Chase Hansen, Deseret News' POY, will compete for starting job this spring

The Deseret News named Chase Hansen, the Lone Peak quarterback and future Utah star, their player of the year. They also dropped this little juicy nugget:

The past Sunday Hansen and his family met with Utah assistant coaches Norm Chow and Jay Hill, and everyone agreed that it was in the best interests of all parties for Hansen to compete for the starting job next fall instead of going on his LDS mission first.

It's clear Utah still has a quarterback problem. While Jon Hays did his best to hold the team together after Jordan Wynn went down, I think last week's loss solidified that Utah probably can't succeed too well with him at quarterback. I don't like throwing fellow Utes under the bus and I really wanted to believe in Hays, but in the end, while he's a great guy who took on a very difficult job, Hays is not the future of Utah football.

Unfortunately, from this development - Hansen pushing for the starting job this spring - I have an awful feeling that Wynn probably isn't going to be that guy, either.

Of course, I have nothing to back that feeling up and far be it for me to spread unsubstantiated rumors, but reading between the lines, and taking in what I've heard the last week or so, I get the distinct feeling the coaching staff is preparing for the potential Wynn won't be returning next season.

That's a scary thought. While I believe Hansen is a remarkable talent and very well could handle this offense with ease, he's still a true freshman and I've never been too keen on throwing true freshmen to the dogs at the very start. Especially now that we're in a BCS conference.

It could work out and certainly the coaches know what they're doing, and I'm happy Chase will be here battling for the starting spot this spring, but it could mean for some major growing pains - especially if our quarterback situation is Hays, Hansen and Wilson. If that's the case, we'll be looking at a situation where the team has two potentially great quarterbacks, who lack experience, and one who's experienced, but possibly very limited in his talent.

Hopefully the staff has other options. Hopefully one of those options is Wynn. If not, then here's to them scouring the JC ranks for a quarterback who's at least capable of playing well enough at this level.