Rising then had shoulder surgery and they weren’t sure if he would be ready for the season. They go get Brewer as an insurance policy and because he appeared to be one of the best available transfer QBs. Rising came back ahead of schedule and eventually won the job because Brewer was much worse in in game situations than he was in practice.
Mike Leach, who is a passing game guru, brought in grad transfers two years in a row (Minshew and Gordon) who were extremely successful. I’m not saying that’s Utah’s strategy (because it’s not), but it must not be that bad