Nebraska football: Exciting quarterback battle to come In 2018?

Andrew Bunch

Height/Weight: 6’ 1”/200 lb

Year: Sophomore

QB Type: Dual Threat

Nebraska football Nation can’t forget about sophomore Andrew Bunch. Bunch walked on at Nebraska after playing his Freshman year at Junior College Scottsdale CC. There, he threw for 1331 yards for 13 touchdowns over a 9 game stretch. While these stats don’t speak volumes, he has potential to develop in Frost’s offense as he was recruited as a dual-threat quarterback.

Adrian Martinez

Height/Weight: 6’ 2”/205 lb

Year: Freshman Early Enrollee

QB Type: Dual Threat

2018 recruit and early enrollee Adrian Martinez is someone Husker fans should be excited about. He is one of two quarterbacks on the roster recruited as a dual-threat players, and it’s obvious that Scott Frost wants a do-everything man like Martinez at the helm. Martinez comes in as the 8th ranked dual-threat quarterback in the 2018 class, according to 247Sports.

Martinez was the first prospect that Frost offered as the Head Coach of Nebraska Football, and Martinez flipped from Tennessee to the Huskers a week later. He sat out his senior season due to a shoulder injury, but as a junior, the Under Armour All-American passed for 2562 yards for 25 touchdowns and ran for 1462 yards for 14 touchdowns. These eclectic numbers show the greatest potential among all the candidates to thrive in Frost’s offense.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Football

Although he’d be a true freshman if he won the job for 2018, Martinez has expressed that he is coming to play right away. On Mike’l Severe’s “The Bottom Line”, when asked if he thinks he could start for the upcoming season, Martinez replied:

"100 percent. I feel confident in my ability. Nothing’s gonna be given. I know I’m gonna have to work my tail off, really dive into the playbook because there’s a lot for me to learn, but I’m very confident that if I do those things and apply myself that I can do that. Coach Frost has proven he’s not afraid to start a freshman quarterback like he did at UCF."

This young man sounds ahead of his years when he speaks, and I believe he’d bring a combination of confidence, intelligence, and skill that Nebraska Football hasn’t seen at quarterback in a while.

Who Will Prevail?

O’Brien and Gebbia have the advantage of being in the program for at least a year which may give them the upper hand over Martinez, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Martinez taking snaps next year.

Of course, a redshirt season could only help Martinez prepare for the future. In the meantime, I’m sure Frost could find good use in O’Brien, Gebbia, or Bunch until Martinez is ready.

So who will be Scott Frost’s mentee as he leads Nebraska Football back to championship contention? Will Tanner Lee condition with the track team in the spring and shock us all? Will O’Brien or Gebbia’s experience prevail?

Will Bunch prove he belongs on the field? Will Frost put all his chips into the up and coming freshman? If the latter option occurs I’d expect a transfer from at least one QB between O’Brian and Gebbia.

Only a hard-fought (or not so hard-fought) Nebraska football quarterback battle this Spring shall tell.