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(08-17-2022 09:37 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(08-17-2022 09:13 AM)natibeast2.0 Wrote:  

(08-17-2022 09:06 AM)CliftonAve Wrote:  

(08-17-2022 08:57 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(08-17-2022 08:51 AM)levydl Wrote:  I'm a pretty casual college football fan, especially compared to you guys here, so bear with me, but am I way off in think that Prater should be a shoe-in here and that it's a pretty big disappointment if he is not the starter? He was the highest rated recruit in school history, a local boy, and he backed up a vaguely similar now-NFL QB for 2 years. I recall a few years ago how some on here thought Bryant was actually better than Ridder, so I gather he has some talent too, but the progression to Prater just seems so obvious from my pretty removed vantage point. What's the issue? He still too slight? Not a good enough thrower?

Many people are learning that star rating is a "potential" rating, not how they play right now. Not a single player should be a shoe-in for any spot on a roster just because of their recruiting ranking. A TON of players don't meet that potential...but also, remember that Ben Bryant was a 4 star on Rivals, and does have a MUCH better all-around passing game understanding and ability.

Prater is an incredible athlete, but has a very unorthodox delivery (which causes consistency issues), and played in a one-read system in high school, so his learning curve in the passing game has been incredibly steep and according to a lot of reports he is still having processing issues (something Ridder never had). Prater has much better legs, but Bryant has the much more accurate arm, more polished head, and has far more playing experience. All of those are very important to the QB position.

To me, having the best QB playing is never a disappointment, and whoever that ends up being, the staff believes them to be the best QB.

Correct. I would add Evan might make sense as the shoo-in with the 2018 and 2019 rosters where we had Mike Warren carry the ball 35 times a game out of necessity because the WR room was thin, but our 2022 roster is actually pretty stacked at WR and TE. We need that guy with the arm to get the ball to the playmakers-- Tre Tucker, Tyler Scott, Jadon Thompson, Nick Mardner, Josh Whylie, Lenny Tyler, Chamon Metayer, etc.

Agree with you both. From everything I've read/heard, I think Ben gets 1st string at Arkansas and with our weapons, experience and consistency difference, that's what I'd prefer. I do not want inconsistency at QB position whatsoever and that seems to be the key difference. Only way I expect Prater to play is if Ben has 2-3 turnovers in first half or we can't move the ball whatsoever. I do not expect any special packages besides maybe on the goal line and that's a big maybe.

Also, we never know until a QB plays in a real game, but I think one more year of development will be beneficial for Prater and he should be more than ready to take over the team next year. Whether that be throwing fundamentals, going through progressions, or working on his body there is a lot he can still improve on.

One thing to note, Bryant technically has two years of eligibility remaining, not one.

2018: Redshirt
2019: RE Freshman
2020: RS Sophomore
2021: Covid Transfer to EMU RS Junior
2022: Grad Transfer to UC RS Senior
2023: Has Covid Super-Senior year remaining

Darn I thought it was one (assuming Ben doesn't end up Drew Beers type of QB for us).

That could get tricky for sure then re both wanting the playing time. May the best guy win the job!