While most football seasons are coming to a close, it feels like the University of Northern Iowas football season ended weeks ago. The Panthers have not been in playoff contention for nearly a month, and some people are already starting to look forward to what the future may have in store.
One of those people is me. Ever since the team seemed to be ruled out of any postseason play, I have wondered what changes we may see between this year and next year. The biggest question that sticks out in my mind is about the future of the quarterback position.
Redshirt freshman Sawyer Kollmorgen has looked terrific this season, especially for a first-year starter, but lets not forget how he got the spot during preseason. There was a three-man race for the starting position which included Jared Lanpher, Stephen Kaiser and Kollmorgen.
This is not to say Kollmorgen didnt earn the spot, because he did, but other definitely had to play into coach Mark Farleys decision. Lanpher was injured with a hernia that needed surgery, which caused the redshirt sophomore to miss an extended period of practice time.
Lanpher was the only one of the three competing quarterbacks to have any starting experience,.He started for the injured Tirrell Rennie last season.
The other competitor, Stephen Kaiser, is a transfer from Southern Methodist University. Coming out of high school, Kaiser was ranked as the No. 17 quarterback in the nation according to Scouts Inc. If not for his late transfer and short time to learn the offense, Kaiser could have very well been running the offense this season for the Panthers.
So what happens next season when we go through the same motions, but with a new twist? This time, a more-experienced Kaiser and a healthy Lanpher will be competing along with Kollmorgen for the starting spot.
While it has been a great year for the Panther offense, I think that once next year starts, the slate has to once again be wiped clean. You cannot hand out a starting spot to someone without a fair competition. These three guys all need an equal chance of playing next season. Its what Farley did this year, and should keep doing as long as he has this type of depth at the quarterback position.
Although they say having lots of talent in one position is a blessing in disguise, sometimes that blessing is wearing a very scary mask. Of course I like to see the talent the Panthers have at quarterback, but once again Farley will be faced with probably the biggest question of the offseason: Who will be UNIs starting quarterback for the 2013-2014 season?
