Why Jake Bentley left USC for Utah, what he hopes to accomplish with Utes
Jake Bentley lived out what he described as a “childhood dream” playing football for the University of South Carolina.
A Palmetto State native who spent much of his youth in Duncan, South Carolina, Bentley envisioned himself being a Division I quarterback at a young age. Donning the Garnet and Black for the in-state Gamecocks and following in the footsteps of his mentor Marcus Lattimore was a part of Bentley’s plan, before he would move on to the NFL.
Unfortunately for Bentley, his time at South Carolina didn’t end as he hoped because of a foot injury that cut short his senior season after only one game. And following four seasons in Columbia, the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder decided it was time for a change of scenery.
“I just felt like I needed a new start,” Bentley recently told The State. “It was nothing against anybody at Carolina. I love (Will) Muschamp and I’m so thankful for all that he’s done for me and my family. But I think for me it was just something that I needed to do.”
Bentley consulted with his father and USC assistant coach Bobby Bentley as he tried to find his new home, before eventually settling on Utah.
He announced in December that he would be transferring to Utah for his final season. Bentley went through three spring practices before the coronavirus shut down workouts. He is battling for the starting QB job along with Texas transfer and former four-star recruit Cameron Rising.
“Going into it, I told my dad and all of the other coaches that were talking to me that I wanted a situation where I could grow as a person and a football player. Those were the two big things I was looking for. Utah really is a special place,” Bentley said. “The numbers that Tyler (Huntley) put up last year at Utah were impressive. So I wanted to be a part of that. I definitely think it’s going to prepare me for the next level, and obviously it’s a great program that I wanted to be a part of.”
Huntley was named first-team All-PAC 12 and the Co-PAC 12 Player of the Year in 2019 after passing for 3,092 yards, with 19 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed for 290 yards and five scores, leading Utah to an 11-3 record and PAC 12 South Division title.
The 2019 production for Huntley was a big increase from his junior season, and Bentley believes that was due in part to the addition of Andy Ludwig to the Utes coaching staff. Ludwig came to Utah from Vanderbilt to serve as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
“It definitely suits me more as far as coach Ludwig is a very cerebral thinker and a very detailed thinker. It’s black and white, there’s no gray area... It really fits me,” Bentley said, adding that he’s excited to join a Utah offense with “a very detailed plan of what we do.”
“That was definitely something that intrigued me. He told me, ‘This is what we do and this is what we’re going to continue to do because it’s successful.’”
Bentley was already familiar with Ludwig even before he started looking for a place to play his final season.
Ludwig tried to recruit Bentley to Vanderbilt when he was coming out of Opelika High School in Alabama in 2016. Bentley started his high school career at Byrnes High in Duncan, South Carolina before transferring to Opelika when Bobby Bentley joined Auburn’s staff.
“It obviously didn’t work out to go to Vandy, but I think he’s got a good track record with what he’s been able to do offensively and with his quarterbacks,” Bentley said. “You look at Tyler’s completion percentage last year (73%), that’s something I pride myself on as well is getting the ball into the hands of playmakers and getting it to them at a high rate of efficiency. That’s something that I think I’ve done pretty well at, but can continue to get better in that area. That’s one thing that intrigued me as well.”
This story was originally published June 22, 2020 at 5:10 AM with the headline "Why Jake Bentley left USC for Utah, what he hopes to accomplish with Utes."
