Depth, talent have solidified Utah's QB situation

Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham made a bold statement earlier this month when he said the Utes had "the best quarterback situation in the country."

He didn't say the Utes have the best quarterback in the nation. But Whittingham feels he has three quality quarterbacks who could start for the majority of Division I programs in the country in Brian Johnson, Brett Ratliff and Tommy Grady.

However, only one can be "the man," and last week the Utes decided on Ratliff a few days after it was announced that Johnson would be redshirting this year to give his injured knee more time to heal. Grady will be the backup, with redshirt freshman Kevin Dunn as the third-teamer.

With all the talent in the program, the Utes feel they are sitting pretty at the quarterback position for the next few years.

Johnson will be available in 2007 and 2008. Grady will be a senior in 2007. Dunn, the highly touted QB from Santa Barbara, is a freshman this year after redshirting last year and will be a senior in 2009.

"It's a product of good recruiting," Whittingham said. "You don't want to be short-handed at any position, but the one position you definitely can't be short-handed at is quarterback. It's absolutely critical to have talent and depth at that position."

Whittingham says if everything goes perfectly, a team should have a senior, a junior, a sophomore and a freshman.

That's basically what the Utes have this year with Ratliff (senior), Grady (junior), Johnson (junior, but with two years left) and Dunn (freshman).

But Whittingham is also cautions.

"It doesn't always work out that way," he said. "People transfer or get injured."

Whittingham said quarterback can be the most volatile position on the team, because there is only one spot and there isn't a lot of movement once a starter has been named. So coaches are faced with a balancing act, keeping the right number of quarterbacks in the program.

"When you plan your recruiting, quarterback is at the top of the list," Whittingham said. "You need to have four quarterbacks minimum and five maximum. You don't want a logjam with three or four guys in one class."

Just a year earlier, the Utes found themselves with just one scholarship quarterback. Johnson was the only signal-caller during the spring of 2005. Alex Smith had left a year early and walk-on Danny Southwick was the only other quarterback in the program.