Former 5-star Washington signee played at Cal Poly in 2023

Cal Poly quarterback Sam Huard, a former 5-star recruit, has his next stop. Huard is headed to Utah, which joins the Big 12 this fall. Huard has two years to play out his final two seasons of eligibility. 

The Utes will return Cameron Rising for his seventh season and also have true freshman Isaac Wilson along with Brandon Rose as scholarship quarterbacks.

“Utah has an unbelievable culture and the people and the program were some things that I felt were the best for me at this point in my career,” Huard told 247Sports. “To be in a great spot and to compete every day with great people around me, being in the room and learning from one of the best quarterbacks in college football, while being able to have two years in a great system was a big part of it.”

Huard originally signed with Washington in the class of 2021 as a five-star recruit. His lone start at Washington was against Washington State in the 2021 Apple Cup, a 40-13 loss after the Huskies had fired coach Jimmy Lake. As a 2022 redshirt freshman, he backed up Michael Penix Jr. for the Huskies before transferring to Cal Poly. Huard spent the 2023 campaign with the Mustangs, throwing for 2,247 yards on 184-of-302 passing with 18 touchdowns in nine starts. He entered the transfer portal last week and received a visit from Utes offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig. 

Huard took an official visit to Utah over the weekend. 

“I loved the environment and the area,” Huard said. “I loved the people too and overall, it just felt like an awesome place for me to take the next step.”

Huard said head coach Kyle Whittingham played a big role in his decision as well.

“He’s one of the best and most proven coaches in college football,” Huard said. “Utah is one of the best programs in the country and the level they’re at right now is one of the best in the country.”

Huard joins the Utes in time for their debut season in the Big 12, a conference he’s eager to play in.

“It’s a fresh opportunity and I can tell the coaches are fired up about this change,” Huard said.

Its a return of for Huard to the FBS level, and more notably, the Power 4. Washington, Iowa, Northwestern, Ole Miss, Syracuse, Nebraska and Connecticut were some of the other schools who pursued Huard out of the portal before he settled on the Utes.

The state of Washington’s all-time leading prep passer, Huard made his way to several of Cal Poly’s top-10 lists during his lone year there in 2023. 

He set a single-game program record with 38 completions at Sacramento State, and his 483 yards in that game are the second most in program history.

Huard tied a program record with six touchdowns passes against Lincoln.

His 2,247 yards passing in 2023 were the seventh most in single-season program history. His 154 completions for the season are the fifth most in program history.