Position preview: Looking at the quarterback battle ahead of the season opener
As the season approaches, incumbent starter Chris Robison and redshirt sophomore Nick Tronti are the two being considered for the starting job.
Chris Robison (Left) and Nick Tronti (Right) are currently in competition for the starting job at signal caller. Photo by: Alex Liscio
August 26, 2019
As the season opener for the Owls is only five days away, the University Press will evaluate each position on the roster — beginning with quarterback.
Head coach Lane Kiffin has been known to pick his starting quarterback late in the offseason and this season is no different.
A quarterback battle has been brewing for some time now, and it’s boiled down to two candidates — redshirt sophomores Chris Robison and Nick Tronti. Junior Justin Agner was dropped from the race because of an illness that’s lasted a couple of weeks, but he has since returned to practice.
Freshman Javion Posey is also in the mix, but probably won’t be considered because of his inexperience playing at the college level. However, Posey is in the plans for the future of the program.
Judging from training camp and the few scrimmages, Robison has been playing noticeably better despite not being present in the spring due to a suspension. Last season, Robison threw for 12 touchdowns and 12 picks while playing in every game.
There is definitely room for improvement for the redshirt sophomore. As he told the media in a post-practice interview, he needs to work on the basic mechanics at the position, whether it be decision making or awareness in the pocket.
It wouldn’t be a shock to see Robison go to Columbus, Ohio as the starting quarterback for the Owls again — but it could be an interesting development to see how well Tronti could match up in the final week of practice.
Although, in a conference call with media yesterday, Kiffin said that there’s a chance “multiple QBs” will play Saturday afternoon against the Buckeyes.
Once the announcement is made, check back on our social media page (@UnivPressSports) to find out who the starter will be.
Tomorrow, the University Press looks at the running backs and how they will fare after the loss of recent draftees Devin Singletary and Kerrith Whyte Jr.
Zachary Weinberger is the sports editor of the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @ZachWeinberger.
