The Idaho State football team begins fall camp on Aug. 1.
And to get you ready, we’re counting down with a question every day until the start of it.
So why not start with arguably the most important one facing the Bengals during training camp: Who will be the starting quarterback when the season begins Aug. 31 in Corvallis, Oregon?
There are four solid candidates entering training camp: junior Jordan Cooke, senior Hunter Hays, redshirt freshman Jackson Sharman and redshirt senior Koby Tracy.
Cooke and Hays played all 11 games last year. Cooke led ISU in passing yards per game (223) and touchdown passes (12). But he also had the most interceptions (13) and completing just 58% of his passes.
Hays, meanwhile, was ISU’s leading rusher on the season (233 net yards), threw for nine touchdowns, had five interceptions and completed 63% of his passes.
Sharman saw spot action in two games, completing 56% of his tosses, throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions in 32 attempts.
The fourth competitor is the transfer Tracy, who completed 55% of his passes for 2,762 yards, 19 touchdowns and had 12 interceptions in his last season at Utah Tech.
Idaho State head coach Cody Hawkins hasn’t named a front runner for the quarterback job, but earlier this summer laid out the things that each competitor needed to improve upon to win the position. In summary, he said Cooke needs to be more aggressive in running the football, Hays has to better protect the ball, Tracy will have to catch up with the other competitors who have been in the system longer and Sharman must work to match the game experience of the other three.
Hawkins has made it pretty clear that he’s going to find playing time for Hays, a team captain and one of the emotional leaders of the team, even if it’s in special situation packages. Then it’s likely to come down to Cooke and Sharman competing for the nominal “starting quarterback” title. Tracy certainly adds experienced depth to the room.
Most Popular
Comments / 0