HOUR 2 | Travis Yost talks upcoming NHL Draft; which players should be available at No. 4 for the…
your home for the best coverage of the Jazz Utes and Cougars is right here on The Zone this is JJ and Alex presented by G2G Bars on 975 the KSL Sports Zone just got my theme song going i see you Alex i was listening to this all week by the way as soon as I walk outside [Laughter] lip syncing is not as great on the radio as it is on video it’s not but I’m telling you this is me all week all right if you’re watching on the YouTube uh you’re you’re you’re enjoying this sly with some uh lip syncing to his favorite song he’s wearing sunglasses in the studio it’s not night but he’s wearing them these are prescription by the way guys prescription sunglasses oh man that’s great this segment of JJ and Alex is brought to you by Doug Smith dealerships dodge Ram Chevrolet Subaru Kia and Lyndon and now Mitsubishi and American Fork slide’s got the sunglasses on you know it’s time to get serious but we’re going to have some fun as well uh we’re going to two uh we’re not done with the NHL we’re an NHL market now we’re NHL 24/7 365 and that’s why we’re going to bring on Travis Yoast NHL writer for TSN friend of the program uh that’s the cut here at 4 o’clock travis what’s up how you doing how you doing boys happy Friday oh happy Friday to you uh a lot of happy uh people in Florida the Panthers got it done i know you’re not surprised none of us are surprised what do you make of the Panthers back-to-back Stanley Cups is it possible they could do this three in a row uh you can’t write it off um they’ve it is very hard to string together uh let’s say the the typical dynastic runs certainly harder in the NHL than it is in the NBA it’s not nearly as much of a star- driven league it’s not nearly as topheavy there’s more teams you know that enter the frey with a chance to win at all um which I I think is a good thing for the league far more often than not but it’s what makes repeating so impressive to begin with um you know one of the interesting things here and I think this is kind of the beauty when you build a winning program um you know the Florida Panthers have they’ve got some business to take care of this off seasonason they’ve got contracts to take care of starting with Sam Reinhardt Sam Bennett uh and they’re not exactly flush with cap space but you know one of the things and whether it’s the Panthers Tampa Bay Colorado Vegas uh even Carolina to some degree these teams that are you know routinely in the top six in the in the regular season start to end um and every single year have a chance to win a title I would say in the last decade or so of the NHL you’ve really seen these teams it it’s kind of differentiated in a bit more of a have and have not scenario because ultimately you know well you know very productive players they’re going to find their money one way or another but I I think the modernization of the sport there’s many things that have come with it one of them is these players are more comfortable um sticking with teams even whether it’s you know taking a small discount on the back end of a contract um because ultimately at the end of the day it is a hard cap league teams only have so much cap space that they can allocate and if you want to keep a cohesive group together like the Panthers have or any team for that matter uh you’ve got to have some degree of cap flexibility now you know there’s a there’s always a balance between you know cap you know giving my organization flexibility back versus getting rinsed um in contract negotiations uh and that’s why that’s why teams like the Panthers and the Golden Knights and the Avalanche they can stand on the credibility of we’ll always build a contender and we’ll always we’ll always uh we’ll always pay you reasonably well but it’s got to work within the construct of the rest of what we’re team is doing and when guys buy into that it’s it’s easier to keep a contender humming along you know over a handful of years travis I got a two-parter here um what’s up with all these warm weather cities winning these championships what’s going on here we got Florida Tampa Bay Vegas coming in here the entire nation wants to know the answer to that like maybe that’s what it needs you need warm weather to be able to go inside and play better but like uh so what is what is up with that is that something that is a word going around the NHL like maybe that’s like the ticket or something like that and then how have our Canadian friends felt about you know still missing out on another Stanley Cup um you know there’s a lot of there’s a lot of theories um as to why the Sunb Belt um is starting to take over hockey i you know I think there I think how you aortion it there’s you there’s probably a thousand different reasons one thing that I kind of b at you hear a lot of this state income tax stuff um I I’m not saying it doesn’t exist or it doesn’t matter um to a player at the very top end of the you know the pay spectrum but what what I see from these organizations is they are materially uh better run top down at a front office level than than the northern organizations have been over the last decade or so and whether that’s you know finding the right front office leadership uh find you know investing in data science and and building out teams from more analytics based approach which is really taking the NHL over the last 10 years or so uh you know in par with the rest of the leagues um you’ve seen a lot of the minds so to speak in the NHL kind of gravitate towards these markets and I I I do think it’s a bit of happen stance too right like you know the National Predators you know 10 years ago 15 years ago were one of the few teams that were icing a contender in the Sunb Belt and uh they were a bit more of an exception than the norm and actually the Arizona Coyotes were one of the other teams that were reasonably competitive but you know the Predators have been very hit or miss at best um the Coyotes were obviously a disaster for budgetary reasons and you know and and there’s other warmer market uh teams so to speak san Jose was a 2010s team not a 2020 team the Anaheim Ducks were definitely a 2010s team not a 2020 uh team so it I I think I think people will try and make arguments of a little bit of convenience here it’s not like there’s not dead weight that you can find around the southern ports in North America but you know that’s where the talent is right now both in the front office and on the ice right now what do you make of the Edmonton Oilers in their situation because they’ve been oh so close they’ve got arguably the two best players on the planet what do they have to do to get over the hump and how do they react to this i don’t want to call it a failure but missing out again on winning a Stanley Cup you know it’s this is it’s it’s it could be a migraine if you’re an Oilers organization because it’s pretty obvious um what the problem was and and certainly in the in the Stanley Cup final but in the same respect fixing it is quite hard so let’s start with that that there’s two clear issues here number one uh Florida’s depth won that series right you know you wash out apples to apples the tops of the lineup and it was the second third and fourth line just like we talked about coming into this series that really had their way with in the non McDavid non dryidal minutes um and even when McDavid was on the ice in this series it should be pointed out Florida did a damn good job for the second year in a row of of containing him you’ll never take that guy off the stat sheet but they they they bottled him up best as I’ve seen any team do it and you can’t do that with just one shutdown line it’s got you got to have 11 or 12 you know quality impact forwards which is much easier said than done and you got to have at least two if not three credible defensive pairings for in Edmonton’s case they have a topheavy not just roster but a topheavy salary cap allocation which doesn’t allow them to spend a ton of money uh on the bottom six and what has killed them over the last few years is they have not been able to draft the NHL like the the one of the big you know easy ticket ways to build a contender is if you can figure out your top line and your top pair and you can draft cheaper productive talent into the bottom ranks of your lineup that’s kind of the cyclical nature of of of building and maintaining a contender ed not only has Edmonton missed on a lot of these picks they’ve lost talent right the the one of the biggest stories of last offseason was the St louis Blues hitting the Oilers with a dual offer sheet and stealing two quality players not just one um that were clearly missed in this series that’s that’s problem number one and and maybe the depth issue is more of a matchup problem with Florida what is a problem period for the Oilers they need to find a goalender it is clear as day they have no confidence in Steuart Skinner it is clear as day that Calvin Picker is a you know and I say this professionally speaking he is a backup goalie at best uh they went into the Stanley Cup final with not one um let’s say quality pedigree starting goalender and you look around the Western Conference there’s plenty of competition for this Oilers team next year uh and and even in those series whether it’s Vegas Dallas Colorado um even a team like Utah for that matter right Edmonton might have many advantages in that series they’re not going to have an advantage in net right now I expect they invested that position this off season yeah I mean Um so let’s you know finalize this kind of Stanley Cup it’s been over for a couple days now but like uh it was it was interesting right it wasn’t said that Florida was going to run all the way through the playoffs the way that they did and um you know have another Stanley Cup matchup the same as last year right seven games last year the six games this year what was your impression of these Stanley Cups and how everything finished i know Florida kind of you know after game three kind of felt like they were in the driver’s seat but you know was it that game five that where Florida really solidified and you knew that they were going to come out of it in game six uh I wish I could say that confidently yes i I kind of I think a lot of people watched game five and were like “Wow this is Florida series to lose.” But anyone who’s watched Conor McDavid for more than like 30 seconds is like “I’m not going to discount that guy ever.” Um but I I think you hit the nail on the head with one key point that series drifted away from Edmonton and towards Florida and each game honestly from game two onward it felt like Florida was like a python around Edmonton’s neck squeezing and squeezing a little harder and harder and by games by games five and six you’re watching this Edmonton team and it was a struggle to generate meaningful offense and that that is a statement of equities we’ve seen the Oilers struggle defensively in the McDavid era we’ve seen them just be horrific in that it it is very very very uncommon and I you know you can go through eight years of McDavid’s career at this point and only find a handful of examples where their offense was really taken out of a full game or a full series for that matter and uh and and Florida squeezed them out and by the way that’s why I think Florida even though they have a veteran roster it’d be utterly foolish to count them out for next year so long as they they get these contracts squeezed in between Bennett and Reinhardt they’re going to have at least a threeline quality forward team a at least two to three quality defensive defensive pairings and a veteran going to the Hall of Fame bullend Sergey Babski so you know it the series definitely took control of that series and by the end of game six it was clear as day they were the better of the two teams but um boy uh you know I don’t know what you would set the odds at for 2026 but they’re not 0% that we get a three feet they might be 0.1 point 2 and I’m thinking like man if I’m an Oilers fan I any other team but the Panthers at Right right it may be a little too early for me to ask you this question but I I I’m I’m doing it myself so I’m sure you’ll you’ll be game because we don’t know the results of the offseason we don’t know what free agency trades are going to happen but if the Panthers run it back with and they’re able to keep their guys what team out there is going to put an end to their run and keep them from winning three straight cups is this is this an NHL or or someone in the East because I the re I do think this is important i do think the teams I it is I’m I’m a big Carolina Hurricanes believer they’ve let me down way too many times i’ve been a big Toronto Maple Leaf skeptic they have also let everyone else down many times over tampa Bay is really on the right side of the aging curve um you know it’s not like any of those teams couldn’t get Florida in a series but where I look at the real strength the P the teams that either reflect what Florida’s doing um or have some sort of magic bullet weapon like a McDavid it’s it’s all in the West right and it’s the big four it’s Colorado it’s Dallas um it’s it’s Vegas and it’s Edmonton i I truly abs maybe Carolina’s in that mix but I would argue that the four teams with the best chance of beating Florida in the series are all in the Western Conference which I promise you is music to the ears of Bill Zitto Paul Maurice and the rest of the Florida Panthers organization i know Vegas is actually pretty high on the Hurricanes as well so you’re not alone there uh with the way too early odds for winning the cup next season uh now turning our attention to the Utah Mammoth uh we’re dialed in on the offseason draft’s coming up next week we’ll dig into that but I wanted to hit free agency first uh there was a report I guess well it’s Elliot Freeman of the of the 32 thoughts the podcast NHL Insider you’re you’re familiar with his work he reported the Utah Mammoth and a few other teams are in on Brad Marshian uh what are your thoughts on Marshian’s fit with Utah i think it’s interesting i think it’s clear as day that even though he is certainly in his twilight um boy can he play in the right scenario right unbelievable in the postseason one other thing that and I I think this is one of the beautiful part and you’re kind of seeing it a little bit in the NBA finals with this Pacers team that’s kind of like this rag tag group but I don’t even mean mean to get stuck on this Marshian point but I think it’s important i we talk a lot in hockey and I think it’s one of the it might be the most undisussed philosophies or or items or elements about a team and what differentiates those who have success and those who don’t it is such a sum of the parts um sport and when you put Marian on that line with Loren Rinan and Lindell they were it was like replicating the same high quality two-way frenetic physical agile player three times over on the same line and they just vaporized every team in the Stanley Cup playoffs they were by far the best line throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs that’s Florida’s third line by the way um and you look at a guy like Marian you’re like “Yeah he could.” He’s the type of player going to the Hall of Fame he’ll have success in any scenario he certainly would fit in with Utah i I think it’s un more unlikely than not if I’m Marawn if I’m Brett Marshan I’m thinking I’m either going back to Boston or I’m going to a team with a bonafide you know Stanley Cup bid very short odds um like there’s you know why would I go to Utah if I can go to Carolina right if I’m not going to Florida or Boston but it it is an interesting theory in one respect which is you know Utah’s in a fascinating scenario they’ve got almost you know they got 20 million in cap space 20 players rostered a draft pick that is insanely valuable that they could use and immediately land an impact player or trade it for an impact player today in the NHL um and how they invest in that you know a lot of a lot of the speculation started with well they’re going to be a big player for Mitch Mner and I I fundamentally believe that to be the case until Mitch Mner’s decision or fate has has been decided Utah is going to be on a short list of teams bidding him but if you remember the last time we spoke one of the names and it’s very similar to the Marawn um idea john Tiveres uh I I could see a scenario where if if for whatever reason and I don’t think it’s likely but if for whatever reason Toronto says you know what Marner’s the guy with all the you know the upside we think the playoff stuff even though it it has killed us in the past with him it it’s more of a team issue than a Mner issue we’re willing to commit this cap money for a superstar which Mitch Martner is and we’re going to let John walk that is the type veteran forward who can still really play well that maybe says you know what I will sign a two-year deal and finish my career in Utah and actually ch you know build a playoff contender with his younger core so I I actually think the the more likely better name is Tiver of the two because I could see a path where Toronto actually says you know what we’re dumb but we’re not that dumb we’re not going to let Marner walk for nothing and uh and let us go instead yeah but I mean I’ I’d like to go back to March a little bit here um of course he’s you know playing father time here doing well as you said he had an tremendous year but you know we’re all new to this NHL life right and so trying to totally understand what a player is looking for in their career now you know March a two-time champion um what is he looking for right he’s he’s gotten Stanley Cup he’s he’s been a part of these uh tremendous teams now 19 20 years in the league uh what are you looking for at the tail end of your career because normally like in football mostly if I’ve won my championships I’ve gotten all the stuff now I’m just looking for the payday to help uh to um go off to the sunset if Utah comes out of at him with or lifestyle right or lifestyle with a a great payday why would he turn that down or or what does an in NHL player this late in the career just won the championship so you know that’s been achieved what are they looking for this late in their career i think it’s a phenomenal question again and I’ll give I’ll tell you what it’s a mixed bag right it really does depend on the player and I’ll give you a few examples here but last off season um we watch so well yeah it was last offseason Jonathan March so ex the exact same position as Brad Marian is in right now where you know he became he wasn’t a legacy Vegas gold night but he was part of the you know the init year one um Vegas gold night and one of these misfits build them from the ground up won a Stanley Cup in Vegas felt like he was actually getting squeezed a little bit as a you know a 34 35 year old UFA and said “You know what i’m going to go sign a multi-year deal in Nashville i’ve already got my cup here’s my paycheck here’s my money.” Um but again like those decisions can work out cannot work out and in Marsheso’s case go find who is you know who’s on the proverbial trade block this off seasonason and I would assess one of the reasons why Marsheso is on the trade block is neither Nashville nor Marsho is really happy with where the Predators are and the the the million-dollar question you never know you know everyone wants their money i think that’s human nature but these guys do not get to where they are in their careers without being insanely competitive and I just think it’s impossible to turn that off like there there are very few guys in any of the big four sports I think looking for that country club opportunity to your point if you know I don’t think Utah’s a country club opportunity i think this is hey we think we have a playoff team next year help us be part of that and here’s a big check um I I think that could be a compelling argument but if I’m again if I’m Marshian I’m thinking about his his career trajectory lifetime Boston Bruin the only reason he’s not going to go back back to Boston I almost said that like I was from Boston if he’s not only if he’s not going to go back to Boston it’s because he’s so jaded and skeptical about where that organization is as a contender which by the way would mean why am I leaving Florida why am I not considering a Carolina i can stay on the East Coast close to my family chase that Stanley Cup and still get paid i think there’s going to be options for obviously a guy that caliber or move to Utah and hunt which apparently according to reports is what he does so sell them hard baby this could be a good fit year- round hunting here in Utah uh let’s get to the draft real quick uh what guys do you think are realistic to select at four if you’re looking at the draft right now I there can’t be a long list of guys if Utah keeps their pick at four who do you think they should take i think I think if I’m I if I’m picking at four and again Utah Columbus there’s a short list of teams where probably every option is on the table draft trade the pick down or trade the pick for an impact player like all three of them i think Utah’s one of the team that checks all one of those teams that checks all three if they are if they are going to draft I think it’s going to come at the center position because I think two clear options if you assume Schaefer and Misa go one two which feels like a lock there’s a near certainty or the mathematical certainty I will say if it if it goes one two that way that either James Hagens out of Boston or Anton Fondell uh from Sweden uh who played uh in their in the Swedish Hockey League over uh as a as a developmental two-way centerman a little bit bigger than Hagens those are two guys who not only are you know the blue chip type prospect that you’re looking to land in any draft um that you would expect to get inside of the top five they are year one at worst year two impact players um by the time they hit the NHL i mean that’s how quality a player we’re talking about and to me two slightly different skill sets you know the I think you if you look at the you know draft practice most mock drafts the the aggregate results typically have Higgins going one pickish one pickish before Fondell um and he’s a bit more of a playmaker but he’s also a little bit smaller and Anton Fondell comes off as more of the two-way Sasha Barov type player where you can maybe even trust him more defensively off the rip before even his offensive game comes along i I do think one way or another though and and again there’s there’s going to be options for Utah but I definitely see them um most likely outcome addressing the middle of the lineup and landing an impact center uh come the draft well I know that um you know draft is coming up next week as we said uh so what is that that free agency now that the finals are over like what is the the NHL equivalent to what’s going on in the NBA right now you got Jiannis Santa Dumpo you got Kevin Durant Trading Blocks you know uh some some free agency movements there what is that equivalent to the NHL who’s going to be a big marketer like you’re just saying that Utah Mammoths should be able to go choose a center if they get March does that change their um you know focus in the draft right like like what can happen here in this NHL what is those bigname possible trade moves or free agency moves here in the NHL before the draft happens next week yeah it’s a little bit of it’s a little mix of which players are going to go where um because it there’s a you know a handful of significantly impactful players and then kind of a muddied middle and it’s also the direction of where a handful of teams go right and I you know for 20 years Toronto thinks they’re the hockey the center of the hockey universe and they haven’t been they actually may be the center of the hockey universe this off season because I think the decision with Marner and Tiveres like we were talking about earlier is probably the biggest unknown and the most impactful for the talent it would displace in free agency and if Mitch Marner does become a free agent again I want to be very clear for whatever you think about like a James Harden light which really that’s effectively what Mitch Mner’s career career feels like at this point 32 teams in the NHL including the Maple Leafs are better with Mitch Martyr in the lineup it is indisputable and it really with him is a question of how expensive is this going to get that is a key domino to fall not because of obviously the Toronto and Marner equation but like we talked about the residual impact with Tiveras i think Florida will take care of their guys um but I do think one other interesting name to watch uh winger Nikolai Eers out of Winnipeg um you know he’s he the the Winnipeg front office has done a great job retaining their talent between Shifley and Hellabuk and Pian uh but you know Nikolai anytime you have a firstline winger hitting free agency and I know the I know Utah’s got a decent degree of depth at winger but again you’re talking about firstline talent right a guy you can pair with a Clayton Keller and know that you are going to win those minutes far far far more often than not doesn’t matter the quality of competition from a that that’s the player side i think from the team side um you know we’ve talked a lot that we expect Utah to be actually one of the most active teams at come the draft and and come free agency i think Columbus is right there with them uh there was reports out today that Columbus is looking aggressively to trade multiple draft picks to either move up or to acquire talent um I think that’s I think that’s a big piece and a big team to watch as as soon as you start to see some of these either desperate teams um talent chasing teams or a couple of these big domino players to fall I think the rest will fall under it um but I uh I I think those that’s where my eyes are set toronto for sure Winnipeg for sure Columbus for sure and Utah for sure those are the four markets I’m watching he’s Travis Yoast he writes for TSN covering the NHL we could go on for another half hour travis great information great conversation always love having you on thanks for coming on and we’ll do it again soon yeah I’ll add one more uh add footer I guess to what I just said too let me let me go 10 seconds here jj Perka in Buffalo if the Sabres are foolish enough to get pressured into by him and his agent for a trade Utah should be the first team they should just set up a 247 hotline with the Sabres because Purka is the type of talent you want to steal have a good weekend boys thanks Travis thanks for that nugget we’re going to mark that day yeah so Ryan have the jet just sitting in the Buffalo airport just right there just ready for that to happen soon as we get the word like “Well we’re ready let’s go.” Now Ryan’s like “Hey now the I’m going to go poaching.” Right right right we’re going to go get some players thanks Yos appreciate that tidbit yeah that’s good all right Travis Yos thanks for coming on that was great uh we got to get to a break uh when we come back uh we’re going to rank the Big 12 quarterbacks going into the 2025 season can’t wait to hear what Sly has to say about a list that our own Steve Bartle made uh we’ll break that down next jj and Alex 975 the KSL Sports Zone radio Collide love it this is what you get you’re listening to JJ and Alex presented by G2G bars don’t touch that on 975 BSL Sports so this is one of our favorite things and we uh love to do it each and every week nominate the youth sports volunteer that you know for the Hercules Hero of the Week submit your nomination at kslports.com/contest and listen every Thursday afternoon to JJ and Alex for the winner help us celebrate the efforts of those volunteers making an impact with the Hercules Hero of the Week sponsored by Hercules First Federal Credit Union and Beehive Meals always interesting music choices not sure what Maneater had to do with that but I don’t care that was a vibe flying joy i was vibing man anything early 90s I’m I’m all there early on Friday’s all about he thinks that was in the early ’90s is that the ’90s i just remember it on like Babysitter’s Club or something very 80s very 80s okay risky business now I have to stop and search so 1982 by Hollenotes was Maneater now you probably saw in a lot of movies when you’re growing up in the 90s that was a Hollen notes classic okay holland oats 1982 hollen notes gets it done no we could have the debate yacht rock or no i say no not yacht rock i I Hey I’m not I’m not a judge here i don’t know i couldn’t alex I say it is really i You got me it’s in some good movies that’s all I know that’s what I be vibing out cuz you know I’m a movie holl is one of those one of those bands that was kind of yacht rock but then they got in the 80s and they went a different direction they’re very pop i’m borderline on that i’m going to say no it’s like Little Wayne tried to do hard rock i’m just like regardless Hollotes extremely underrated yeah i agree that somebody born in 1999 preach the truth brother preach the truth all right always a treat when we hear Hall of Notes here on 975 the KSL Sports Zone all right quarterback eater you were a quarterback eater you know how you know how good these guys are uh there’s some good ones in the Big 12 is there an elite one is there a Heisman Trophy candidate a Heisman Trophy i don’t think so i don’t think so uh a lot of things would have to break their way they’d have to be better than a lot of Big 10 or SEC guys because that’s kind of how it goes nowadays but uh I’m curious to hear your thoughts on who the big best Big 12 quarterbacks are now our colleague and University of Utah insider Steve Bartle took his crack at it he put together a list of the top Big 12 quarterback rankings i’m going to start at the bottom and uh me and Alex did this exercise earlier in the week i wanted to do it with you because you have a unique perspective as both a former college football player that played on the defensive side and someone who stands on the sideline today as an analyst who watches all these guys you know these teams really well i want to hear your opinion on what you think now some of these guys we haven’t seen yet and so I really won’t dig in too much of the guys in the bottom like House Haney of Oklahoma State no idea all right former TCU quarterback ends up at Oklahoma State tav Jackson UCF no idea again Indiana transfer don’t know a lot about him nico Marshall West Virginia same thing new coach there knew everything i don’t think West Virginia is going to be very good this year i think they’re in transition don’t expect much from him now Connor Wiggman uh once a five-star recruit let me start there um at Texas A&M in 2024 896 yards three touchdowns five interceptions not great numbers but a five-star guy should he be higher or do you like him at 13 no stick him there he improved nothing yet i don’t care about their high school stats that are bot give me a high school star rating that’s bot i don’t care keep them there or lower them i mean you got 800 yards you obviously weren’t good enough to be put in we’ve seen true freshman come in and make a stance and he wasn’t sam Levit was a freshman right he was right so I I don’t No you stay there prove it i mean you have the capabilities right and you was a fivestar for a reason hopefully but uh hopefully you’re a fivestar for a reason you got to prove it 896 yards ain’t gonna get it done in the Big 12 so I think the list gets interesting at 12 because this is where you start getting into guys that are experienced are proven or have a lot of hype kaden Salter he was at Liberty last year he’s gonna be the quarterback at Colorado uh he had a better 2023 when Liberty was really really good right but last year he had a 56% completion rate 1,886 yards 15 touchdowns six picks also can run with the football 587 rush yards seven touchdowns but Sly that’s a big that’s a big drop from from what Shadur Sanders did last year do you like him at 12 or you think he should be higher i I think it’s I I think it’s good there right because here’s my thing is chemistry right one you got to have matchups i tell you that all the time matchups is the biggest determinant on like does my team match up well with the teams like I could have all the talent in the world but if I don’t have complimentary players complimentary offensive line which we’ve known uh Colorado does not have a great offensive line um you I’m going to I’m going to suffer at the quarterback position so I keep him there until he’s able to prove himself in that system he’s able to do more uh hopefully he doesn’t have as much pressure as Sheridor Sanders had and he can actually let loose he’s very talented i tell you that much we’ve said it from the last couple years so I I I think that that was a huge pickup for Colorado um but I think he’s in a good position to be able to do something but I I I like him where he’s at right now at number 11 Steve has Noah Fafida this is what got me 11 well things did not go well last year i mean he could go well whatever this is an individual list no Fida is a talented quarterback that’s proven for the last couple years tetto McMillan aside No Fafita gets it done i I would have definitely had him in at least my top seven but 11 I I I don’t know if I would have Noita that low i I’m a fan of his one because how short he is and what he’s able to get done you got to appreciate that and I think that one they transitioning from their coach who went to Washington yes uh new system in there there’s a lot of things that happened with all of that but um I think another year under a belt to the comfortability understanding what you got um I think Noah Fida is he’s probably primed for a really good year so you think he can bounce back and for and then be is that does that make Arizona a team to watch as a team that could bounce back yeah nobody was looking at freaking Arizona State to do what they did but a couple pieces and they’re right in the mix right and so u I think that’s the same thing for Arizona i think um you know who knows what I haven’t followed Arizona closely so I don’t know their offseason moves but if if they’re able to have another year of of uh of you know consistency and continuity within their team um I I think that they would they would have a good year have to power through some of these pretty quick we’re running out of time jaylen Daniels of Kansas probably one of the most I would say overhyped players in the conference yeah for sure the numbers don’t match the hype they don’t i keep him where he’s at okay or lower okay i feel like he 14 touchdowns 12 interceptions kansas did some nice things at the end of the year but another losing season i feel like he’s way overhyped yeah he he was injured last year too for a good majority of stuff but like yeah I I I I he didn’t blow my socks off as far as a quarterback’s position now here’s somebody I think that’s somebody to keep an eye on brendan Sorsby of Cincinnati 64% completion rate 2,800 yards 18 touchdowns seven interceptions also had nine touchdowns on the ground and he’s young he’s back as a sophomore for Cincinnati another team was kind of under the radar yeah I I think he’s another guy that you know just needed some confidence got a year under his belt last year so he’s definitely a guy to watch i would probably put him above the the Texas Tech Morton guy but um who’s number eight right um right i’d put him up there but I like kind of where he’s at on this list you know give him room to grow and and be up there but yeah I I I like that baron Morton as you mentioned you’d have him lower 3,300 yards 27 touchdowns eight interceptions really benefited by having an amazing running back yeah total pocket guy but like um yeah again he’s just another guy that can um could benefit from having a year under his belt and going at it again doesn’t wow you but gets the job done jake Rhettoff’s at seven we don’t know his status there’s no update right we might learn more on Monday we might not but he’s on the list for now with Jake i I really like Jake i told you throughout the season I like the risk that he takes of course quarterback position most scrutinized position you mess up it’s going to be magnified and that’s some things that has happened but he can throw the ball and if he can get it to his receivers they got a talented defense they got to score points as you said if you got a talented defense the way you do put some points on the board you’re going to win a lot of games and he’s going to be in the right position so I I like him um yeah actually his position on his list is not Yeah that’s that’s pretty good we’ll continue to watch and see what his status is at number six Steve’s got Devin Dampier of Utah i I just don’t know i I I love Devin Dampier but you got to understand this is a new team same system but new team so yeah he’s familiar with it but is everybody else right so with football you get one opportunity every Saturday you get one opportunity and if Utah gets off to a slow start that’s going to have effects on the end of the season and that’s what’s so different about basketball it can’t be the Indiana Pacers where I can have a slow start to the season and finish strong it can’t be like that to have the type of season that Utah wants to have so here I don’t know how his talents are going to translate from New Mexico to the Big 12 led the fourth best offense in the country 1,168 rushing yards 19 touchdowns are you kidding me as a quarterback but then I look at the passing numbers 12 touchdowns 12 interceptions 57% completion rate against that schedule that’s not good enough that’s got to improve dramatically if it does Dampier could be one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12 josh Hoover at five i actually think he should be higher yeah I like Josh Hoover i don’t know if anybody watched the the TCU games of last year but Hoover’s a talent now i now they had uh Jack Beck the receiver um he went to the Rams didn’t he where I can’t remember where he ended up but he did get drafted he He drafted He got drafted high i I like Jack Beck a lot but like Josh Hoover the way he can thread the ball in the right situations again with another um year under his belt of confidence jack Josh Hoover is a talent man i was very surprised in watching film and then seeing him in person he could throw the ball i would actually have him higher on this list he’s a very good talent at that uh QB position agree i might even put him at number two to be quite honest um 66 and a half% completion rate almost 4,000 yards passing 27 touchdowns 11 interceptions really good they won six of the last seven look out for TCU this year rockco Beck Iowa State steady i have no problem with him where he put him at four maybe it’d have him one spot lower not me i got Rocco at number one for You got him number one you like Rocco that much i like Rockco Beck simply because of his instincts numbers are good he’s No his numbers are great but the style of offense are not going to give him Pton Manning numbers right like but the way he orchestrates and understands the game and you can see that from a player on the sidelines and you watch him you can see the type of player he is i have Roco Beck at number one especially what he’s been able to do that experience that he got last year um in stepping into this deal you know going all the way to the Big 12 championship game i got him at number one for me um and yeah yeah i I got R Quebec at number one a quarterback in this conference okay I’ll do 321 real quick because I want to get your thoughts on the top guy here what you think of him moving forward but Avery Johnson number three Kansas State i was underwhelmed with him last year the numbers are okay um but there was just too many moments where he could have stepped up and didn’t i know he’s young it’s going to take some time but three is way too high for him sawyer Robertson really impressed me last year good numbers saved Dave Viranda’s job i don’t mind him at that two three range he might end up being the best quarterback in the Big 12 and at number one Steve had Sam Levit Arizona State are you buying the Sam Levit hype no I mean hype i The dude is Yeah you got to He’s a talent he’s for sure i don’t know if he’s the number one quarterback um I got some people are putting him as a early Heisman Trophy candidate this year uh I don’t know about that he’s got a lot of attitude and you gota which is great you need that as quarterback so that’s not a shot or anything sam Levit he’s got a great attitude but he’s got to be able to hone it in and you got to be able to handle when everybody is going to be gunning for you you’re not hidden anymore people know about you now you’re on a Heisman list people are going to want to get the best out of you so how does he react to that that is what I have reservations on he’s definitely got all the talent i just don’t think he’s the number one quarterback in the league soya Robinson like him talented don’t think he’s a top five guy in this league avery Johnson definitely not i think he’s a better runner than he is a throw throwing quarterback there you go there’s our reaction to the uh Big 12 quarterback rankings on kslports.com right now you can go there right now and you can share your opinions with us online if you would like to we got to take a short break when we come back the top 10 game and then Utah Jazz and NBA draft talk coming up at 5:00 eric Saropoulos will join us we’ll get into all that and much more coming up on JJ and Alex 975 the KSL Sports Zone ladies and gentlemen you’re locked into JJ and Alex with the insight and analysis on the teams you can’t live without presented by G2G bars this is 975 the KSL Sports Zone welcome back JJ and Alex 975 the KSL Sports Zone jeremiah Jensen Steve Sylvester hanging out and sitting in for Alex Cury now it’s not often we have a Utah great on our show actually it is which is the nice thing about having Sly all the time but it’s my turn and my responsibility to handle the top 10 game today so in honor of Sly being with us for the next three shows I thought it would be fun to do a little University of Utah football trivia so you fans you can play along with us i want to test Sly’s knowledge of his alma mater okay how well does he know his program how well does he know his program’s record books so I’ve kind of tipped off Sly now because I’m saying this so he’s going to spend all weekend going over the media guide and going over the records cuz he’s going to want to be ready for the next two shows but I caught him off guard today he’s not ready for today but I’m going to start out easy today we’ll we’ll do some others that might be a little more tricky on Monday and Tuesday but today I’m going to ask you to name the top 10 career rushers in Utah football history top 10 top 10 alex can help you start the timer whenever you want alex go eddie Johnson ding uh Zack Moss ding uh Devonte Booker ding um Matt Ociato um Quinton Ganther um Jesus uh Alex you’re the last one thanks Alex are offering no help here not going to be very much else um uh Mai Bernard he’s not up there nope uh he’s been here forever I thought not that not as long as some of these other guys let’s go who’s the other guys I played with you might have to dig deep in some past years some old some old heads old heads uh Eddie uh uh so close so close oh I’m off bro i’m trying like why am I going he’s just got half of a guy’s name right uh well I said Eddie Johnson but like Eddie Wide no he’s not up there all right how many let’s see how many you got i got four i’m going to start at the bottom okay number 10 all time with 2,150 yards rushing dur mike Anderson mike who went on to play in the NFL was an NFL rookie of the year mike Anderson all time utah great number mike Anderson mike Anderson freaking Jamal is not on the list derell Mack derell Mack not on there derell Mack’s not on there he is not number nine 2,179 yards eddie Lewis who played for the Utes from 1982 eddie Lewis to 1985 the Utes ran the ball a lot in the early 80s they ran a little bit of that wishbone triple option stuff so they had a lot of guys do really well in the 80s all right number eight it’s a little more modern 2560 yards john White john White that was amazing and he did that in two years hey John White was a beast he was beast that 2011 team was good i I’ll never forget him running on the uh frozen tundra of the Paloo Washington State had a big game that night up in Pullman number seven with 2,61 yards a Utah native Juan Johnson who played for the youths from 1994 to 1997 i don’t know that yep some really good team really good Utah teams beat BYU a couple times actually I think they won three in a row against uh BYU during that era for Ron McBride number six you got to go way back for this one 2,616 yards Dell Popcorn Rogers who uh Dell Rogers who ran the ball for the youth from 1978 to 81 went on to play for the Green Bay Packers and has been a longtime sports caster in the Sacramento area by the way he’s one of us number five 2,630 yards Chris Fuamatu Maafala mafala so him and Juan Johnson both played at the same time and both rushed for over 2,600 yards in their careers that’s all you need to know about the mid90s youths they ran the ball a lot number four 2,773 yards you got this one Devonte Booker and he did that in two years two years phenomenal run for Devonte Booker number three with 2,995 yards tony Lindsay who played from 1977 to 1980 you got number two Eddie Johnson 3,219 yards uh played from 84 to 88 and held that record for 30 years until number one broke it and man did he blow it apart 4,067 yards rushing for Utah’s all-time leading rusher Zack Moss from 2016 to 2019 so three out of 10 who put this list together not great Sly i didn’t put the list together this is these are facts these aren’t facts they didn’t make this up these are This is the Utah record book this isn’t made up this isn’t fake news derell Mack had to have been on that list one he was a thousand yard rusher in one season but he played four years he’s had to be more than 2100 yards fly you know there’s been a lot of good running backs at that school and that’s a lot of like 2,150 yards for number 10 quinton Ger is not on that list nope he is not he was there for three years i know and he was a good running back great running back you got to be really good to break this list man i’m telling you it’s a really impressive list all right all right i I’m going to do some digging because I’m I’m going to debunk this i got See if does better than three out of 10 on Monday when we’re at the BYU golf event ew oh all my answers all my answers are going to be shouted obnoxiously this is gonna be so much fun it’s going to be shouted obnoxiously by the way so if you see a random black guy on the course just yelling for no reason cuz I’m trying to breathe down there in Utah County that’s all oh you’ll be all right Sly you’ll make it you’ll do all right all right we got to take a break when we come back we’re talking NBA utah Jazz the draft with Eric Speropoulos of the Utah Jazz and NBA.com
Hour 2 of JJ & Alex with Jeremiah Jensen and Alex Kirry.
• Travis Yost, NHL writer for TSN
• Sly breaks down a Big 12 QB ranking
• The Top 10: Most rushing yards in Utah Football history