Quarterback Drew Lisk Calls It A Career With Utah
Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.
In the case of Utah quarterback Drew Lisk, his legendary status will never die within the Utah football program. Lisk has elected to call it a career and will not be returning to the Utes next year for his 'super senior' season, his sixth with the Utes.
Head coach Kyle Whittingham first made the announcement while speaking on ESPN700 before KSLsports.com confirmed the report with Lisk himself.
“It was certainly a good, long ride at Utah," Lisk said in a statement to KSLsports.com. "I can say with confidence that I don’t have any regrets about being a Ute for 5 years. It was a challenging, amazing experience and I wouldn’t do things any differently. Thankful for the entire program, staff and university for providing me with this opportunity.”
Lisk certainly saved his best performance in a Utah uniform for his last performance.
In a game that will be forever remembered by Utah fans, Lisk led the Utes from a 28-7 deficit to take down Washington State 45-28 in the 2020 season finale.
Trailing by 21 late in the second quarter, Whittingham decided to do something drastic and inserted Lisk into the game, the first time he's played all season. After a drive that went nowhere and led to the halftime break with the Utes still trialing by three touchdowns, Whittingham elected to stick with Lisk to begin the second half.
Smart move as Utah scored 38 straight points in coming from behind to secure the win, the first time they've won three consecutive games to end a season since the Utes joined the Pac-12 in 2011.
Lisk finished the game 15-for-26 with no touchdowns, but it was more than that for the senior. His calmness in the pocket and ability to step forward and connect on short throws kept the Utes in rhythm on offense and opened up the playbook for offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig. This allowed the Utes to get creative, and that's exactly what happened in the win.
“You saw the legend of Drew Lisk was born in that second half,” Whittingham said postgame. “He’ll be able to tell that story for years, how he came in and rallied the troops.”
Dec 19, 2020; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Drew Lisk (12) passes under pressure by Washington State Cougars defensive end Brennan Jackson (80) in the fourth quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
What makes that finale so special is because of where Lisk began the season.
The redshirt senior started the year as the third-string guy after being eliminated early on in the quarterback competition. He was forced to watch as Jake Bentley and Cam Rising battled it out for the starter's role — which was won by Rising.
But after Rising went down hurt in the opener, Bentley got the nod to start and Lisk was promoted to backup. Yet even through Bentley's noted struggles this season, Whittingham elected to stick with the grad transfer.
That was until late in the first half against Washington State — allowing the legend of Lisk to be born.
“Drew Lisk is one of my favorite players on this entire team,” Whittingham said after the win. “He’s completely unselfish, he’s got a great attitude, he’s just the epitome of a great teammate. All he wants to do is help the program any way he can. We’re elated when he decided to come back because he’s got two or three degrees and all kinds of stuff that he could do and I think this was his last game here at Utah, even though he has the opportunity to come back. I just don’t think that’s in his plans. But Drew Lisk is a pleasure to have on your team, he’s a guy that helps everybody around him as much as he possibly can. He’s like a coach on the field.
Oct 26, 2019; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Drew Lisk (12) stands ready as the Utes face the California Golden bears in the fourth quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gabe Mayberry-USA TODAY Sports
Lisk, a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell trophy, had one of the best prep careers by a Utah high school quarterback, and turned down multiple opportunities to play football at the next level just to walk-on to the Utes.
He joined the Utes beginning the 2016 season — following a decorated career at Jordan High School in Draper where he finished his senior season with 4,706 yards of total offense, sixth best in state history.
After redshirting that year, Lisk earned his athletic letter in 2017 by directing Utah's final drive against West Virginia in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. He then played in one game again in 2018, this time appearing against Colorado — following him receiving a scholarship prior to the start of the season.
He will end his career at Utah playing in seven games, completing 22-of-35 passes for 204 yards while adding four carries for 11 yards. His career-long pass of 27 yards came against Washington State.
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