Is Montana Ready to Compete?

The signings of two elite quarterback recruits in, Jeff Lindquist and Cyler Miles, affects no one more than it does Nick Montana. Keith Price has been handed the starting reigns and unless something happens, whether in injury or performance, that spot will remain his for not only this year but also next year and the following year. Then Keith Price graduates.

The typical quarterback route is to take one red-shirt year, then be the back up your sophomore year and get the starting gig your junior and senior year. However, the elite quarterbacks will usually only have one year of either being a back-up or a redshirt. There are a few rarities that come in and start as a true-freshman but even the best don’t usually have success that first season.

Lindquist and Miles could both find themselves as red-shirts their freshman year, unless there is a QB depth problem, not because of lack of talent on their parts. But for them to have a year to really learn the college game and develop before getting thrown to the wolves. That means in two years Lindquist and Miles will both be out in spring ball competing for that starting spot as will Nick Montana and Keith Price (as a senior).

Montana is not the heir to the throne automatically, he is going to have to compete. Not just this year but all during the season to prove he can play behind Price. He is going to have to compete next season to try and earn the spot against Price which unless something happens, Price should maintain. Montana will be going into his red-shirt junior year competing against Price as well as Lindquist and Miles who both have had a year to catch up and learn the offense. And when Price graduates Montana will be going into his red-shirt senior year and is still not guaranteed the starter role because both Lindquist and Miles will be fighting for it.

After talking to a couple of scouts, both Miles and Lindquist are said to be better than Montana was coming out of high school. Not that Montana is bad but that these two recruits are THAT good. Therefore, either has just as much of a shot at becoming the starter as Montana does, especially if there is a higher ceiling for these two recruits.

Montana needs to be ready to compete for that starting job, more-so now as he sees these two hot-shot recruits are on his tail and coming to take a spot that many thought would just be handed to him.

He cannot be like his brother Nate, who decided when things weren’t going his way at Notre Dame to leave and go to a small college for playing time. Then, when things didn’t look promising from there- jump back to Notre Dame. And Nate continued down this path of transfers when Notre Dame still didn’t just hand him the starting gig, he once again bailed and is now playing at Montana where he is once again is hoping to be the starter.

Nick Montana needs to buckle down and be ready to compete and fight to earn that starting spot. Prove to people that he deserves it, not because of his last name, but because he is an exceptional quarterback. The two recruits behind him have both stated that they are ready to compete. Is Nick Montana?

For Husky fans, no matter how you spin it, it is never a bad thing to have too many good quarterbacks that all think they should be the starter. And Coach Sark doesn’t look to be slowing down as he is still heavily recruiting Max Brown out of Skyline for 2013.