Headlines: Too Many QBs on the Dance Floor?

Brian: So just how many QB recruits are too many QB recruits? Yesterday came news that California QB recruit Chase Retting committed to BC. That seems to push the number of possible QBs on the 2010 roster to six.

Here are the QB prospects on the roster for the next two years.

2009


2010


2011


Do you like the coaching staff's recruiting philosophy of throwing as many darts as possible at the wall and seeing what sticks? How many QB recruits/prospects are too many QB recruits/prospects?

Jeff: What's a reasonable number of QBs to have on the sidelines during a game? 3? I think 3 is a good number and from the looks of it, that's exactly what we'll have this coming season. Flutie is not competing for the starting QB job and will be a receiver/utility man again. Tuggle and Shinskie will likely be tabbed the starter then Boek will either be the #2 or #3 option at QB or be somewhere else on the depth chart. If Boek falls back to fullback, Marscovetra will be the third string, otherwise he'll redshirt for this season. So right there you're quickly down to only 3 quarterbacks.

The following year, maybe someone in the mix transfers out, get injured, redshirts, or becomes ineligible for another reason so I think once again in 2010 we'll have 3 quarterbacks on the sidelines.

If the quarterback position is won and handled by someone with reasonable effectiveness this year, you can bank on both Rettig and Bordner - if they follow through on their verbal commitment - to redshirt. Look for Spaziani to bring back some of the Tom O'Brien philosophy of redshirting plenty of freshman and playing a lot of fifth-year seniors down the line. Watching Montel Harris and Josh Haden explode onto the scene last year was fun and hopefully we'll get to see Shinskie/Tuggle have similar success in their first season at QB. But down the road, I expect things to be more like the TOB years where players started for maybe 3 of their 5 years on campus, not 4 of 4.

But to answer your second question, we are getting close to having too many quarterbacks, but right now we have not yet crossed that line.

Brian: I think we have too many QBs on the roster. Like you said, let's put Billy Flutie to the side for a moment and consider Shinskie, Tuggle and Boek for this upcoming season. Let's also adopt your suggestion to redshirt Marscovetra in 2009 and Rettig and Bordner in 2010.

Even by doing this, there is no guarantee that either Rettig or Bordner will ever see the field under center until they are juniors. Shinskie and Tuggle will have four full years from 2009-2012 to vie for the starting job:

2009: Shinskie, Tuggle, Boek
2010: Shinskie, Tuggle, Boek
2011: Shinskie, Tuggle, Marscovetra
2012: Shinskie, Tuggle, Marscovetra
2013: Marscovetra, Border, Rettig
2014: Border, Rettig

As you suggest, you certainly need an insurance policy for QB given injuries, transfers, and academic ineligibility. But at what cost? The tradeoff is that a QB recruit could easily perform the same exercise I just did and project out who is vying for the starting position over the next 4-6 years. Their conclusion could be that the Eagles QB position is way too crowded. I know that this wasn't a publicly stated reason for Boisture's decommitment, but you have to consider this to be a reason for recruits to think twice about signing with the Eagles as a QB prospect.

I'm slightly uncomfortable with so many QBs on the roster right now, but I'll give Spaziani and the coaching staff the benefit of the doubt that the math will work out for both the program and these kids.