It’s officially August and we’re fast approaching opening day for UK Football. The hot topic has been the QB race that has Mike Hartline, Morgan Newton and Ryan Massakowski fighting for the starting spot. In the past couple of weeks, we’ve had Derrick Locke and [URL=”http://www.nationofblue.com/audio-keenan-burton-says-mike-hartline-should-starter-2059/”]Keenan Burton endorse Mike Hartline[/URL]. Today, Tony Barnhart from the Atlanta Journal Constitution (ajc.com) announced his list of the top QB’s in the SEC East. I’ll have to admit that I was surprised to see the Kentucky QB trio listed as 4th.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Here’s an excerpt….
[QUOTE]Remember one thing about these rankings which, I will admit, are totally arbitrary. They have absolutely nothing to do with a player’s NFL potential. They have everything to do with the quarterback’s ability—or potential—to play college football at the SEC and ACC level.
[B]1. Stephen Garcia, South Carolina:[/B] Yep, you read that right. I know Steve Spurrier spent the spring verbally beating on this guy like a rented mule. But if you take a closer look at his numbers, you have to conclude that he is not that far away from being a decent and productive SEC quarterback.
[B]2. John Brantley, Florida:[/B] Brantley has only played in mop-up situations so he is at No. 2 because of pure talent and potential. When he does play, this kid is going to be very, very good. It’s a bit of a daunting task to be the guy after Tim Tebow. But here is what you need to know about Brantley. He comes from a family of Gators and once he committed to Florida (he originally committed to Texas), Brantley was all in.
[B]3. Aaron Murray, Georgia[/B]: Murray, the redshirt freshman from Tampa, is the guy. And, like David Greene in 2001, he’s going to be surrounded by a lot of really good players. There is a veteran offensive line, one of the top three receivers in all of college football (A.J. Green), and what should be a very good running game with Caleb King and Washaun Ealey.
[B]4. Mike Hartline, Morgan Newton, Ryan Mossakowski, Kentucky:[/B] New head coach Joker Phillips is going to have to get this race down to two guys pretty soon. Hartline has the edge because, despite a knee injury in 2009, he has played in 21 games and started 14. I think Newton, the former Indiana High School Player of the Year, is the most talented of the three (by far) and has the most upside. He impressed me with his poise on the road when Kentucky beat Auburn and Georgia. He can make plays with his arm and his legs. Mossakowski has a good arm but was limited as a true freshman last season because of shoulder surgery. My guess is that he’ll be the odd man out. Hartline will be the starter because he makes the fewest mistakes. But Newton will be a big factor because with him in the lineup, the Kentucky offense will three big playmakers in Newton, wide receiver Randall Cobb, and running back Derrick Locke.
[B]5. Larry Smith, Jared Funk, Jordan Rodgers, Vanderbilt:[/B] After Smith led Vanderbilt to a win in the 2008 Music City Bowl I was convinced he’d have a pretty good run in Nashville. But last season he completed only 46.7 percent of his passes and the Vanderbilt offense was just awful, averaging only 8.9 points in its eight SEC games. Smith is still the starter heading into fall camp but keep an eye on redshirt senior Jared Funk and JUCO transfer Jordan Rodgers (brother of Aaron).
[B]6-. Matt Simms, Tyler Bray, Tennessee:[/B] It looked like Nick Stephens was going to be the guy to replace Jonathan Crompton until spring practice started. But once his reps went down in practice, Stephens continued a disquieting trend of Tennessee quarterbacks (such as B.J. Coleman) leaving town instead of sticking around to compete.[/QUOTE]
You’ll notice that he thinks Mike Hartline is winning the QB race at this point. So does that make Hartline the fourth best QB in the SEC East according to Barnhart? This is definitely going to get the attention to UK fans and I’m just happy to see our guys making the list in the top five.
You can [URL=”http://blogs.ajc.com/barnhart-college-football/2010/08/02/breaking-down-the-quarterbacks-sec-east/”]read the complete article here..[/URL]
One more thing.. The “Big Blue Breakdown” will be released later today. We actually have a reader debate Mr. Anderson on why Newton should start over Hartline. If you’re a Hartline fan, give us a call. You can debate a fellow reader in next weeks show.
GO CATS!
