Future Quarterback for MSU

[aucat]

I watch a lot of football: FBS, FCS and NFL. The teams that are good have a QB who can make quick, precise passes; can throw the ball
accurately down the field; and/or are mobile. True, Tom Brady rarely runs the ball. Aaron Rodgers does quite often. I love mobile quarterbacks who can also accurately throw the ball. Russell Wilson is a great example.

Even on the FCS level we see really good quarterbacks. The kid from Sac State was absolutely the perfect example. UM has
some good QBs; Sneed is outstanding.

So what do we do going forward? I don't see anyone on the MSU roster who fits the bill. THose of you in the know in recruiting,
do we have anyone lined up or that we are seriously looking at? Any possibilities for a transfer?

If Troy can't perform as a running QB the rest of the way, we are in trouble.

[TomCat88]

Both Grady Robison and Tommy Mellott, who are verbally committed to MSU, look very promising coming out of high school. There's quite a bit of info on both of them in the commit thread.

I haven't heard anything about how Theilen and Knight, who came in last year, are developing.

I don't who the staff is looking at in terms of transfers, but that's probably not something that's happening until the season is over.

[VimSince03]

My best estimation of what our QB room will look like next year:

2 - transfers (JC and a dropdown)
1 - Rovig/Bauman/Beltran (2 will transfer/1 will stay)
1 - Thelen (continue to develop - throws the best ball of anyone on the roster)
1 - Knight (continue to either develop at QB or another position - he was recruited as an athlete)
2 - Robison/Mellott (both should redshirt - Tommy was originally recruited as a safety but took the next step at QB his senior year so he should get a chance to compete)

That leaves us with three upperclassmen and four lowerclassmen. Unless Rovig produces some magic down the stretch, MSU will (or should) go into next spring with a QB competition once again with legitimate contenders for the job.

[bobcat99]

Both Grady Robison and Tommy Mellott, who are verbally committed to MSU, look very promising coming out of high school. There's quite a bit of info on both of them in the commit thread.

I haven't heard anything about how Theilen and Knight, who came in last year, are developing.

I don't who the staff is looking at in terms of transfers, but that's probably not something that's happening until the season is over.

Mellott isn't a FCS QB, imo. I don't really think Thrown or Knight are starters at any point, but people develop differently.

I think Robison will be in the competition for the starting job. He fits the offense a lot better than Rovig/Bauman.

I also think we have to bring in at least one transfer. We desperately need a QB. If we don't get one next year, it could spell the end of some coaches here, including the HC.

[VimSince03]

Both Grady Robison and Tommy Mellott, who are verbally committed to MSU, look very promising coming out of high school. There's quite a bit of info on both of them in the commit thread.

I haven't heard anything about how Theilen and Knight, who came in last year, are developing.

I don't who the staff is looking at in terms of transfers, but that's probably not something that's happening until the season is over.

Mellott isn't a FCS QB, imo. I don't really think Thrown or Knight are starters at any point, but people develop differently.

I think Robison will be in the competition for the starting job. He fits the offense a lot better than Rovig/Bauman.

I also think we have to bring in at least one transfer. We desperately need a QB. If we don't get one next year, it could spell the end of some coaches here, including the HC.

I shared this opinion going into Tommy's senior year. But he has really taken a step forward in a ton of key areas of playing QB his senior year. He's making better decisions, has improved his pocket awareness, and shown even more athleticism than last season while on the move. My biggest concern with Tommy is arm strength and his throwing motion. But that's about it.

[iaafan]

I don’t know how well Mellott’s or any HS quarterback’s game transfers to FCS, but the AA semis and final are looking incredible. The top four have completely separated from the pack and they’re very tight. Butte barely beat Sentinel and Bozeman barely beat West. I also like that those are the only two regular season matchups between the four. Bozeman had a fluke early season loss to Big Sky. I think, in part, because O’Reilly is out and they were adjusting.

It should play out to Sentinel at Bozeman in one semi and West at Butte for the other. Butte would be at home with a win. Gotta love Naranche. I could see any one of those four take it though.

[wbtfg]

My best estimation of what our QB room will look like next year:

2 - transfers (JC and a dropdown)
1 - Rovig/Bauman/Beltran (2 will transfer/1 will stay)
1 - Thelen (continue to develop - throws the best ball of anyone on the roster)
1 - Knight (continue to either develop at QB or another position - he was recruited as an athlete)
2 - Robison/Mellott (both should redshirt - Tommy was originally recruited as a safety but took the next step at QB his senior year so he should get a chance to compete)

That leaves us with three upperclassmen and four lowerclassmen. Unless Rovig produces some magic down the stretch, MSU will (or should) go into next spring with a QB competition once again with legitimate contenders for the job.

BuT wHaT aBoUt TrOy AnDeRsEn?

[LIBBYCAT]

QB personnel is definitely a question mark! My most pressing question which seems to be the bigger problem is who is going to develop them? That looks like the elephant in the room to me! High school players rarely come to any university ready for action. Some are ready to compete physically, very few are prepared for the defensive schemes, speed of the game or run an offensive scheme that meshes exactly with what they are running in high school. That is where the gap comes from. For whatever reason, the qb coach position appears to have been Choates Achilles. I will be as or more concerned about this position as I am the qb.

[kennethnoisewater]

I think the one good thing about this season, even with the struggles at QB, is that the coaching staff is showing a willingness and an ability to scheme for somebody who throws the ball. Now they're able to show a recruit that they'll be able to showcase their talent and operate a more diverse offense. That's why I'm glad they've stuck with Rovig must of the way. The previous three years, I don't believe MSU has been able to get the elite QB prospects to seriously consider coming here. Now they're able to show tape and just say "all we need is a guy that completes these five easy passes a game, then everything else is open for some bigger downfield shots". Seems like a QB prospect would love that.

Of course, there's the argument that MSU's current coaches aren't able to develop a QB. Maybe they've gotten the right guys and couldn't do much with them. I don't have much of a counter-argument to that one.

[WalkOn79]

QB personnel is definitely a question mark! My most pressing question which seems to be the bigger problem is who is going to develop them? That looks like the elephant in the room to me! High school players rarely come to any university ready for action. Some are ready to compete physically, very few are prepared for the defensive schemes, speed of the game or run an offensive scheme that meshes exactly with what they are running in high school. That is where the gap comes from. For whatever reason, the qb coach position appears to have been Choates Achilles. I will be as or more concerned about this position as I am the qb.

Same with me. not to say Miller can't be that guy too, but to have him coaching our most important (and most underdeveloped) position along with being the OC seems to be just too much.

[Camo_Cat]

My best estimation of what our QB room will look like next year:

2 - transfers (JC and a dropdown)
1 - Rovig/Bauman/Beltran (2 will transfer/1 will stay)
1 - Thelen (continue to develop - throws the best ball of anyone on the roster)
1 - Knight (continue to either develop at QB or another position - he was recruited as an athlete)
2 - Robison/Mellott (both should redshirt - Tommy was originally recruited as a safety but took the next step at QB his senior year so he should get a chance to compete)

That leaves us with three upperclassmen and four lowerclassmen. Unless Rovig produces some magic down the stretch, MSU will (or should) go into next spring with a QB competition once again with legitimate contenders for the job.

Vim - correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the staff pretty aggressive last recruiting season in trying to bring in a transfer/drop-down QB and they were unsuccessful? It seems a few names were tossed around, and we close with a couple, but they all went somewhere else. What makes you think we will have any success this next off-season, especially since Choate is a pound-the-rock type of coach and we are not an offense that is deemed desirable by a good passing QB?

[VimSince03]

My best estimation of what our QB room will look like next year:

2 - transfers (JC and a dropdown)
1 - Rovig/Bauman/Beltran (2 will transfer/1 will stay)
1 - Thelen (continue to develop - throws the best ball of anyone on the roster)
1 - Knight (continue to either develop at QB or another position - he was recruited as an athlete)
2 - Robison/Mellott (both should redshirt - Tommy was originally recruited as a safety but took the next step at QB his senior year so he should get a chance to compete)

That leaves us with three upperclassmen and four lowerclassmen. Unless Rovig produces some magic down the stretch, MSU will (or should) go into next spring with a QB competition once again with legitimate contenders for the job.

Vim - correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the staff pretty aggressive last recruiting season in trying to bring in a transfer/drop-down QB and they were unsuccessful? It seems a few names were tossed around, and we close with a couple, but they all went somewhere else. What makes you think we will have any success this next off-season, especially since Choate is a pound-the-rock type of coach and we are not an offense that is deemed desirable by a good passing QB?

As far as the narrative "we won't get a transfer QB because we only run the ball", Choate definitely wants to get to a balanced offense that revolves around the QB making plays as a dual-threat operator. MSU has basically only offered kids with that skillset coming out of college since signing day ended in 2018. He would love to get a guy that operates an offense like Dalton Sneed or Kevin Thomson. They were very close to getting Gresch Jensen (now a QB at Texas State) and Devon Modster (now starting QB at Cal). However, they only went for higher profile transfers instead of expanding to a broader list of transfers (not because didn't want to come here because we only run the ball). The Chris Murray situation was still dangling over their head and there was believe Tucker and Casey could raise their game to a new level. I think this offseason, it will be approached differently with a broader scope. If the Bobcats pursue a transfer this offseason (they will), those potential transfers will get the opportunity to take over an offense that is missing competent QB play. Yes...the coaching has to improve but I would like to see more talent at the QB position before I fully throw a coordinator under the bus (see Courtney Messingham post-MSU). It will be a great opportunity with a great offensive line in front of them.

[GoCats18]

Good to see Gresch is sitting on the bench at Texas State. Good job buddy!!

[VimSince03]

Good to see Gresch is sitting on the bench at Texas State. Good job buddy!!

Stitt ruins lives.

[WeedKillinCat]

Good to see Gresch is sitting on the bench at Texas State. Good job buddy!!

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1189210329080688640

[HelenaCat95]

My best estimation of what our QB room will look like next year:

2 - transfers (JC and a dropdown)
1 - Rovig/Bauman/Beltran (2 will transfer/1 will stay)
1 - Thelen (continue to develop - throws the best ball of anyone on the roster)
1 - Knight (continue to either develop at QB or another position - he was recruited as an athlete)
2 - Robison/Mellott (both should redshirt - Tommy was originally recruited as a safety but took the next step at QB his senior year so he should get a chance to compete)

That leaves us with three upperclassmen and four lowerclassmen. Unless Rovig produces some magic down the stretch, MSU will (or should) go into next spring with a QB competition once again with legitimate contenders for the job.

Vim - correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the staff pretty aggressive last recruiting season in trying to bring in a transfer/drop-down QB and they were unsuccessful? It seems a few names were tossed around, and we close with a couple, but they all went somewhere else. What makes you think we will have any success this next off-season, especially since Choate is a pound-the-rock type of coach and we are not an offense that is deemed desirable by a good passing QB?

As far as the narrative "we won't get a transfer QB because we only run the ball", Choate definitely wants to get to a balanced offense that revolves around the QB making plays as a dual-threat operator. MSU has basically only offered kids with that skillset coming out of college since signing day ended in 2018. He would love to get a guy that operates an offense like Dalton Sneed or Kevin Thomson. They were very close to getting Gresch Jensen (now a QB at Texas State) and Devon Modster (now starting QB at Cal). However, they only went for higher profile transfers instead of expanding to a broader list of transfers (not because didn't want to come here because we only run the ball). The Chris Murray situation was still dangling over their head and there was believe Tucker and Casey could raise their game to a new level. I think this offseason, it will be approached differently with a broader scope. If the Bobcats pursue a transfer this offseason (they will), those potential transfers will get the opportunity to take over an offense that is missing competent QB play. Yes...the coaching has to improve but I would like to see more talent at the QB position before I fully throw a coordinator under the bus (see Courtney Messingham post-MSU). It will be a great opportunity with a great offensive line in front of them.

MSU was also a whisker away from getting Brock Purdy (now lighting it up at Iowa State) and Justin Herbert (possible 1st round pick in 2020 from Oregon). So MSU has obviously seen the need at QB, but hasn't landed any of the big fish.

But it begs the question about QB development. Do we have the talent on staff to develop QB's? Would Brock Purdy or Justin Herbert become Brock Purdy or Justin Herbert at MSU? I don't know the answer to that. I do know that it will take a combination of landing the right QB(s) and developing them. It will be priority 1 in the off-season.

But I'm not ready to give up on this season yet.

[bobcatbob]

My best estimation of what our QB room will look like next year:

2 - transfers (JC and a dropdown)
1 - Rovig/Bauman/Beltran (2 will transfer/1 will stay)
1 - Thelen (continue to develop - throws the best ball of anyone on the roster)
1 - Knight (continue to either develop at QB or another position - he was recruited as an athlete)
2 - Robison/Mellott (both should redshirt - Tommy was originally recruited as a safety but took the next step at QB his senior year so he should get a chance to compete)

That leaves us with three upperclassmen and four lowerclassmen. Unless Rovig produces some magic down the stretch, MSU will (or should) go into next spring with a QB competition once again with legitimate contenders for the job.

Vim - correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the staff pretty aggressive last recruiting season in trying to bring in a transfer/drop-down QB and they were unsuccessful? It seems a few names were tossed around, and we close with a couple, but they all went somewhere else. What makes you think we will have any success this next off-season, especially since Choate is a pound-the-rock type of coach and we are not an offense that is deemed desirable by a good passing QB?

As far as the narrative "we won't get a transfer QB because we only run the ball", Choate definitely wants to get to a balanced offense that revolves around the QB making plays as a dual-threat operator. MSU has basically only offered kids with that skillset coming out of college since signing day ended in 2018. He would love to get a guy that operates an offense like Dalton Sneed or Kevin Thomson. They were very close to getting Gresch Jensen (now a QB at Texas State) and Devon Modster (now starting QB at Cal). However, they only went for higher profile transfers instead of expanding to a broader list of transfers (not because didn't want to come here because we only run the ball). The Chris Murray situation was still dangling over their head and there was believe Tucker and Casey could raise their game to a new level. I think this offseason, it will be approached differently with a broader scope. If the Bobcats pursue a transfer this offseason (they will), those potential transfers will get the opportunity to take over an offense that is missing competent QB play. Yes...the coaching has to improve but I would like to see more talent at the QB position before I fully throw a coordinator under the bus (see Courtney Messingham post-MSU). It will be a great opportunity with a great offensive line in front of them.

MSU was also a whisker away from getting Brock Purdy (now lighting it up at Iowa State) and Justin Herbert (possible 1st round pick in 2020 from Oregon). So MSU has obviously seen the need at QB, but hasn't landed any of the big fish.

But it begs the question about QB development. Do we have the talent on staff to develop QB's? Would Brock Purdy or Justin Herbert become Brock Purdy or Justin Herbert at MSU? I don't know the answer to that. I do know that it will take a combination of landing the right QB(s) and developing them. It will be priority 1 in the off-season.

But I'm not ready to give up on this season yet.

Coach Choate should put a high priority on bringing in a good QB coach. Would a guy like Travis Lulay be a good candidate? He seems like a natural for coaching.

[ilovethecats]

It’s really simple guys. We just need to find that guy with a rocket arm and super accurate. He needs to be lightning quick and throw every throw. If things get bad he has to be crazy mobile and make magic happen with his feet. I don’t see what this staffs problem is?! It’s so easy!

Huge arm. Accurate. Brilliant decision making. Super fast and athletic. How I’m not a coach is mind blowing.

[TomCat88]

Robison and Mellott would be the two best HS QBs MSU has brought in since Choate arrived. I would expect them to redshirt a year, but who knows. If MSU can’t land a quality transfer, they may see action. It would be a pleasant surprise if Knight or Thielen make a jump, or if Rovig or Bauman clicks.

[Catsrgrood]

I don’t think the door is closed on Bauman being a good to very good qb eventually.
He’s still young and has had a steep learning curve to the college game from his small high school roots. He’s clearly not ready yet, but that doesn’t mean he never will be.
He’s only a RS freshman, who’s to say he can’t be the guy with another year or two of development, he’d still have a couple years to start.

With that being said, I expect and 100% agree with the staff going after a transfer or two this offseason, there is no way this level of QB play can continue into a 5th and 6th year under Choate, or the Cats will be a perennial playoff contender that is ousted in the second round.

If Bauman sticks around and wins the job, great, he’ll have earned it.
As Vim alluded to though, I think a transfer or two out of the program is all but inevitable. Beltran is all but a foregone conclusion, he’s clearly the 3rd guy.
I’d be surprised if Rovig left if he finishes the season as starter, it’s not often you see a returning starter leave a program before their junior year. The big unknown is Bauman, will he stick around and compete against Rovig and a couple possible transfers? We’ll see.

All this will be discussed at naseum this offseason, I’m still excited to see how this team plays the last month of the season.