Utah is expected to start walk-on quarterback Luke Bottari in Saturday’s regular season finale against Colorado, according to Josh Newman.
Typical Utah starter Bryson Barnes is apparently unavailable and Newman also reported that redshirt freshman QB Nate Johnson intends to enter the transfer portal, leaving Bottari as the next man up.
So, who is Bottari? After setting eight school passing records at Junipero Serra High School in California, Bottari played at College of San Mateo from 2019-21. He then transferred to Utah as a preferred walk-on prior to the 2022 season but has yet to see any game action with the Utes.
It’s also possible that Colorado will start true freshman Ryan Staub in place of the injured Shedeur Sanders, who left last week’s game at Washington State early with an injury. On Tuesday, head coach Deion Sanders said Shedeur is considered day-to-day.
If Bottari and Staub indeed face off, it could be a big day for both teams’ running backs.
Utah QB Nate Johnson intends to enter the transfer portal, multiple sources told @KSLcom.
The redshirt freshman is still listed on Utah’s roster, which makes whether or not he “quit the team” a matter of semantics.
Yes, Luke Bottari is expected to start vs. Colorado.
— Josh Newman (@Joshua_Newman) November 24, 2023
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