Kelley named as Razorbacks’ starting quarterback
FAYETTEVILLE - The question new Arkansas Razorbacks coach Chad Morris has been asked practically since the December day he was hired officially got answered Monday.
Third-year sophomore Cole Kelley will be the starting quarterback, Morris said, for Arkansas' 3 p.m. Saturday SEC Network televised season-opener against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Fourth-year junior Ty Storey, competing with Kelley from every January meeting and winter workout on, will also will play against EIU, Morris asserted.
Morris had publicly proclaimed the two neck and neck and too close to call until Monday's press conference.
"Cole Kelley will be our starter," Morris said. "And Ty’s going to get in and have an opportunity to play as well."
Offensive coordinator/ quarterbacks coach Joe Craddock was asked what set Kelley apart.
"We just felt like the last two weeks Cole really was the more consistent one and really led his team in every situation he had," Craddock said. "Really led his team to points. We just felt at this time Cole was the right guy to go with.”
Although Storey is the older quarterback and the 2016 nominal backup to Austin Allen while Kelley redshirted as a freshman, Kelley is by far more varsity experienced. He was Allen's backup last year and started four games when Allen was injured.
At 6-7, 258, he also has a bigger body and bigger arm than Storey, 6-2, 215.
"Cole has got a strong arm and he's big," Craddock said. “He's not afraid to stand in there. Not to say that the other guys are afraid, I'm just saying that one of his strengths when you turned on the tape from last year when he did play, he's standing in there taking some good, big hits. And to keep being able standing in there showing the courage that it takes to do that, that's one of his biggest attributes, his size and his ability to throw the ball down the field."
Storey, who was acknowledged to have picked up the offense quicker last spring when it seemed he perhaps ran slightly ahead, is not out of the first-team running and in any event must be prepped to play like the next snap is his, Morris said.
"I’m excited to see Ty, to see what he can do out
there," Morris said. "This is by no stretch of the imagination is this saying this is a lifetime contract. I shared that with Cole last night. ‘You don’t have a lifetime contract.’ He’s excited about this, and Ty was excited about getting his opportunity to come in and play."
Walk-ons Grant Morgan, the thirdyear sophomore letterman backup middle linebacker, D'Vone McClure, the ex-Cleveland Indians minor league baseball prospect who has become the Razorbacks sophomore first-team nickel back, and junior two-year letterman placekicker/kickoff man Connor Limpert are walk-ons no more.
All three have been awarded scholarships, Morris announced Monday.
"I'm very excited for Grant Morgan and D’Vone McClure as well as Connor Limpert," Morris said. “The scholarship that they were presented last night, they were very deserving of this. I think you see that was very evident with the excitement level of their teammates and how they celebrated that."
Morris was asked more about the scholarships upon taking questions after his opening statements.
"They’ve earned that,"Morris said. "They’ve worked hard, and I think you could talk about all three of them and the impact that they have.
“D’Vone being a big impact player for us and to play a lot if not start for us in some areas and on special teams.
“I think nothing symbolizes what this program is about more than what Grant Morgan represents. Someone that’s been told his whole life that you can’t. ‘You can’t play there. You can’t do this,’ and he’s defied the odds all the way through. And Connor has impacted games (kicking the game-winning field goal in last year's 38-37 SEC victory at Ole Miss.)"
Defensive coordinator John Chavis said the remarkable facet about all three is that they would have continued their Razorbacks role even if not placed on scholarship.
"Financially, it does make a difference for these young men," Chavis said. "They’re all deserving, because they’re all going to make contributions to this football team this year."
While Morgan, McClure and Limpert now play on scholarship, freshman receiver Michael Woods and senior special-teamer Ryder Lucas will miss the season opener on disciplinary suspension. Both were charged with driving under the influence during the summer before the August preseason practices began. Both have practiced throughout the preseason.