Former Utes/NFL QB @19ScottMitchell on OC switch, in-season playcaller changes, QB room + more

are relatively the same. And so, you know, I think he's got a pretty good handle on what Utah does and he's smart, and it sounds like he's smart enough to realize, you know, you're not going to change a whole lot here as far as you know the system. It may be some of the plays in the system. Maybe he might see that, Look, the tight ends haven't

been very involved in this. Dorian Singer, money Park, some of these really good receivers, you know, have been limited in what they're doing, you know, from the passing game. Might sit down with Isaac Wilson and say, look, you know, let's really be honest here and let's talk about what you really like and you're really comfortable with because we got to get you going, we got to get you confident,

we've got to get you out there. So maybe it's it's you know, kind of when and what kind of calls and who they go to, and maybe some personnel groups changed, but the basic core of the offense. They'd be extremely foolish to just change all that because then no one's going to know what they're doing.

looks great, trolls five touchdown passes. Next game against Baylor, they just come out, they're they're just really on the same page and they're clicking, and then Cam gets injured and then it just didn't look good after that, and I think this season would be completely different. Uh, if if that wasn't the case and and Cam was was available,

But you know, it's not that way. And for me, you know, my feeling, this personal feeling about it and my you know, to answer your question about you know what, what's my my feeling about it, it's it's never fun. Like I've been through this as a player. I had a coach in the NFL just quit, Uh, Bruce Coslet quit after the third game of the year when I

was with the Cincinnati Bengals my first year there. And that was horrible, you know, because because you you have there's so much time that goes into the preparation of things that to have someone quit it's just really hard to kind of pull everything together. And on top of it, you develop a relationship with people. We spent a lot

of time with them. You're sitting in there. You spend a lot of time sitting in meetings, and you have practices, and you're in games, and you know, you go to a hotel every weekend and you have meetings in that hotel as you while you're waiting for the games, you know, to and and and as you're preparing for things and you. I mean, you spend a lot of time and and you've developed these relationships and and when it ends, you know, it feels somewhat like a death. You know, it's it's

it's not a pleasant thing. Uh, you know, no matter what, now, there may be some guys right now that are like tickle pink because because there's no coach that everyone loves them, and there may be guys that go, Okay, maybe I'll get a shot to be more involved in things now. I don't know. But but there's always that side of it too. And regardless, it's just it's just not a good situation. It's a it's a bad look and it's it's just a bad thing to be to be a part of.

and it was it was awesome. And and to have that kind of be ripped apart, that would that would be a little bit ear shattering. And I think there's maybe some recruiting that needs to go on, uh with with a new coordinator and maybe coach Whittingham about you know, keeping Isaac happy and and and confident, because the thing that has to happen is Isaac Wilson's got to get comfortable and he's got to get confident, and he's got to get productive in what's happening with this, with whatever

is going on in their offense up there. That just that just has to happen because him touching the ball as much as he does in a game, he has such an impact on what what's going to happen in a game. You've got to get that guy really comfortable and really really confident. And I and I've said this before and I really believe it. There needs to be a discussion and like, you don't need all of the

plays in the playbook. You know, everyone says there's the full playbook available to this player, and it's like, that's a that's I don't think that's a really responsible statement. It should be are the plays available that Isaac's really confident in running and executing available? Is that available? And

what is that? And and it's it might be hard for an eighteen year old kid to say, yeah, this is what I really like, you know, because you know, be having a mature because he may just say, well I like everything, I don't care he just call it, I'll just I'll just run it kind of thing. But you really don't like everything, And so there just has to be that kind of conversation going back and forth about Okay, what do you really like? What can you

really do here? And Mike pa Jacon is a guy that you know, he's been around a lot of places and you know, and so he should have and he's been the quarterback coach, so there is that relationship there, and he should have a pulse at least on the players and what's what they can do and what they can work with and and maybe he's had a perspective on why this hasn't worked and and maybe he has

a good solution. I don't know. I don't know anything about him, but you know I would I would hope that, you know, he has an ability to to at least put them in a position to be more productive than they've been. I mean, that shouldn't be too hard because they've been terrible.

an undefeated season. He's had the longest tenure with Kyle Whittingham. He's been a very successful coordinator. But why did he quit? And did and did he really quit, you know, or were there other other circumstances that maybe forced him to quit and and and that that's that's a long conversation if we're going to get into that one. And but so so maybe it's not you know, it's it's just like Kyle's probably going, this is the best I can come up with in a short period of time. I

can't go out and find someone to do this. It's the guy that's probably had the most experienced calling plays that uh you know that's on our staff. I mean if you look at their offensive staff. I mean the other guy that may you know is a Jim Harding. I mean Jim Harding. I don't know if he's ever been a coordinator because it's a different thing, Like it's like, Okay, what what player are you gonna call here? And what

what player are you gonna call here? And uh, you know, if you if you haven't had experience with it, and I mean it's you know, it's a it's it can be a thing. I mean, you know, for me, when I played, I I knew what I liked. Like I I was taught that from a very early standpoint, what do you like on first down? And why? What do you like on third and short? What do you like in the red? What are you like in all these situations? But I understood what I liked and I understood why

I liked it. I don't know that they're there yet with it, but I think they're just trying to do the best with the circumstances that they're in. I don't you know that. I don't know if it's going to be better or worse, but I think that's just where it goes. Because I to answer your question in the simple terms, I don't think he does know more about what's a better option than Andy Ludwig.

And clearly the offense isn't working, and so maybe it's like, well, let's give someone else to try here, a fresh face, a new face, and see what you know then, because maybe maybe this might be coach winning Hams last year, and maybe he's kind of he's the one that's going to take the bullet for this, and so so Morgan doesn't have to down the road and Morgan can kind of go, yeah, I like this guy. I think he's

got a chance here or or then Morgan. Maybe next year Morgan, if he's the coach goes, I know that I'm going to have to look somewhere else to get an offensive coordinator. I mean, it's a scenario. It's just my opinion. It's not anything I know. But uh, there's a lot of reasons why they make a change or made a change, and that certainly could be could be one of them. That's all. That's really what I'm saying.

And you know, I'm not saying that that was a decision there was anyone other than Andy's, you know, by his own accord, because that's what we've been told. But we've been told a lot of things that aren't necessarily true. And I do think it's fair to wonder whether or not this was a change that was gently forced upon him as opposed to completely being left in his own hands. That's fine to wonder aloud whether or not that's the case.

and everything. You know, So maybe the separation and how it's termed and and how everyone speaks about it is a way that everyone can go forward and not have it acrimonious and and everyone's you know, spitting on the other guy's face or whatever, because because I don't care what to say. These are never pleasant experiences when when this happens. But the coaching world is uh, you know, so I don't know if inbred is the right word. But but these guys, you know, they they spend they

end up, you know. I mean, this is the second time for Andy being here at Utah, so I'm sure they like to keep it cordial and it's kind of professional, and it is you know, it's it's just a business decision. But I think I think Kyle's been frustrated for some time. Uh. And and by some time time, I mean all the way back to last year and and and the frustration could have stemmed from, Okay, well we didn't get Cam back.

Well what about all these other guys? You know, we we haven't been able to develop a solid backup situation for for the quarterback position, and you know, in quite some time, and we weren't really prepared for it. And the guys that played were you know, not ready or unacceptable solutions or unproductive solutions. And and that does fall

on Andy. I mean he was the guy that was specifically designated as the national recruiter of quarterbacks at Utah, and and he was the guy that you know, brought these these other players in and and and they none none of them really panned out, you know, I mean he inherited Cam, but uh, you know, he didn't have a suitable solution last year and this year when when something happened to Cam rising.

for that. But the end wasn't good enough. And there are very few coaches that have enough built in equity to survive a year and a half of anemic performance.

We got to stop the run. And that never changes, never changes with coach winning him and that might bump up against maybe the philosophy of your offensive coordinator goes I think we need to throw it more. I think we need to be more explosive, or I think we need to and and and he made you know, so there could be a difference of philosophy in uh with a coordinator too, and that and that can create some

of the some of the you know less production. It's like, well, the coach wants to run the ball, We're going to run the ball. And the problem, quite frankly as I've watched every single play you know, for the last eight years, teams are defending Utah differently, and with every young quarterback Utah has put in the game, they put more guys

in the box than you can block. They're basically daring and forcing Utah to throw the football, and they're putting a lot of pressure both in the run game, where they're making it really hard to run and they're making it really hard to throw because they're they're getting pressure on these on these young quarterbacks and they're they're not

consistently they've not been able to handle it. And so that's that to me, really is the crux of the issue is Utah hasn't been able to handle what these defenses have been doing to it with these young quarterbacks.

far as who he's going to. And you know, when you get into maybe some more complicated decision making processes, for example, the intercept and against Oklahoma State when he threw the ball down the sideline and the safety intercepted the ball like that should have never ever happened, and and that was and so he's kind of but it requires a little bit more of a complex read, like the guy he was going to was his first read and and he really should have come to his third

read and and and so he just wasn't completely confident with that. And what it forces you to do is you're kind of tentative when you're when you're in the pocket because you have to hold the ball longer. And then and then and you're trying to read the play and and and dissect what the defense is doing, and and then and then here comes the pressure, you know, and it's too late. And so when he's had things where a lot of quicker reads, simpler reads, uh, get

the ball out quick and early. You watch TCU and and they're really good at that. You know they're because and they're one of the better teams in the country throwing the football, and which is why Utah hold them to only thirteen points. Was really good. But but they're really really clear, really simple, really easy quick reads, get the ball out fast and off you go. And and and so maybe seeing more of that, and it's in Utah's offense, and so much of it, Spence is on

first down. You know, if you can win on first down, and that's where Utah, you know, they're not winning on third down. And a lot of it's because they're not winning on first down. And where you win, you win on first down, you have a productive play. You you know, you're coming right out off the field onto the field, and the quarterback has a good, successful play right out of the shoots. It just brings a lot of confidence.

But if you and if you get a lot of people involved early in the game, they get confident, they get more into the game, and and you know, and you and so finding getting the ball to your your like your your playmakers quickly, simple reads, succeed faster on first down. Then then second down becomes very manageable. And third down you really kind of want to limit your

third downs. You want to go first down, second down to first down again, or first down to first down, and you want to try to stay out a third down as you're moving the ball down the field as you can, or if you're in third down it's third and short, it's third and we can run it or

throw it here, whatever we want to do. Anythings that are disposal because now the defense goes, well, we don't you know, but when they when they know it's third and long, they pin their ears back or they blitch you, they do whatever and they're and they're dictating the terms of everything, and so that to me, like just seems like the simple solution. And I know it's in that offense right now, and and it really requires the involvement

of the tight ends. It requires involvement of these receivers moved in different positions than maybe where they are and and I don't and it and it and it can be really simple to do too, So that that would that would be what I would do with a young quarterback like Isaac, just giving these simple quick reads, get the ball out, get the ball in your playmaker's hands so he's not sitting there holding and trying to figure everything out.