By Ernie Gonzalez:
Now that quarterback Kenny Potter is gone, it poses a challenge for coaches, but a competition for players to fill his role.
Last week’s spring game was an early opportunity for four quarterbacks to showcase their talent and leadership as they move forward into the coming months.
Head coach Brent Brennan puts an emphasis on the process, and understands that each QB will have to make mistakes in order to grow.
“Its an ongoing process. Each one of those guys have done some really good things this spring, but they’ve also taken turns throwing it to the wrong colored jerseys. ”
Josh Love is the most “prototypical” QB out of the four. Love had a rough 2016, throwing only two touchdowns and five picks, all while completing a narrow 51.7 percent of his passes.
Love finished the spring game 7/12 passing for 66 yards.
JUCO transfer Michael Carrillo, who redshirted the 2016 season spent his previous two seasons at Grossmont College. Carrillo stands 5’11 and weighs 192 pounds will have to compete extra hard to be the team’s signal caller in August.
The small-scale Carrillo was given a large-scale blow on in last week’s scrimmage, as he was sacked hard by a blindside blitz from Freshman cornerback Tre Webb, by far the most electrifying defensive highlight of the afternoon.
He completed just one pass on the day, a 45-yard touchdown.
Sam Allen also got snaps under center, but didn’t really prove anything, according to Brennan.
“I didn’t see enough of Sam,” he said. Allen finished four of seven for 18 yards.
The player of the game was Montel Aaron, who put up 202 yards through the air on 6/13 passing and 1TD.
Something Brennan has been stressing all spring to his guys is tempo, something QB Montel Aaron showed on the field with 232 total yards on 17 snaps.
Aaron, who redshirted the 2016 season, has seen the culture shift first hand, and is ready to be a part of it.
“I love them… They told us that they were going to change some things around, and they stuck to their words and — as you can tell, we’re changing the program,” Aaron said.
The quarterback conversation and competition is barely beginning to brew, as Terrell Carter and Ryan Johnson won’t be in town until fall camp gets underway. Both their presence will sure heighten the level of competition among quarterbacks as fall approaches.
Regardless, whoever gets to the tough Week 1 matchup at home against the offensive juggernaut of USF on August 26, one thing is for sure: They will have to earn it.