Battle for No. 2 QB a problem Frost, Verduzco love to have
For the first time in what seems like forever, Nebraska doesn’t have a quarterback controversy on its hands entering the season opener.
But while Adrian Martinez is the clear-cut leader of the team, there is plenty of competition for the spots on the depth chart behind him.
Redshirt sophomore Noah Vedral appears to have the edge as the No. 2 right now, but he’s had to try and hold off stellar true freshman Luke McCaffrey all offseason.
Then of course there’s junior Andrew Bunch, who was the top backup to start last season and played in five games with one start while Martinez was injured.
As far as NU quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco is concerned, this is a problem every program in the country would love to have.
“This is what Coach (Scott) Frost envisions for us as we move forward,” Verduzco said. “We’re fortunate enough to have a lot of them… We feel really good about it.”
Vedral has an inherent edge in the competition for the No. 2 spot because he’s as versed in Frost’s offense as any player on the roster.
The Wahoo, Neb., native was the top backup to McKenzie Milton at Central Florida during the Knights’ 13-0 season in 2017. He played in eight games and completed 22-of-29 passes for 276 yards and one touchdown and rushed for two more scores that year.
His career at Nebraska got off to a unique start after he followed Frost and Co. to Lincoln, as he was forced to sit out until midway through last season when he was suddenly ruled immediately eligible on Oct. 12, 2018, just before the Huskers’ game at Northwestern.
Vedral only played in one game last year, completing both of his passes in mop-up duty during Nebraska’s blowout win over Bethune-Cookman. But Verduzco said Vedral had only gotten better ever since, and now was playing the best football of his career.
“He’s only built on that since the spring game,” Verduzco said. “He’s added more weight and has managed to keep his weight on. He’s throwing the ball as well as he’s thrown the ball since I’ve been around him.”
Bunch is by far the most experienced backup in terms of snaps taken as a Husker, as he took over when Martinez went down in the first game vs. Colorado and started the next week vs. Troy.
But it’s the youngest member of the quarterback room who’s made the most noise this fall. Despite being listed as a three-star athlete recruit out of high school, McCaffrey has already proven himself to be every bit a Power Five QB in his first few months in Lincoln.
“He’s gone leaps and bounds,” Verduzco said of McCaffrey. “He’s worked on (his mechanics) over the summer, and the fixes he’s made are intact. Now he just has to make sure during the course of a scrimmage or practice it happens. It’s been really good. I’m excited about that.”
Nebraska has already started its preparation for next week’s opener vs. South Alabama, and the coaching staff likely has a pretty good idea of what the pecking order will be behind Martinez to start the year.
But Verduzco plans on keeping that a mystery to the public as long as necessary.
“I’m sure at some point Coach Frost will come to me like he did last year,” Verduzco said. “We’ll have a discussion about that - if we’ve got to make sure Adrian’s the No. 3, or whatever.”