Two weeks from the start of Virginia's football season, coach Mike London does not have a starting quarterback. He has four.
Sophomore Michael Rocco, freshman David Watford, redshirt sophomore Ross Metheny and redshirt freshman Michael Strauss are all vying for the starting slot. Following spring practice, London refused to list a frontrunner for the position, and said July 25 during the ACC Football Kickoff that he would continue to evaluate each player throughout the preseason.
"You want to see the fundamentals of a quarterback, his drops, the way he throws, reacting to a defense," London said. "Later on you start getting into the game planning, the specifics of the team that you're going to be preparing for. As we get into the [first] few practices, it's to see who and where and how much they've developed their game."
After three weeks of training camp, London still would not definitively name a starter, but has implied Rocco is the top contender, while Watford will also receive extra attention.
"I will concede the fact that [Rocco] is getting the majority of the reps, and in order to develop David Watford to see if he can play, he was going to get [more reps]," London said in a teleconference yesterday. "Not to the detriment of Ross Metheny - he's been there, knows the system and has accumulated a lot of reps."
Of Virginia's relatively inexperienced starters, Rocco and Metheny boast the most playing time. Both saw limited action last year, as Rocco completed 13 of 25 attempted passes for 143 yards and Metheny threw 13 for 17 for 171 yards. The two took the bulk of the snaps during the spring, as neither Strauss nor Watford has played a college down.
Rocco and Metheny, "by virtue of having been in games and their level of understanding would put them in front of the line," London said in July. "Michael Strauss redshirted and was watching [last year]. David Watford was just getting out of Hampton High School, trying to figure out where the library is, you know, so their development ... is going to be behind a little bit."
London said although Watford has the athleticism to start, he might lack the football acumen that comes with more experience. Watford was a highly touted recruit out of Hampton, Va., but just enrolled at the University this January, and London has not ruled out redshirting the true freshman.
"That's the million dollar question," London said of a potential redshirt. "I wanted to increase his number of reps and the opportunities to observe him in scrimmage situations. If he can do things that can help us win and we can develop him as quarterback, then he'll play. If he can't do those things, and just can't help the whole offense, then he won't play."
Although Strauss has slipped down the depth chart, he brings a cannon arm to the competition and remains a possibility for the job.
"Michael Strauss has a strong arm, a ton of confidence, he can make the throws," London said. "It's difficult to try to get guys the same amount of reps, but Michael is competing ... [and] the work ethic that he has and what he's doing in practice, I applaud and appreciate it."
This is not the first year in recent history that Virginia has toyed with multiple quarterbacks. In his four years at Virginia, redshirt senior wide receiver Kris Burd has caught passes from four different quarterbacks during games. Add in practices, and Burd cannot even remember the number. This preseason, he has had to evaluate four more quarterbacks and learned that it matters less who throws the ball and more where it actually goes.
"When the ball comes out, once it's in the air, regardless of who threw it, as long as it is in the right spot, that's pretty much what matters to me," Burd said during the ACC Football Kickoff.
But Burd also acknowledges that finding the guy who can throw it to the right spot consistently is paramount. In 2009, Virginia's quarterback carousel periodically featured Jameel Sewell, Vic Hall and Marc Verica, and the team ranked 106th nationally in passing offense with 170.5 yards per game. With a more stable quarterback situation last year under Verica, the team ranked 35th in passing.
"It's important. College football is all about the quarterback," Burd said. "It's a lot of weight, a lot of added pressure at the quarterback position. This year is going to be someone who hasn't been the guy; that's going to be a tough role to step into."
The Cavaliers hope that whoever steps into that role will translate his success against teammates to success against opposing teams.
"I feel they are really benefitting from each other," Burd said. "Just that competitive edge to do better, they're all doing extra work, getting out there on the weekends, throwing the ball around a little bit, and I feel like that competition is definitely benefiting them and the team"
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