LYNCHBURG, Va. – It’s a new season for the Liberty Flames who lost one of the best quarterbacks in the nation last season. Hugh Freeze said his team hasn’t missed a beat, and he’s got four capable QBs ready to take a snap, whenever the time may be.
“I think anytime you can create competition in any position room it’s beneficial,” Freeze said. “The kids that are able to handle that and raise their level of play are the ones you want to go to battle with. I think all of the ones in the room right now have shown signs they’re ready to compete for it.”
While it has only been one day of practice, Freeze thought the quarterbacks leaned a little too heavy on pulling runs for RPOs, and wants to focus on handing the ball off.
“Today we really leaned the other way, I believe, again I need to watch the film, but I thought from my eyes there were 5, 6, 7, times that I understand it’s going to be a 7 man fit, but that seventh guy still at 10 yards, the running back has to earn his keep too, and we can’t lean towards pulling or throwing it every time,” he added.
Freeze said he’s not really worried about if a quarterback is showing off in practice, because some of the best QBs he’s seen have turned it on in games, so we will have a great idea of who the starting QB may be come opening weekend at Southern Miss.
The early candidates are Baylor and Utah transfer Charlie Brewer, redshirt junior Johnathan Bennett- who has spent a couple of seasons behind Malik Willis, along with 6-6 redshirt freshman Nate Hampton and dual-threat redshirt freshman Kaidon Salter.