Seven-deep quarterback room breeds competition for Saluki Football

Seven-deep quarterback room breeds competition for Saluki Football

08/10/2018 | 2:54:00 | Football

By: By Tom Weber, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Most of the quarterback reps during Saluki Football's training camp so far have gone to seniors Sam Straub and Matt DeSomer, and rightly so. The two have combined to play in 44 college games, throw for 3,340 yards and produce 37 touchdowns. The starting job is clearly Straub's, but DeSomer will have a package of plays and is available to showcase his unique ability as a run-pass threat.

But what about the remaining five quarterbacks in camp? The four freshmen and one junior college player have zero games of Division I collegiate experience, and head coach Nick Hill said they are being groomed for a quarterback competition in 2019. Quarterbacks coach Michael Williamson explained how the newcomers fit into the plan.

"We wanted a large QB group on purpose," he said. "Nick is all about competition at every position. We want a room where these guys are sharpening each other. I don't know if there's any program in the country that has as many different types of quarterbacks as we have. That's a testament to Nick Hill's offense. If you're a great player and a smart player, we can win with different types of quarterbacks in this offense. All of these guys are capable of being the guys who can win in this offense."

Stone Labanowitz (5-9, 195, So.) has the inside track on the third-string job because of the familiarity he gained with the offense during spring ball. His command of the offense was evident in the team's first scrimmage on Wednesday when he completed 10-of-11 passes. At ASA Junior College in Brooklyn, New York last year, he completed 71.9 percent of his passes and led the team to a 9-1 record.

"Stone will not shy away from competition," Williamson said. "He was a great high school player and because of his size didn't get a lot of shots. He went to a juco up in Brooklyn where he was competing against DI guys at the quarterback position and he beat all of them out for the job and had national numbers. He's used to doing what he's doing right now — maybe I'm not the starter yet here, but he wins people over, learns the offense and he's a playmaker. He understands how to play the game with what he's got. A lot of times that's the most important thing. There's some elements to Stone, such as his mind and his pocket presence, that are elite."

Nic Baker (5-8, 193, Fr.) was listed at 5-foot-10 in high school. He's actually closer to 5-foot-8, but he has a thick build, mobility and a surprisingly powerful arm. In fact, coaches compare his arm strength to Straub's. His stats at Rochester High School last year were off the charts — 54 touchdowns, two interceptions and led the team to a 14-0 record and 4A state title.

"He's small, but he has a great release and the ball just jumps off his hand — boom," Williamson explained. "I don't think he's physically limited. He's going to be able to stand in the pocket and put the ball down the field as good as anybody his age in the country. The first time a lot of us got to see him was in the state championship game because it was on tv. It was probably one of their worst games offensively, and I kind of enjoyed watching it, because they were playing against a really good team that took the air out of the ball and ran it a lot and kept the ball away from Nic. I was wondering how he was going to react. On the last drive, he touches the ball all eight times, whether it was running or passing, and they win the game. He was a legend in high school."

Austin Reed (6-1, 217, Fr.) was the state of Florida 6A Player of the Year and third overall in all classes, and passed for nearly 3,000 yards and 34 touchdowns as a senior at St. Augustine High School. He was also the MVP of the North vs. South All-Star Classic.

"The big-school level where he played in Florida has some of the best athletes in the country and he took his team to the semifinals of the state," Williamson said. "We got on him early in recruiting and his production in high school was just so good. He has a great personality, loves the game, always happy just to be around the game. He's a big, strong, stand-in-the-pocket traditional type of quarterback and will be able to put the ball down the field."

Javon Williams Jr. (6-2, 234, Fr.) is a local player from Centralia High School. He was a one-man wrecking crew as a senior, tying the Illinois High School record with 52 touchdowns (30 rushing, 22 passing). He rushed for a staggering 2,395 yards. Williams has impressed during the first week of camp and could make an immediate impact as a situational player.

"Javon is like a DeSomer or an (Mark) Iannotti in that there's a lot of different ways you can use him," Williamson said. "He can drop back and throw it, but we're also going to bring people in motion and create run plays for you. It's certainly a competition between the freshmen. We're not bringing any of those guys in and thinking one is better than the other. They all bring something different to the table."

Levi Mitchell (6-4, 208, Fr.) is a walk-on from Cuba, Mo., and his work ethic is already drawing praise.

"He gets here this summer and is in all the meetings, has a 30 ACT, knows the playbook already," Williamson raved. "(Strength coach) Meade Smith comes up to me this summer and he says, 'Levi is going to be good. He's one of my favorite guys on the team.' He's talking about workouts and weight room. He doesn't even have to be here. Someone not on scholarship coming here over the summer, putting in 100 percent of their time, knows the whole playbook, has the weight room coach pulling me aside talking about him — that's impressive."

Practice No. 9 lasted well over two hours on Friday morning and featured lots of 11-on-11 action. During the "Winning Time" session at the start of practice, the offense ran a series of plays that all began at midfield. The defense had the upper hand, as the only successful play by the first-team offense was an intermediate crossing route from QB Sam Straub to WR Landon Lenoir.

The second half of practice was dominated by Straub, who had perhaps his best day of camp so far. The 6-foot-4 senior has mastered the sideline out-route. His ability to throw on the run with velocity and precision was impressive. The first-team wide receiver corps of Raphael Leonard, Matt Quarells and Landon Lenoir were the beneficiaries. All-Conference wide receiver Darrell James has not practiced the last several days due to a minor injury. RB D.J. Davis was electric in both the run game and as a receiver out of the backfield.

On the final play of practice, with the offense needing to score a touchdown, safety Joe Patterson picked off a desperation toss intended for Leonard. After practice, Hill awarded Patterson the turnover belt and commended the walk-on for being ready to seize the opportunity.