There’s senior-to-be Tyler Huntley and there’s sophomore-to-be Jason Shelley. Huntley acquiesced to Shelley only on account of injury, otherwise this question might not make the list at all. But he did get injured, Shelley did take over, impressing at first and then sagging over his last two starts, both disappointing losses in important games — the Pac-12 championship and the Holiday Bowl.
Shelley had his moments, some of them scintillating. But, as is to be expected from a freshman, he made mistakes, too. The Utes’ loss to Northwestern was a classic example of that. Shelley threw for more than 300 yards, he was by far the most impressive offensive player in Utah’s arsenal through the bowl game’s first 30 minutes, giving glimpses of what he might be in the seasons ahead.