University of North Carolina Athletics
Turner's Take: Quarterback Competition
April 9, 2014 | Football, Featured Writers, Turner Walston
By Turner Walston
As DJ Khaled's “Out Here Grindin” rang out through the speakers as the Tar Heels practiced at Navy Fields Wednesday afternoon, quarterbacks Marquise Williams and Mitch Trubisky were grinding to determine who's going to take the season's first snap this fall. Williams, a junior, and Trubisky, a redshirt freshman, are locked in a battle this spring to run Larry Fedora's offense.
The position battle is the most intriguing aspect of what has been an important spring for Carolina football as the team prepares for the third season under Fedora. Williams is a holdover from the previous staff, a flashy quarterback with the speed to move the ball down the field on the ground. Trubisky is the prize of Fedora's second recruiting class, a natural fit for the no-huddle spread offense employed by this coaching staff.
Entering the spring, Fedora declared that no position was safe, that the incumbents would have to work to hold on to their spots on the depth chart. That included Williams, who inherited the starting job from Bryn Renner in the second half of 2013 when Renner was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. Williams proceeded to start the final five games, leading the Tar Heels to a 4-1 record, including a Belk Bowl victory over Cincinnati. So, Williams has the edge of experience, of facing another team's defense, while Trubisky redshirted in 2013. “Getting in those six games at the end of last year was huge for him,” Tar Heel quarterbacks coach Keith Heckendorf told GoHeels TV. “You can see that when he steps out there, the confidence that has because of that, and he's go the ability to make plays.”
Fedora said he has seen Williams' comfort level and adaptability grow exponentially since he started at Virginia Tech in early October (Renner was out with a foot injury). “As he progressed through the season, he got more comfortable and more comfortable, and that's where he's at right now. He's very comfortable with what we're doing. If the defense does something that he hasn't seen, it gets him, but he can figure it out pretty quick, and the next time it happens, he's right back where he needs to be.”
Trubisky, naturally, lacks that game-tested comfort, but he's a quick learner. “Mitch understands what the offense is, but every rep is a new experience for him,” Fedora said. “I wouldn't say he's at that comfort level yet.”
Heckendorf was an offensive assistant under Blake Anderson a year ago, and he worked closely with the redshirting Trubisky. He said the Ohio native is only beginning to tap his potential in the offense. “He just doesn't have the repetitions and the opportunities and the snaps that Marquise has had, and right now, we're trying to get him those so he can get more and more comfortable.”
As of now, it appears that Williams and Trubisky are splitting the first-team reps 50/50. Both had those opportunities in the scrimmages in Charlotte and Greensboro over the last two weeks, and both led the offense well. Once can parse the differences between the two, but the reality is that either is capable. Williams has a bit of a snappier throwing motion, getting the ball out quickly and delivering it to a receiver. Trubisky has a more deliberate motion, but he can thread the needle when the situation calls for it. Williams is more likely to have a designed run play called for him, but Trubisky can scramble as well when a play breaks down. But the role of the quarterback is about more than just passing, running and handing the ball off; it's about leading the team in the huddle, it's about maintaining composure and giving teammates confidence. And in this respect, teammates say they feel good about either quarterback.
“I don't want to make the choice of who I'll need to start or not start,” said rising sophomore Bug Howard. “It really doesn't matter, because both of those guys know the offense. They understand how the receivers want to play. They're both leaders. They're both vocal. They're pretty good.”
The good news is that Carolina doesn't have to use just one quarterback and relegate the other to the bench. Recall that in the first half of last year, Renner was the starter, but Williams had his share of snaps for plays that highlighted his strengths. He had 66 pass attempts and 201 rushing yards in games he did not start. So it's not impossible that Williams and Trubisky could be used similarly in 2014.
Carolina's final practice prior to the summer will take place Saturday at the annual spring game, and no doubt both Trubisky and Williams will get opportunities with the first-team offense. The matter of a starter is not likely to be settled until the days before the season opener, August 30 against Liberty. In the meantime, the two will push themselves to make each other –and the Tar Heels– better.
“It is a competition,” Trubisky said. “We're switching off with the ones each day, so it's going to be a process. We're just going to come out here and push each other. Me and 'Quise get along great, so we're going to be out here joking around and having fun, but at the same time, it's a competition, so we're trying to push each other, and the best man's going to win.”
“It's a battle in the spring. It's me and Mitch Trubisky, who's a great guy, and he's been a leader out here too,” Williams said. “But in my mind, I have to think like I'm the driver and the other guys are the passengers. That's the mode I have to take to lead the guys.”
The competition, the battle, or whatever you want to call it to determine Carolina's quarterback will be a storyline that continues through the spring game and into the fall. But rest assured: whoever wins the job, the Tar Heel offense will be in good hands.
