South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
QBs remain optimistic after first scrimmage
Competition continues for starting role ahead of the season opener
Rest assured, UCF fans, the Knights will have a starting quarterback when the team kicks off the season against Florida A&M at the end of the month.
“There will be a starter for Week 1. Someone is going to run out there with the ones and take the first snap of the year with the offense,” UCF coach Josh Heupel said while being quizzed for about 10 minutes following practice Saturday.
Many of the questions centered around the team’s ongoing quarterback competition.
The identity of the Knights’ next starting quarterback remains a mystery, with Brandon Wimbush, Quadry Jones and Dillon Gabriel continuing their competition for the job following the first two weeks of preseason camp.
All three had a chance to show what they could do when the team hosted its first scrimmage of camp Thursday.
“I thought the quarterback play, which everyone is going to be interested in, was really solid most of the day,” Heupel said of the scrimmage, which was closed to the media. “(We) had one turnover, but other than that, they were pretty sound in their decision-making.
“For our entire football team, but for our quarterbacks in particular, lot of things to learn from.”
Heupel said each of the quarterbacks threw multiple touchdowns, with all three excelling in throwing the deep ball, particularly Wimbush. But the coach also said he saw room for improvement.
“I think we’ve got to be more consistent with our accuracy of the football,” Heupel said. “For the most part, they’ve been pretty sound in their decisionmaking with all the different looks we’re seeing on the other side of the line of scrimmage.
“I thought, for the most part, they handled the tempo for which we played pretty well, but I thought certain parts of the scrimmage they could have forced and pushed the tempo and sometimes that just means getting your five guys to the line after a big play and getting them aligned so you can move on to the next one.”
Wimbush, a Notre Dame transfer who joined the Knights in January, said he felt the offense could have performed better at times, but otherwise he was pleased with his overall performance.
“I thought I played fast and I thought I did a good job keeping the tempo where it needed to be to be efficient and to be effective,” Wimbush said. “I thought I could have made a couple more throws, just keeping my body in a position to be able to hit some throws that I want back.”
Gabriel, who is a true freshman, said while camp has required a lot of long hours, but he’s enjoying the competition.
“I think it’s been going very well. As a whole, we’ve competed well. We’re having fun with it and at the end of the day, it makes us better,” he said.
Jones, a redshirt freshman who has the most time to learn the Knights’ offensive system, said he felt he did well during the scrimmage. He said he’s been able to execute better this offseason because he’s feeling more comfortable running the offense.
When asked what aspects of his game had improved, Jones responded, “Being more vocal in the meeting rooms and letting the coaches know I know exactly what I’m doing and I knew where the ball should be exactly. On the field, with my eyes, reading the keys.”
The players will get another chance to show what they can do when the Knights hold another scrimmage this week.
Until then, Jones said the starting quarterback race remains close.
“I think it’s really tight. The best man will play, the coaches say so. I feel like if he trusts the guy, he’ll put them out there to play,” Jones said.
But does he believe he’s the best man for the job?
“Yes, I do. A lot. I want to win games,” Jones responded with a smile.