I don't have any, but does anyone think or know if Bryant was brought in with the intent of being the starter? Will it be a genuine competition in August or will Bryant immediately jump Sullivan and Hilinski? It will be interesting to see how Coach handles this.
Thoughts on who will be the 2023 QB
- Thread starter stpaulcat
- Start date
I can assure you that being named our starting QB was not the deal that Fitz offered to Bryant. He was offered a chance to compete for the starting job. No doubt that Bryant likes his chances and I assume that Sully feels the same way. One of them will be QB1 to begin the season and I am sure that both will be big contributors for us. Good luck to both of them.
I’d say it’s an open competition, but would be a pretty big disappointment if Bryant didn’t end up winning the job. It’s his final year so I doubt he wants to spend it holding a clipboard. If Sullivan wins the job that would say a lot about how he performed in camp
If Bryant can get the first-team reps in practice and be our QB1, we could possibly win 4, 5, or even 6 games. Plus with that valuable experience, mastering the offense and gaining the trust and confidence of the team, he might lead the team to the top of the BIGW the next season.
Some can leap to the top, others have to climb the ladder.
Some can leap to the top, others have to climb the ladder.
Just thinking out loud here. Before this latest transfer window, I always thought that getting transfers in here for spring ball was pretty important for this coming season. Especially at QB. Peyton Ramsey adapted pretty darned well with no spring ball, and hardly any in person meetings during the first corona summer of '20, but how often does that work out?
But now that we know we have Bryant, a very experienced and pretty good D1 starter, I now think it was a good thing that Sullivan got to be the "veteran" who got to be the focus of attention (I assume) this spring. Yeah, I think Bryant, if he does end up being the full time starter, would almost certainly have a better season if he had been here for spring ball, but... he wasn't, and thats what Sully really needed. To get a lot of work. So now I'm glad for how that worked out.
If the reports of the past two fall camps are true that Hunter and Hilinski decisively won the starter spot, I'm betting that this August we're going to have a pretty tight-fought battle. I think we'll need both guys this season.
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Whether Bryant or Sullivan wins the job, we need viable #2 due to our history of poor pass protection. I feel like Sullivan is a better fit with, possibly, Persa level of moxie. But you can't leave out Bryant if your option after Sullivan is Hilinski
Maybe that says something of the quality of the fall camp and its ability to simulate real game situations properly
Assuming Peyton….I mean Bryant absolutely tears it up and nullifies that little OL issue… who you got playing D? And it’s FB, guys get hurt…even in the pros…so do share those talented backups in the nonexistent two deep.
Or the quality of the coach assessments in fall camp. There was not much more concerning than the coaches saying everything looked awesome in practice week after week and then we get blasted every Saturday.
Are you sure about those reports last camp? I have heard conflicting things about the Qb race last summer. The reports I find more credible indicate it was close to a toss up and the coaches deferred to the more experienced player. That was a mistake in retrospect. This offense does not go without a QB who is a running threat. Sullivan is the only guy in the running that provides that skillset.
I’ll be shocked if Bryant isn’t our starting QB. Jake probably does prefer a mobile QB and likely with our OL mobility would be a plus. And Sullivan may have flashed some things, and been the best of our QBs last year, but that is very much like saying he was our tallest midget. He helped us win exactly zero games. Bryant is a serious QB who is a far better passer and has accomplished far more on the field, won a lot of games, and has far more experience. That all puts him way ahead in this race.
Pretty insane to me that everyone seems to agree our QB play last year (including Sullivan under center) was a disaster and that a decent QB was the most important thing (except maybe DT) that we had to fix through the portal, and then we go out and land probably the best transfer QB in the spring portal who threw for more yards and TDs in an injury shortened season last year than the rest of our QBs have in their careers in NU uniforms combined (maybe the field wins if we add in Hilinski’s numbers at SC, I didn’t check), but somehow people still think he isn’t the favorite and that Sullivan is the answer.
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When you’re alone and adrift on an ocean for days on a piece of driftwood, you’ll find a way to believe that the piece of driftwood provides better and more secure accommodation than the Balmoral Grand Duplex Suite on the Queen Mary 2.
Sullivan provided a spark and grit during a dismal season. He may turn out to be a better QB than any other option in fall but right now it appears better options are available and will be tested.
Sullivan provided a spark and grit during a dismal season. He may turn out to be a better QB than any other option in fall but right now it appears better options are available and will be tested.
Corbi, thanks for correcting me. It was Hunter who IIRC decisively took the starter job in 21, and you're right, now I remember that it wasn't clear cut with Hilinski/Sully. I still don't blame the coaches for going with RH, given his pretty strong experience as an SEC starter. And yes, it didn't work out. But if Sully had gotten the call, and then got hurt (as he actually did), we get Hilinski anyway. I would not be surprised at all if Sully beats out Bryant this time, even if Bryant looks like Peyton Ramsey in August. I still think we'll need both this fall.
And none of them won any games anyways (except Ryan in the opener).
So it's moot. Our QBs - all of them - sucked last year and none of them were the answer. Sure, they might improve this year, but Ben Bryant is so far ahead of them all in terms of expereince, accomplishments, and performance it's ridiculous to think that he isn't the heavy favorite to win the job.
I’d say Bryant is the favorite in the clubhouse, but all the better if Sullivan beats him out. Both will be better for the added competition.
Of course that's the case. And I do hope Sullivan wins the job, because it would mean he improves so much that he is better than Bryant. But, based on all the bodies of evidence thus far, you'd have to be insane to bet on him coming out of the gate right now.
All hail the latest savior!
Not sure he is all that but hope he has some mad evasive skills o he won’t be around for many games.
He has proven success as an FBS starting QB for multiple seasons. He is not like “the backup QB is the savior” that you’re invoking. The only significant reservation on him being successful here is that he is reportedly not very mobile as you said.
Exactly. If that is the case, like last year, it won’t matter who we have behind center because “QB running for his life” Sullivan didn’t win us any games despite him bringing a little spark with his elusiveness, and it got him hurt.
Has been a winning QB, doesn't throw ints, rarely fumbles, excellent arm strength, highest rated returning QB in the B1G. Rated highr than the QBs of Mich, Wisc, Maryland and the entire B1G. I believe he is an amazing pick up. May the Wildcats prosper, become competitive once again, and go to a bowl!!!
Won't have the great surrounding talent, but I am suggesting that he is really damn good.
I like what Bryant brings to the table, but to say he is the highest rated returning QB in the B1G is in my mind misleading. If we had a draft of QB’s in the B1G, he wouldn’t be in the top half of starters. I hope your enthusiasm comes to fruition.
In looking at film of EMU and the MAC I have to tell uou that I was very impressed by the quality of play and the quality of a very large % of the athletes in the conference. Lots of kids we could really use.
Don't disagree. He was surrounded by some nice talent at Cinci, just like Hilinski was surrounded by some nice complementary talent at South Carolina when he looked great as a true freshman against Alabama. Again, I don't want to come across as someone who is not happy to have him on board because I am. He is a good player and our depth chart is screaming for more good players. Having said that, when I watched his games at Cinci I saw a player with some of the same problems I saw with Hilinski last year. A guy who struggled to make plays when forced to move from his spot. A guy with probably better accuracy than Hilinski but a player whose accuracy diminished quite a bit under pressure, which is not unusual. These type of players are not ideal fits for our offense and that is why I think the competition for the starting job between Bryant and Sullivan will be closer than many people believe. I, for one, am hoping that Sullivan emerges the victor because I just think having a homegrown, mobile player like him win the starting job will be much better for the health of the program in the short term and long term.
I know he is from LT. I watched him play several times in HS. What I meant is QBs that NU has recruited and developed out of HS. Prioritizing playing stop gap transfers over guys we recruited, offered and developed (or not) out of HS is only going to exacerbate our challenges to recruit A list QB recruits. Something we've struggled to do since Clayton Thorson and in my opinion one of the main reasons we have struggled the last couple of years.
Maybe this coaching staff is just flat out bad at developing QBs out of high school
