fans are a little more um engaged with the players in that regard and and the continuity of it can you just expound on peely a bit obviously you know you just listed her among the other Elite names what what has put her there among those and what can really push her forward to be you know higher up on that tier yeah she's I mean she is so unique and and anybody that's watched us play um there's there's something about her that's just kind of Unforgettable like when you watch our team can't tell you how many people that you know maybe came to their some games for the first time last year that's who they wanted to talk about and we've got some great players and you know we average 88 points or whatever but that's who they want to talk about there's something about her that she kind of has that it factor of marketability in terms of um eyes on her uh but you know last year she shot uh I want to say she was almost an 80 6040 shooter so I know she shot above 80% from free throw line and then I think she no just under 80% from the free throw line and then she shot 62% from the two and 43% from three I mean have you ever heard of an 80 6040 uh that average 22 points a game like it's just kind of unbelievable so she looks good though I'll tell you she had a great summer she knows that she's being watched for the draft and uh I've already had a lot of you know convers ations with GMS about it um she'll get drafted High uh but you know the the cool thing about peely is she wants to win and she's not going to force the issue for her own personal gain I think she understands that the better we do the better she looks and the better she plays there was there was a lot of attention on Jenna last year at the end of the season just because of those missed free throws obviously it's heartbreak you know you put your arm around her and and gave some words of comfort I mean what what have you seen from her moving past that I know it's not just the story right like obviously there's more on that but I think from the national standpoint that was kind of like she became the focus what what have kind of you seen from her moving on be on that you know she and I've said this but she's a spectacular kid and you know I've told the story but after that game um you know just you felt what I felt in terms of you just everybody's heartbroke for her she also got some really bad stuff on social media people are pretty cruel um but that's Sports I mean that's the way it is sometimes unfortunately and and walking to our plane after the game uh the next day I put my arm around her again I'm like how you doing JJ and she said you know I'm glad it was me because I know I can handle it and that kind of encapsulates her like she's just steady um but it was hard you know but I haven't seen any change in her uh in terms of mentality if anything I think it galvanized her to be um even more steady even stronger stronger even more reliable uh and I'm looking forward to that moment that Redemption moment for her I know that game's going to come you know it's going to make sense at some point uh but I look forward to and I have absolutely zero doubt that that she will have that Redemption moment at some point in a critical time this year of course you're worried about this season and one more run through the Pack 12 but you know out on the horizon is the move to the Big 12 um do you or your staff are are you paying any attention or doing homework in terms of like how those big 12 teams operate how you have to tackle recruiting if you have to do it differently are these things being handled at all in the middle of trying to get ready for a season yeah absolutely um you know you do have to be careful not to look too far ahead but but yeah Josh we're definitely tracking and you know we did some comp I did a comparative analysis you know I'm a a nerd at heart and I love the numbers uh so I did a comparative analysis of kind of where we would have stacked up last year in the Big 12 and every offensive category except for I think threes made we would have been first in the conference uh offensively in the Big 12 now that doesn't mean we're going to be first in the conference I'm not saying that I'm just saying that I think the St like I think we're built to succeed there um but we also know that it's going to be a little bit different and we're going to be the New Kids on the Block and with that comes adapting and you know new Arenas and new travel and all the things that can kind of bow up what the confidence that comes from a routine and and a predictability but uh I'm excited about it I I you know no one asked me uh what I thought before the decision was made and and uh that's fine that's the way it goes and uh so we're just rolling with it you know like let's let's go let's roll with it and quite honestly our recruiting it has helped our recruiting a little bit already because we recruit so much we've had so much success with the Midwest the Big 12 kind of plays into that better and Texas and Kansas Oklahoma like we recruit there a lot those kids identify with our program and kind of how we do things and um so it's helped us because we're you know a lot of times kids who are recruiting we're the farthest east school that they you know everything else is west of us and so for families it's even farther um so it's helped us in recruiting just that we're not going you know that their kids not going super far away uh or playing Super far away so I think all in all it's going going to be a good thing and we're we're ready to go and yes we're definitely looking watching those teams and looking at those rosters a little differently now uh recently the NCA changed a rule that allows you to be able to have more coaches on your staff assistant coaches you brought in Jeff Judkins obviously longtime BYU head coach Utah Lum what was that conversation like how did you get him in the room and kind of what's he been for your for your your coaching staff so far yeah Jed's awesome I've always been a big uh fan of his you know when I was at Pacific he was at BYU same conference so I got to know him there um and we always had a good rivalry and and just a lot of respect for him and how he coaches and so when he left BYU you know a year and a few months ago I reached out then we didn't have the position as it stands now but I wanted him to be involved somehow and he wasn't ready uh he just you know he needed some time which I respect um but I I kept kind of watering the seed uh met with him a few times during the year and then when that rule passed then I really uh you know I went to to charmal green and and Mark Harin I'm like this is what I want to do and they were like awesome go do it and so I just you know tried to we had a lot of conversations about what it would look like and you know what would his the roles be and expectations and um and then you know he committed to doing it which was awesome but he's been great for me I mean he's he's great in all aspects I would say the Highlight for me is just having another another head coach that uh you know and he's experienced he's coached more games than I have and uh you know it's just nice to have someone in the room that kind of understands the nuances and the challenges or you know and just kind of getting a pat on the back from him or whatever um but he's a great guy and he's you know he's working with our post players and just kind of I think he's just kind of learning and asking questions and just being around but um just a great resource for me as a coach and also our players uh and then just to have just a kind of beloved Utah Alum um and a storied one on our staff and in our program is awesome Lynn any thoughts on the NCAA coming out I guess it was yesterday shrinking the transfer window from 60 to 45 days does that impact what you're trying to do in the portal at all yes I I think it's a good move I think I understand the both sides of the argument um you know you could argue it either way I do think it's a it's a good move just it makes kind of programs and players I can't think of another way other than say blank or get off the pot like uh what's another way to say that that's appropriate for a podcast crap I don't know we can beep it we can do what we okay Fisher cut bait fish your cut bait there you go uh it kind of makes you kind of makes you have to Fisher cut bait which I think is good in the long term it'll work itself out to where players you know at the end of the year you like you you either want to stay or you don't you maybe have have a few weeks to decide but it shouldn't take longer than that and coaches like don't mess with a kid and you know what I'm saying like I think it'll just expedite the whole thing to where we as coaches can focus in on our rosters because the hardest part with the portal now is your season ends and you're immediately trying to retain your team and then you find out who's leaving and then you're mad rush recruiting to try to fill it so April used to be for basketball coaches kind of a chill month where you can catch your breath maybe go on vacation with your family meet with your team but give everybody a break and now April's become the worst month uh I think every college basketball coach would would agree uh and that's it is what it is I'm just saying I think it'll help not draw out this process um for players and for programs and I think it works both ways I think it'll help the players even though I understand the argument of what people are saying I I do think it's a good thing well thank you so much Lynn we appreciate your time I know you know last year you were especially trying to fill the Huntsman and especially at the end it got really big there was a large crowd what's kind of your pitch to fans right now just you know getting them into there to watch your team yeah I think you know I think I think we showed last year that that we have a product that's fun to come watch and an atmosphere that's that's you know very familyfriendly um and we have a lot of you know we sold more new season tickets after the season was over for next for this year than we'd ever sold total in years's past um so I think there's like 4,000 lower bowl seats left for season tickets and my vision always has been to have this place be one of the best atmospheres for women's basketball in the country and last year at the end of the year we were um but I want to sustain it and we've got a great team coming back and the thing about this group is they love the U they love being Utes they love Salt Lake City um there's a lot of Pride and I think when you come watch a game you can see that but it's a you know there there are season tickets they're 50 bucks which is pretty cheap for 16 home games and um I would encourage people to please get those season tickets and and let's keep this thing rolling you know I want to win a National Championship and a huge component of that it goes hand in hand is having a a home look what football's doing with their home atmosphere I mean that's a brutal play place for teams to come in and play down there at Rice Eckles uh and that's because our football team's very good but it's also because the fans make it very hard and you know we didn't lose at home last year and and that was a big part because of our fans and we would love to have that atmosphere grow and continue well thank you so much we appreciate it I know you you're busy and uh you know you got to go watch the 49ers beat the Cowboys right never too busy for you guys but I appreciate you having me on and and covering the UTS and all the good stuff you guys do so thank you thank you so much than so much Lynn all right go ners cuts it cuts every time but you know you know what I I really like Lynn Roberts um she's been good to to me since I've been covering Utah and I think she's very candid and very open certainly more so than someone like Kyle Whittingham someone like Craig Smith but I really didn't appreciate the dig at the Jets off camera before we started recording like was that necessary it was deserved it was deserved okay we'll go with that you got to be able to have that the Jets they're they're in Dire Straits right so they are they are and so am I so let's be honest with h that's right all right well let's just jump into football we obviously have a lot to talk about with it being bi-week still we uh we were going to talk about uh initially the Crimson Collective and we'll get into that um but there's been a little bit more pressing news uh that happened today this this afternoon cam Rising went on his weekly radio spot with Bill Riley uh decided to be a little candid we we you know we get a buttoned up Cam most of the time where he gives us I don't want to say PC answers but just kind of more of the the regular run-of-the-mill answers that we're going to get from a quarterback that that's not trying to divulge everything um but with Bill Riley he uh got a little candid um and it explained a little bit more of his injury I'll let me read the quote that he gave it says I think it's important that I just kind of let everybody know I didn't just tear my ACL I tore my ACL meniscus mpfl and MCL that's a lot that's a lot for is knee um you know we we knew a little bit at least behind scenes that he had the mpfl injury at the end of or the yeah the after the USC game the first USC game last year year um but things got a little worse after that Rosewell game what are what are your kind of your impressions from cam based on this candid conversation yeah you know you you alluded to this but let me just give the listener a little bit more context um Rising I is very polished with the media he he's a seasoned veteran of like dealing with reporters remember he was a four-star kid uh at Newberry Park High School so he's been dealing with media since he's like 15 years old so in a media setting not one-on-one in in a media setting scrum whatever he will be perfectly polite and he will answer your question but more times than not he's going to answer your question but he's not really gonna say much of anything he's not really going to offer more than what he has to um so you know goes on Bill Riley show as he does every week right that's a nil fueled type of thing and just like I just said he will answer all of Bill's questions it's pretty cookie cutter he doesn't go too much into detail and every week bill as he needs to do Bill will ask cam how are things going how's the knee are we getting close and that answer today started sort of like you know ba ba day by day and then Rising pauses and he gives the quote that you just said like and I and and I wrote this and it's available on ksl.com right now Rising like more so than at any point during his career really like opened up and like bared a bit of his soul and he's clearly frustrated like he is seeing and hearing things that you know on the message board and social media and his surgeon you know Dr Neil ELR is kind of getting crushed Now by some fans so you know good for Rising he opened up a little bit and as you said you know it was what ACL MCL npfl and the meniscus so and as you said some of that I don't think any of that was really public right the mpfl was that was the USC injury last year that caused him to miss the Washington State game so he played hurt throughout October November December obviously it got worse during the Rose Bowl Rising did not just injure his knee okay Rising blew out yeah his knee bad so you know in one turn you know the the notion that and again this was coming straight from rising during the off season and straight from Kyle Whittingham you know during spring during Camp there was a pretty healthy optimism coming out of Utah that maybe Rising would be ready for the opener but as we're now like slowly but surely finding out it was very unlikely that he was going to be ready for the opener in spite of what was being told to the media so we are now in a position where I think you and I and some other choice people who are really paying attention covering you know Utah football um we thought that maybe he and maybe he will be ready for Cal right he is on the doorstep of of final clearance but if you just listen to what Rising said said he will not be rushed and this is up to the LA based surgeon he doesn't trust anybody more than the surgeon and as we've said for months this is not up to Kyle Whittingham this is not up to Andy Ludwig this is not up to rising's parents who are sports Savvy people and produce you know two division one athletes like they're no dummies so this is up to Neil ELR and until Neil otros says that Rising can go Rising is not going to go so you know we'll see what happens on Monday I mean I will say um you know Kyle Whittingham told us on Tuesday that they will not be waiting deep into next week for an answer they are gonna get some sort of clearance some sort of answer whatever that is early in the week Monday Tuesday and if it's rising great and if it's not Rising for Cal it's gonna be Nate Johnson and this is one of those things that you know we knew the timeline it we not stupid we're we're not being duped uh we knew that when he tore his ACL in January that getting back before this season was difficult I think you can go back and listen to any one of our podcasts or any of the things that we've tweeted out and we've we've been honest with it right I think you know it's it's easy for people to say oh well you know even the media was duped and and they were lied to you know you can argue that you know the the coaching staff may not have been as forthcoming and maybe cam was part of that as well but the but the reality is if you go back and listen to it they were saying they were optimistic about it they wanted him they were hopeful that's where they weren't promising that would go they were optimistic and look I I I am willing to take Kyle Whittingham generally I'm willing to take Kyle Whittingham at face value I don't feel like I'm being like directly lied to and yeah there's there's always some level of like misdirection or you know fibbing a bit with the local media that's just what it is but I don't feel like I'm being like straight to my face lied to so yeah so if you're listening spring summertime early August risings Unlimited partic IP but we're optimistic that he can go for Florida and then Rising would go on Bill riy show during campus like yep I'm I'm planning to play and I addressed this in the mailbag which is out tomorrow Friday but all those times that they're offering optimism of course they're offering optimism why wouldn't you what what are they gonna say is is Kyle Whittingham gonna come out in late March after the first spring practice well rising's out blew up his knee I mean I wish he would I wish he would just I mean would make our lives easier sure but you know look this is where we are and like this is what they said and this is the timeline and I think the bottom line is to your point we're not doctors but we can do math and seven what was it just shy of eight months to get ready for Florida it was pretty ambitious and now we're on what are we January this is still like it's still in the timeline like the timeline it's still early in the timeline right like I mean nine months has always been an early time but you know for all that ACL MCL miniscus mpfl like if he if he shows up for Cal like that's a great job of rehab exactly well and and this is this is part of the problem right and and part of this comes to Kyle Whittingham doesn't want to talk about injuries and so we're always kind of a little bit behind the eightball but part of the problem is there's a lot of rumors going out right now and and the message isn't being controlled simply because there's you know Bob and Dan down the street they heard from a coach on on Utah football you know we get these rumors all the time we get DMS we get all these different things from random people that that are telling us what they've heard right and we have to kind of filter that out and you for the most part you and I never even address the rumors because they are that rumors you know and so this is this is the situation where there's so many rumors snowballing now where you know cam is saving himself for the NFL and he doesn't want to play and and you know he's got The Yips I've heard that one a few times like there's there's a lot of these different things going out there and well there may be some truth to some of these things maybe maybe that's that's the problem maybe the reality is is he's trying to get back there right like I don't think cam is going through all this effort to be on a team to save himself for the NFL or whatever that may be you know if you think that he has an NFL career just to be able to dick around the team right like I think this is a thing where he's honestly trying you heard kind of that conviction in his interview with ESPN he wanted to be able to be on the field he wanted to get back there if his knee you know worked that's great then he's on the field and he can play I don't think this is a situation where Cam is trying to mess with people and trying to see oh can I milk some nil money out of people as long as I can you know only he knows at the end of the day but this is a situation where I think he's really trying to get back on the field it's just he has to feel comfortable with his knee there's a mental component to that there's a physical component to that there's all kinds of components to it that aren't just okay Cam looks ready he's walking I mean Pack 12 media day he shows up and he's playing pickle ball with different players and everybody was you know analyzing his knee and can he move and do this I get it right like I get it you want to see the quarterback but only cam can say when he's ready right Cam and his doctor Kyle can't force it nobody can force this this has to be something where it's when he feels ready cuz regardless of his future career in the NFL or whatever this is Health right like he's got to be able to be healthy and he doesn't want to sit there and reinjure his knee you know just to be able to go through 9 months of rehab just to be a normal human being right this is this is a tough situation so I at this point I'm willing to take him on face value and just say he's trying it's just not as easy as everybody wants it to be and the other sort of factor that has like crept up now is that there seems to be a growing like belief that the coaching staff in the middle of all this like mismanaged the quarterback situation um I disagree yeah I mostly disagree AR there's an argument I can say that there's an argument there's no doubt an argument and I again I get into this in the mailbag like people are paying attention like readers aren't dumb like somebody asked me essentially do I think that they mismanage the QB situation I'm going with no and my main point is if and when ryzen is ready it's his it's his show so if you are a portal quarterback and why do you go into the portal you go into the portal because you're not happy with your current situation and you want to play so if you are a quarterback in the portal and you want to play why would you be going to Utah knowing that even if you go through winter and spring and summer and even if you ascend to start the opener you know that you're sitting down when Rising is ready I don't think they mismanaged it I think they maybe you know maybe they're guilty of being overly optimistic and they thought that they would have Rising back by now but you didn't have much of a need to go to the portal and furthermore your room is was pretty well stocked and at some point you had to decide what you had with Nate Johnson and Brandon Rose and then you had Bryson Barnes who was like a seasoned backup who you knew that you could call on to start some games so no I don't I don't think they've mismanage this quarterback situation but I I understand why people feel like that I do and and it's difficult because you have to to realize as you know Lynn talked about the transfer portal is a real thing right you've got to be able to manage these players you've got to be able to make sure that they feel comfortable and you have to at least give them a chance but also Utah lost players to the transfer portal right there's they're two four-star guys that they had in the room Peter costelli is an example or I'm blanking on the other kid's name that they decided to leave and they could have been in the mix for this right we don't know I mean there's a good chance that they're probably in the transfer portal anyway based on Cam's longevity and his ability to be the team's leader but like it's it's not as easy as just saying hey you know quarterback come here you everybody everything is being pointed to cam is going to be the starter whenever he's ready that could be 3 weeks in the season it could be nine weeks into the season no veteran quarterback at least with power five experiences coming into that situation expecting to play and then just saying oh I'm going to give my job up to cam Rising right like Michael penck Jr those guys aren't coming to this B Knicks they're not coming to Utah because they think that they you know can go sit on the on the on the sidelines after cam they're coming in to start they're coming in to play now yes you can get some rare exceptions you know you can point to the Oklahoma State quarterback who decided to go to Old Miss and and go behind Jackson Dart and I think he honestly expected to be able to be the starter as well but like it's just rare especially this last season there weren't a lot of great quarterbacks in the portal at least to the level that we're going to be transformative quarterbacks you look at Florida Graham mz's done better than I think many have expected but he's still not that level of a Michael penx or a B knck who actually got into a better situation DJ oui angay he's a decent quarterback but he's not some phenomenal quarterback and even Oregon State's looking at Aiden Charles like maybe we should make that move right this this just isn't that easy of a thing and you know you can you can make the argument that they mismanaged and you know I'll listen to it and I I I think I can sympathize with some of it but at the end of the day they have to roster management is a very difficult part of the transfer portal they have to be able to to let the guys that are on the roster have a chance but you also have to find somebody that's going to mean anything and if you can't find anybody in the transfer portal that means anything you're in the same spot look at what happened with Charlie Brewer look what happened to these other players that they've brought in that just doesn't work it just doesn't work sometimes and it's it's the it's the hardest position because quarterback is so fickle people want to get in they want to play they want to do all this stuff and it's just a very limited timeline it's a giant wh if and like it really doesn't matter but like you bring up Peter costelli and you know if if costelli and his family had shown a little more patience you don't know what he could have turned into and his career has not panned out to to Really much of anything so again not really worth mentioning but it's a bit of a wh if right he was a highly touted kid right a CO era um Co era recruit that you know the staff was you know the staff was pretty high on costelli and there just wasn't enough patience uh from a lot of people and he was gone before that 21 season was over he didn't even stick around for the Pack 12 championship game so uh who knows if he had stuck around if there had been you know a little more patience maybe you know Utah would not be in this position where they're like sorely missing Rising isn't it crazy that you know that Utah's 4 and one and like ranked 18th and like this is what we're talking about you know the sky's falling it is so to speak the sky is always falling yeah the sky is always except the sky was not well I guess it depends on which fan base you're looking into yesterday uh the sky is falling for some programs Utah is in a very good position and others uh yesterday this being Wednesday the Crimson Collective which is the University of Utah's officially endorsed Collective every school has a collective if not more they decided to announce that every scholarship player would get a Ram 1500 truck now before everybody freaks out yes it is a lease it is a six-month lease that is reoccurring that as long as the player stays on scholarship they are going to be fine and have that truck yes it is not theirs to keep I don't know the details of when a senior graduates do they get an option to buy it I don't know I don't honestly care they get a truck to be able to have whether they an athlete my de M have been blown up my in my everything has been blown up I get it it's a lease can we get that off of our chest now it's over it's the least guys either way it's it's a good opportunity for these Utah athletes especially as it comes into the snow uh a lot of these guys especially from the south or or areas where there're you know much less snow namely California Texas all those areas they're not used to this kind of environment a Truck Works it helps them I think it was Spencer fono yesterday that said that a lot of these dorms especially for some of the freshmen aren't that close to the university and so getting to the university in a truck in bad weather is very beneficial whether it's for 6 months or whether it's for 5 years that they're there all of them were excited for it you didn't you didn't have them upset because it wasn't a truck given to them uh I I hate to break it to you uh but you know they're excited for it they think it's a game changer for recruiting I don't know what's your thoughts on this is it is it a good idea or is it just another ploy to to get athletes to come to Utah is it a good idea to give a 20-year-old kid a free car no kidding I I'll take it I'm seasoned I can take it take it right now um no but from like a bigger picture perspective I mean look this is a really like smart Savvy piece of nil business for the Crimson Collective something that got national attention yesterday uh first time that a a school's nil machine has has done something like this uh curious to see if there is a bit of a copycat thing going around you know whether it be locally BYU or or or nationally I think part of me is a little bit surprised that like something like this hadn't happened yet at some of the like very deep pocketed SEC Big 12 type of schools but be that as it may again big picture it's a it's a good piece of business uh and the Crimson Collective you know got to you know puff out of chest a little bit and you know Matt Garf was there you know doing interviews and he was on Bill's show this morning you know touting this whole thing so um yeah I mean it's more good than bad uh let's just hope that kids are responsible and they're not you know dumb about this uh not saying that anybody is going to be on on on Utah's team what I'm saying is kids sometimes tend to be dumb uh you have kids I don't know like my kids's not really old enough to make too many mistakes yet but um yeah overall there's more good than bad with it and you know look I'm not here to give this free publicity and I am I guess right now because I am doing it but um you know this is this is a I I don't want to quite call it a PR stunt but it is a great opportunity for the collective to be able to get their name out there and anybody that does this afterward now is copying Utah right whether it is or not that's the perception right is now people can look at this and say this is what Utah did this is all this Collective games is I know a lot of uh you know people call it an arms race and you know that's what nil is reality is this is going to level out there's going to be an even playing field nil there's going to be some you know restrictions and Bounds on it but at the end of the day if the donors want to give this that's what it is right and and at the end of the day this is also pretty lowc cost it's leased cars that are from a local dealership that are part of their Fleet you know you can talk about tax benefits and everything else for these people involved it it's a win-win at the end of the day it it did turn into national attention and it got Utah on the map they were they waited a little bit they wanted to be able to kind of do it they call it the Utah way you know say what you will whatever that is I don't know what the Utah way is but they wanted to do it right they wanted to uh you know have some Community elements uh associated with it with community service look I I don't really care at the end of the day I I think if if it makes people happy and it gets people to come to Utah I think that's what they want to happen right who am I to poo poo that idea I think people need to chill a little bit and not worry so much that a free truck was given least sorry least to uh an athlete least yes remember that please I don't know you know what my real look you know what my real concern is again like college kids generally don't have a lot of money right these football players can't really I don't think generally so much stuff Josh they're given everything how can you say they don't have all this money I would have at least look I'm not Matt Garf and nobody asked my opinion I would at least have ponied up for the first tank of gas have you seen what gas cost I was in Costco my 15 CRV cost like $55 to fill cost that's crazy come on guys give them the first tank of gas look they're they're you're getting parking tickets you're getting I mean this is honestly like this is this is tough I I am I am curious to see when they go all out and that the parking lot across from the the park the football facility when you go out and see every single spot full with these these Ram trucks you know I'm Jing around with somebody else so when these trucks start coming out I'm going to need to see some good vanity plates I'm I'm gonna need like bad moon right for cam I'm going to need to see JJ for J Quinn and Jackson and like don't disappoint me boys come on speaking of I don't think cam got a truck because he's already got to deal with a different dealership I'm not going to say that that's the quiet part out loud right also the one the one part is international students don't get part of this so somebody like a Thomas Yasmin can't take part in this because he is an international student and their visas don't allow it that's that's the that's the reality of it that's tough yeah that's the big uh that's been the big like downfall so to speak of nil is that the international kids kind of can't like cash in so to speak and that's not just football right that's softball soccer basketball there's all kinds of Eastern European kids all over the United St States playing major college basketball and those kids can't cash in so that is that sucks but that is what it is it's a tough break but at the end of the day look just let them be their college kids let them have fun as long as they're not racing like Georgia players I think we're okay whoa I think it's a I think that's a good place to stop we're going to stop now all right well that's our podcast wrapping up the by we we come back at you next week and uh get ready as we uh talk about cal um but signing off today it's Josh and Josh we hope you have a great weekend go watch some other football don't worry about uh the Utes playing they get a win this week yay for you yay talk to you later [Music]