Brandon Rose was announced Friday evening to be Utah’s “likely” starter should Cam Rising not be able to play the first game of the season by head coach Kyle Whittingham. Now, less than a day later, the Utes are looking like they will start the season down 2 quarterbacks.

Rose redshirted last season and came into Year 2 as the team’s backup. According to KSL writer Josh Furlong Rose took a rough hit and was “seriously” injured shortly following Whittingham’s address announcing him as conditional QB1.

Rose had to be taken to the hospital and was released a few hours after.

A following report stated that the injury timetable for Rose will be months, not weeks. This means that 3rd string Bryson Barnes will now see the majority of the reps before the Utes take on Florida to kick off the season on August 31.

Barnes is less physically gifted than Rose but does have experience in college football. He’s seen the field 13 times for the Utes, including 10 times last season as Rising’s backup. He finished 2022 with 57 passing attempts for 430 yards with 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.