Turner Gill and Chuck Long have their man for now and it's exactly who most people expected. Sophomore Jordan Webb has been named the starting quarterback for the Kansas Jayhawks as the Jayhawks enter the final stretch of practices before the first game against McNeese State.
"After evaluating our quarterback position with (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach) Chuck (Long), we decided at this time to announce that Jordan Webb will be our starter at that position, Jordan has shown great leadership and consistency all throughout Fall Camp. His improved quarterbacking skills put him in the position to lead our team."
Since Spring, Gill has pretty much framed this as a two horse race between Webb and senior Quinn Mecham but some were holding out hope that one of the newcomers might make an impact. With the delay surrounding Brock Berglund and Michael Cummings coming off an injury, that never materialized although Cummings does appear to be in a position to contribute according to offensive coordinator Chuck Long.
The move to name Webb the starter is the right move and it's definitely the right time, perhaps it could have even been done sooner. While Mecham was serviceable at times last year, Webb is the best option right now and the right choice if we're looking at this team as a work in progress.
In the offseason Long has been quoted as saying that year one to two is the biggest year of improvement for a quarterback. If that's the case and the game has slowed down for Webb, then Kansas could be in a good spot to improve what was an abysmal offense a year ago. If you're an optimist, a strong offensive line and a stable of running backs could also help ease the burden for Webb and further help the cause.
Webb was 121-of-214 for 1,195 yards and seven TDs on the season. His 1,195 passing yards were the second most by a freshman in KU history. Webb's best passing game of the season came in a win over New Mexico State as he threw for 249 yards. He also threw for over 200 yards as he had 228 yards passing versus Kansas State.