After the departure of Keith Wenning, one of Ball State football’s most prolific quarterbacks, there are four others ready to make their mark in the upcoming season.
In order to do that, one will have to beat out the other three in practice.
“We’re not going to be Keith, obviously,” Jack Milas, a Ball State quarterback, said. “We’ll be ourselves and let the best man win.”
Ball State opened its spring practice schedule Tuesday underneath an overcast sky that sent random snow flurries down onto the quarterbacks, who wore blue jerseys to designate that teammates weren’t allowed to hit them.
The four quarterbacks, Kyle Kamman, Ozzie Mann, David Morrison and Milas, have worked extensively with offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joey Lynch, who took over for Rich Skrosky. In December, Skrosky was named head coach at Elon University.
Lynch uses different terminology than his predecessor, a welcome relief for Milas.
“[Lynch] uses a lot of terms that I think we understand a lot better,” he said. “Coach Skrosky had Keith and they knew each other for a while, but now the terminology Joey uses is so much simpler. … It’s good because it’s like we’re going back to the basics.”
The five have worked together to come up with phrases that are easy to remember and what each of them mean.
The four quarterbacks learn differently, and Lynch said he uses varying tactics to help them improve. There’s a learning curve as Lynch installs his offense, so he’s always looking to make the transition smoother.
There’s little experience at the collegiate level for any of Ball State’s potential quarterbacks. Kamman has thrown just one in his two seasons, and Mann threw nine passes last season, which was his first. Both Milas, who redshirted last season, and early enrollee Morrison have yet to take the field for a game.
Head coach Pete Lembo wants each of the prospective starters to have a fair chance. He said they’ll get equal snaps in practice while he and coordinators watch closely to see who displays the qualities they’re looking for.
“I want a consistent quarterback,” Lynch said. “We’re looking for someone that we’ll know what to expect from on a day-to-day basis, how they bounce back from a tough day and how they handle success.”
Lynch said consistency is aided by returning starters who can take pressure off the quarterback. The Cardinals return most of its offensive line and running backs Jahwan Edwards and Horactio Banks. Both played significant roles last season.
The pair combined to score 21 touchdowns in 2013 and could be relied upon early as the starting quarterback gets comfortable.
“We’re always going to play to the strengths of our personnel,” Lembo said. “We’re fortunate that we have a system that allows us to be very, very flexible. … We aren’t going to ask guys to do what they can’t do.”
Both Lembo and Milas said although everyone will get a good look at the quarterbacks over the next few weeks, the winner of the competition may not come out of spring practice, and the competition could extend into the summer and fall.
With four players vying for one of the most important positions, tensions could rise, but Lynch doesn’t see that being an issue.
“The sense of urgency was there for all of them,” he said. “They all want to be the starter but they’re good friends, and they do it all the right way.”
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