After today’s practice head coach Doc Holliday and offensive coordinator / QB coach Tony Petersen will cut the quarterback battle from four to three. Currently senior Brian Anderson, Junior (RS) Willy Korn, Freshman (RS) A.J Graham, and true Freshman Eddie Sullivan are competing in the quarterback derby.
I believe that last years starter Brian Anderson will win the starting job. During the first week of drills Anderson was the only quarterback to exclusively practice with the veterans. Anderson was on campus for spring drills which was a huge head start in learning the offense compared to Korn, the transfer from Clemson who most view as Anderson’s main competition. In terms of experience Anderson also leads the pack, last season he threw for over 2,500 yards and 14 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. He also has experience playing in hostile environments (started at Virginia Tech and WVU last year) which should come in handy on September 2nd when the Herd kicks off at Ohio State.
The fight for Anderson’s understudy is where things get interesting. Who ever wins the primary back up job will have a inside track on next years starting position. Does Holliday choose Korn, the transfer from a big time program who was a highly recruited out of high school? Do they go with prized Mark Snyder recruit Graham or maybe Sullivan who has looked good in camp and impressed Doc with his leadership skills? I think the smart money is on Korn who, despite his limited experience, has seen more action than Sullivan and Graham combined. You could also argue that coming out of high school Korn was the most highly recruited of the group. He also comes from a high school program (Byrnes High School South Carolina) that is know for throwing around the pig skin.
That leaves coach Holliday with one more backup position to fill. I feel like this spot is the hardest to determine. From all reports Sullivan has looked great during practice and coach Holliday often praises the young signal called during interviews. Graham has almost become the forgotten man during camp. Recent message board chatter has centered around the great unknown of Sullivan’s ability while last season it focused on Graham. It is fair to say that in a maximum of two seasons one of these young guys will start. Personally, I really like A.J Graham, his combination of speed and throwing ability is very intriguing. During spring drills Graham showed the ability to make athletic plays while his decision making was questionable. Sullivan though, does have a few advantages over Graham. First, Holliday recruited Sullivan while Graham was brought in by the old regime. Secondly, Sullivan played in a spread offense in high school that closely mirrors what offensive coordinator Bill Legg has brought to Huntington. My head says Sullivan will win the job. Doug Smock echoed the same message in his Charleston Daily Mail column today. If Sullivan is our third QB I hope he does not have to play. That way he can keep his redshirt and keep a year of eligibility.
Either way by the start of practice tomorrow the quarterback derby will be down one player and we should have a clearer picture of how things will break down.
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