When Utah fans argue about the program's best quarterbacks, a few names come up almost every time: Alex Smith, who led the unbeaten 2004 team; Tyler Huntley, whose 2019 season put him near the top of national passing charts; Cameron Rising, the passer behind back-to-back Pac-12 titles; and Isaac Wilson, a more recent name on the roster. Here is what made each of them stick in the memory, using only figures the university itself has published.
Alex Smith: the standard everyone gets measured against
Smith's final season at Utah set the bar. The 2004 Utes went 12-0, the program's first unbeaten and untied season since 1930, and Smith closed it out in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2005 with four touchdown passes in a 35–7 win over Pittsburgh. He was named the game's MVP.
Utah Athletics lists a long set of marks from his career:
- 5,203 passing yards and 47 passing touchdowns, plus 1,072 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns.
- School records for single-season touchdown passes (32) and total touchdowns (42).
- First-team All-American and Heisman Trophy finalist in 2004.
- Career passing efficiency record of 164.42.
San Francisco made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, and he went on to play 16 NFL seasons. Back in Salt Lake City, he became the first member of the Utah Football Ring of Honor in 2024 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame that same year.
Tyler Huntley: accuracy that turned heads
Huntley grew up in Dania, Florida, and his final Utah season, 2019, is the one fans bring up. In a November 2019 feature, Utah Athletics noted that through 10 games he ranked second in FBS in completion percentage (.742) and second in yards per pass attempt (11.47), along with fifth in pass efficiency. Those numbers explain why the 2019 offense felt so efficient.
Cameron Rising: the title-game quarterback
Rising wore No. 7 on Utah's 2024 roster and was under center for Utah's two Pac-12 championship seasons. Utah beat Oregon 38–10 in Las Vegas on Dec. 3, 2021 to claim its first Pac-12 championship, which also sent the Utes to the Rose Bowl for the first time.
That Rose Bowl, on Jan. 1, 2022, became an instant classic even in defeat. Ohio State won 48–45, but Rising completed 17 of 22 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns and added 92 rushing yards and a rushing score before leaving with an injury, according to Utah's game recap.
A year later he did it again. On Dec. 2, 2022, Utah beat No. 4 USC 47–24 in Las Vegas for a second straight Pac-12 title, and Rising was named the championship game MVP after throwing for 310 yards and three touchdowns on 22-of-34 passing. The Utes returned to the Rose Bowl for a second consecutive season.
Why Rising's name still carries weight
Two conference titles and two Rose Bowl trips in two years is a rare run for any program. For many younger fans, those seasons are the first ones they remember, and the quarterback at the center of them naturally becomes a favorite.
Isaac Wilson: a newer chapter
Isaac Wilson was listed at No. 11 on Utah's 2025 roster as a sophomore quarterback. He is the most recent name on this list, and No. 11 is a familiar number to Utah fans who followed the 2025 team.
What ties these four together
- Big moments on big stages. A Fiesta Bowl MVP, a near-upset in the Rose Bowl, and a Pac-12 Championship MVP all belong to this group.
- Record books. Smith's school marks, Huntley's national rankings and Rising's title-game numbers all come straight from Utah Athletics.
- Staying power. Years later, their names still show up whenever someone lists the greats.
Wearing a quarterback's number
Quarterback jerseys are usually the first ones fans reach for, and the two championship seasons make Rising's No. 7 a popular choice. If that era is your era, you can browse a range of Cameron Rising jerseys in white, red, red alternate, black and black alternate. However you rank these four, each one gave Utah fans something to talk about for a long time.