A View From The Cheap Seats … 3 Way Battle 4 QB

Posted on August 10, 2021

By Rich Herrera

Wildcats Radio 1290 / CBS Sports Radio

Welcome to the battle royal to see who will be the last man standing at the end of Wildcat’s football training camp.  There are three players that can win the starting job to lead the Cats this season and those same three each lose the job just as easily,  The competition was wide open after spring football and is even more up for grabs as of today.  Jedd Fisch and Brennan Carroll have a big decision to make in the next week to see who will take over as the leader on offense that has to improve for the Cats to have a chance to snap their 12-game losing streak. As we look at the battle right now there is no clear-cut leader and no one that has fallen behind.

For me, the worst-case scenario for the Cats is that no one falls off and no one emerges and you go into the game vs BYU with a QB combination. The old saying goes “if you have a QB combo, you don’t really have a QB” and that can spell disaster for the Cats,  Arizona is up against the wall, no one is giving them much of a chance this season and they could be underdogs in every game they play this season except for SDSU and NAU.  The PAC-12 media poll has them dead last in the 12 team conference.  That means it really will be 520 vs the world.  Fisch and the coaches can only do so much and Tucson will need someone in the huddle when the breaks are going against the Wildcats at Arizona Stadium or at the Coliseum and someone has to look the team in the eyes and tell them it’s time to Bear Down If Jedd Fisch finds the right guy in the best five days and one of these three capable young men step into that role there is another step taken in the right direction back to legitimacy in the PAC-12.  If Fisch can’t the team will spend the beginning of the season with starts and stops and will have a hard time getting any kind of momentum rolling. The last thing Fisch needs is second-guessing his quarterback and rotating players under center for this offense and the leadership of this program.

The best case for the Cats is that the next few weeks will make or break someone’s future at Arizona and we see the next QB emerge from this group of three.  Will Plummer is solid and we saw him last year step into some challenging situations and battles and show flashes of what he is capable of doing.  Ha can move the ball downfield and can pick up yards with his legs when needed.  He is resilient.

Gunner Cruz looks like he comes from central casting and has a natural swagger and confidence in his demeanor.  In Spring Ball and early in camp he looked like he was still trying to process the new offense he walked into after transferring from Washinton State,  The last few days he looks more comfortable and is making better throws from what I have seen.  he talked about doing a. better job throwing downfield and has shown steady improvement.

Jordan McCloud is the wildcard that transferred in from South Florida.  He has the least amount of time working with the Arizona playbook but has the most college football experience after being a full-time starter for the USF Bulls.  He runs well with the ball and seems to be able to make a lot of the important throws that we will see in this year’s offense.

So you asked me to rank them today, I’ll tell you to go ask Fisch and Carroll because in my mind it’s still a flat-footed tie,  I can make an argument for all of them to be the started but can’t give you a put your money where your mouth is reason why one should start over the other.  So we wait and watch the next week and hope someone emerges as the number one starter.  WHo it will be your guess is as good as mine at this point.  Good luck to all three and may the best man win.

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