FIGHTING FOR POSITION

Bobcat quarterback battle rages on through recent practice camp

One of the major storylines for the 2023 Fall Camp has been the battle for the starting quarterback position.

With the starting position being contested by Malik Hornsby, T.J. Finley and C.J. Rodgers, head coach G.J. Kinne said he has seen the positives from all three quarterbacks, as well as freshman P.J. Hatter.

“They have all had their periods and their days,” Kinne said. “I thought C.J. Rodgers had his best day. He responded after starting off a little slow. P.J. (Hatter) has been starting to get a little more reps. … He is starting to make some strides. He’s not going to be ready early in the season but I can see him towards the end. He is one of those guys that when you stand back and watch him practice, he is doing things the right way.”

With the focus being on Hornsby and Finley, Kinne has been pleased with their progress through Fall camp.

“We had a night practice the other night,” Kinne said. “Malik had his best practice of the year so far. T.J. has been solid throughout. He operates and throws the ball very well. He just wasn’t here in the spring and the summer, so a lot of it is the learning curve.”

Having helped orchestrate the top rated offense at Incarnate Word, offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich is currently overseeing what has turned out to be a competitive battle.

“Every guy in that room is super-talented,” Leftwich said. “They are all physically capable of doing what we ask them to do. I’m pleased when I ask them to go out there and compete with each other. They have risen to the challenge and continued to get better where we need them to be. They are pushing each other.”

Though the quarterbacks all have their physical attributes, Leftwich is more concerned about being consistent.

“They can make plays and throws that wow you,” Leftwich said. “Now it’s building that consistency, which is what we are looking forward to.”

Having been a starting quarterback at the University of Tulsa, Kinne is all too familiar with fighting for the right start.

“It’s hard playing quarterback when you are battling for a job and trying to assert yourself,” Kinne said. “You’re going with the ones, then you are going with the twos, then the threes, so it’s tough. We have to do a good job as coaches down the stretch of narrowing it down. Everyone is doing a good job and are competing their butts off, but they are doing it the right way.”

As the Bobcats focus on building an offense focused on an Run, Pass, Option offense, influenced by now Central Florida Head Coach Gus Malzahn, Leftwich wants his quarterbacks to have a feel of the offensive scheme.

“Physically it is about getting their eyes in the right spot,” Leftwich said. “With our defense giving us multiple looks, they have been doing a better job of understanding the offense and getting us into good plays when we need to check out of a bad play. That is a big part of playing quarterback, is understanding the run game. If we are getting blitz from the field, we need to check into a boundary run or vice versa. Just making sure we are not wasting plays.”

But ability isn’t the only thing Leftwich is focused on.

“As a quarterback, so much of the focus is put on your performance on the field,” Leftwich said. “Where I have been challenging them is the intangible piece of it. Your body language, energy at practice, rallying guys around them.”

As the season opener inches closer, day by day, a leader is what Leftwich wants in his system.

“At the end of the day, whoever we put out there against Baylor, you want to have ownership of the team,” Leftwich said. “You need the team to buy into him. So, it’s increasing that leadership role and that demeanor about them you want from a starting quarterback.”

coltonbmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc