SALT LAKE CITY — Travis Wilson is on the verge of making history at the University of Utah. The senior is closing in on becoming the first four-year starting quarterback in team history.
“It would definitely be a huge accomplishment,” Wilson acknowledged. “It hasn’t been done so I’m hoping I can be in that moment.”
Since joining the program in 2012, Wilson has played in 34 games and started 27 times. The numbers, though, didn’t grow to their current level until he was cleared to play again following the discovery of an intracranial artery injury near the end of his sophomore season.
Months of uncertainty preceded the green light to resume his career.
“I’m definitely different than what I was. I’m truly grateful for this opportunity that I get to play,” Wilson said. “I’m lucky I was able to get a second chance to play again. I’ve definitely been through a lot. But I think it just helped mature me and helped make me stronger as a person as well.”
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham noticed a difference in the 6-foot-7 signal caller from San Clemente, California.
“Not that he wasn’t a fierce competitor before, but I think he appreciates the game even more than he did before,” said Whittingham, who added that it’s difficult to hear you might be done when you potentially have so much more football left to play. “That’s a tough pill to swallow. When he was cleared, he was elated, as were we, and he has made the most of that opportunity — that second opportunity, that second chance.”
Quarterbacks coach Aaron Roderick has also observed a change in Wilson since his return.
“I think he came back a little wiser, a little more conservative. When he was young, he was just a gunslinger — just chucking the ball all over the park — and he made a bunch of big plays and he made some mistakes that were costly,” Roderick said. “I think he learned to be a little wiser with the ball. I think he also learned to be wiser with his health. He’s still a physical player. He likes contact.”
Wilson showed it by taking a hard shot in last year’s win at Michigan. The 6-foot-7 signal caller went head-over-heels after getting hit in the 26-10 victory.
“He’ll put his body on the line if he has to,” Roderick said. “But in spite of that one play against Michigan, he played smarter at that position.”
In 2014, Wilson wound up passing for 2,170 yards — while competing for the job with Oklahoma transfer Kendal Thompson — with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. The latter was a dramatic drop from the previous season when he was picked off 16 times.
Now comes the encore and Wilson is determined to finish out on a high note and as the starter.
“I just want to be consistent every game and make sure we go far this season,” he said.
Wilson, who is closing in on Brian Johnson’s school records for quarterback games played (44) and started (33), vows he’s prepared for the challenges ahead.
“I’ve been studying a lot this offseason and just fine-tuning the offense that we kind of ran last year,” said Wilson, who noted that it’s been helpful to run the same scheme. “So I definitely feel real confident going into this year.”
Confidence and the chemistry he has with the receivers, Wilson continued, have contributed to his optimism.
And being an experienced senior doesn’t hurt.
“It’s huge when you have a guy that’s played a lot,” Roderick said “They’ve seen the different things that can come up in a game — the different situations that occur and have been through those. They’re more likely to handle them well.”
Like Roderick, Whittingham noted that the Utes have two such quarterbacks in Wilson and Thompson. The latter appeared in seven games and made two starts before suffering a season-ending injury against Oregon on Nov. 8.
“It makes you feel confident as a coach when you’ve got guys that have experience and have been in big games,” Whittingham said. “We happen to have two of those guys with Kendal and Travis both being seniors.”
Whittingham added that redshirt freshman Chase Hansen also brings something to the table and is right on the heels of the veterans.
“So we think we’ve got a very good quarterback situation,” Whittingham said. “It’s competitive. It’s been competitive all fall and those guys are handling it very well. The competition has brought out the best in all of them.”
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