Search for QB1 continues into second week of fall camp

FAYETTEVILLE – Eight practices and one scrimmage into fall camp, Arkansas is still searching for QB1.

Head coach Chad Morris told the media after Saturday’s scrimmage that there is still “no leader” in the Razorbacks quarterback battle. Instead, he said Ty Storey and Cole Kelley are still even at the top of the depth chart.

“They both led their team down the field, sustained some drives,” Morris said. “I thought both of those guys did some good things.”

Storey got the first snaps with the first-team offense, but he and Kelley split the reps throughout the scrimmage, with both playing with the first and second units.

They’ll have to review the film for specific statistics, but offensive coordinator Joe Craddock estimated that Storey completed 9 of 12 passes and Kelley completed 13 of 26 passes, but his line was hurt by at least five dropped balls.

“We’ll go back and grade the film and see exactly what it was, but I thought they did a really good job,” Craddock said. “The main thing I’m really stressing with them right now is just hey, go play quarterback for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

“Don’t worry about being the coach. Don’t worry about being an official. Don’t worry about getting the fans hype. Just go play quarterback for the University of Arkansas and that’s all we’re asking you to do.”

One blemish on Storey’s performance was an interception, but Craddock credited cornerback Chevin Calloway for making a tremendous play.

“Ty was trying to throw a back-shoulder ball to the tight end, and…I’ve got to watch the film, but I think he kind of went inside and Ty threw it outside,” Craddock said. “Chevin just kind of turned around, one-handed it and drug a foot, so good play by him and that’s going to happen at times.”

Although he has lost quite a bit since last season, Kelley’s weight is still a topic of discussion. The goal is for him to get down to around 250 pounds, which means he needs to be eating more salads, vegetables and lean protein, Craddock said.

“We’d like for him to lose some more…but he’s doing a better job,” Craddock said. “I’m on his butt every day at the training table making sure he doesn’t go there and get some pasta and all that crazy stuff that he likes to eat.”

Enough though he hasn’t hit his goal weight yet, Kelley is still moving around a lot better than in the spring and Craddock has been impressed.

“He definitely looks a whole lot better,” Craddock said. “He doesn’t have the belly sticking out of his jersey anymore, which I think has helped him be able to move a little bit better, get him more mobile of a quarterback.”

Kelley and Storey – as well as walk-on Jack Lindsey – were in their normal black no-contact jerseys, but the other three quarterbacks were in white uniforms like the rest of their offensive teammates.

That means true freshmen Connor Noland and John Stephen Jones and redshirt freshman Daulton Hyatt got some live work in Saturday.

“I wanted to see how those guys were going to move around with everything coming in hot around them,” Morris said. “I thought they all three did a great job in those live settings moving the football and stepping in that pocket and escaping when they had to.”

The decision stemmed from the depth at the position and the fact that those three guys rely on their legs more than Storey and Kelley. It is another dimension they bring to the table that is hard to see with a quick whistle.

“We feel like we’re in a position right now at quarterback that we could make those young guys live and see what they could do,” Morris said. “I think you saw them create some plays with their legs and did some nice things.”

During the open portion of Thursday’s practice, Noland got a series with the first-team offense and Jones got a series with the second-team offense. That was the case again Saturday, but flipped.

All five scholarship quarterbacks have received at least some time with the first unit in camp. Although Craddock said there is no set timetable for when a decision will be made, those opportunities will become less frequent as the Sept. 1 season opener against Eastern Illinois creeps closer.

“I hope somebody starts to emerge pretty quick,” Craddock said. “We’re going to have to start probably this week a little bit tailoring it down, but again, those young guys need some work, too, because they’re good quarterbacks and they’re doing a heck of a job, so it’s hard.”

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