No. 11 Utah will be lining up against its former quarterback Saturday in Boulder, Colorado.
Isaac Wilson, who played two seasons at Utah after an All-State career at Corner Canyon High, will make his second start for Colorado.
Colorado coach Deion Sanders confirmed that during his weekly press conference Tuesday.
“OK, Isaac’s starting. Isaac’s starting,” Sanders said. “You knew darn well Isaac was starting.”
Sanders added: “Isaac is always up to the test. This isn’t any different. Isaac is the same Isaac, man. He doesn’t flinch.”
Wilson’s not the only familiar face, either. Former Utah cornerback Jason Stokes Jr. also transferred to Colorado after last season.
“I know that they’re going to be prepared and ready,” Utah head coach Morgan Scalley said. “Got a couple Utes on that squad with Isaac Wilson and [cornerback] Jason Stokes Jr. on the defensive side of the ball, so they know all about the Utes. Respect Coach Sanders a lot, and what he’s done with that program.”
Wilson took over for opening-day starter Julian Lewis on Oct. 3 in a 29-7 loss to Texas Tech. In his first start at CU, the former Ute struggled, throwing three interceptions and one touchdown.
Sanders, though, doesn’t want to see the Buffs air it out too much.
“We don’t want to throw the ball 40-plus times,” Sanders said. “We don’t want to get into that because we’re not great when we throw it that much.”
Some thought Sanders and the Buffaloes could even turn to another former Utah high school star to lead their offense — former Skyridge QB Kaneal Sweetwyne.
But for now, Colorado is sticking with Wilson.
And Sanders is well aware Wilson has some old friends on the other side of the field.
“Isaac is the kind of guy, this really happened, I said, ‘Make sure you throw the ball to our team,’” Sanders said. “We can joke like that because Isaac is one of those kids, man. He ain’t taking that too hard. He’s not going to cry and have a pity party because that’s the balance of our relationship.”
Scalley spoke highly of Wilson when asked about the QB on Monday.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah quarterback Isaac Wilson (11) warms up on the field before Big-12 Football action between the Utah Utes and the Kansas State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium, on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.
“[Wilson’s] definitely done a great job of being developed at Colorado,” Scalley said. “Obviously, there are some things, terminology-wise [he knows] — Jason Stokes is going to know some things. At the same time, we have a feel for [Wilson’s] strengths and weaknesses, and I think at the end of the day it’s still a team game.”
So could Utah be on the wrong end of a revenge game?
Wilson and Stokes Jr. know the program well, specifically what Scalley and new defensive coordinator Colton Swan like to do on defense.
On the flip side, the Utes are also very familiar with Wilson.
He started for the majority of the 2024 season after former quarterback Cam Rising went down with a hand injury that ultimately ended his career.
Wilson ended that season with 1,510 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He stuck around with the program in 2025 but was beaten out by Byrd Ficklin for the backup role behind Devon Dampier.
Scalley credited him for the way he handled that situation.
“He did a really good job as a scout team quarterback; he’s really smart,” Scalley said. “He’s bright. You look at the throws that he makes on the outside; he has the arm talent.”
But Utah’s head coach downplayed any advantage either side may have because of the added familiarity.
“It’s not as big of a deal, in my opinion, as I think people could make it out to be,” Scalley said.