The Nebraska football team has seen this soap opera play out on other teams. Tristan Gebbia is deciding whether to transfer.
Game week for Nebraska football is supposed to be all about being excited for the season opener. On Monday afternoon, the feeling shifted substantially to unease over the quarterback situation.
One day after Adrian Martinez was named the starting quarterback, his backup has begun thinking about leaving. This situation is far from ideal for a number of reasons.
Shortly after Monday practice, head coach Scott Frost announced Tristan Gebbia did not practice with the team. The coach further clarified that the quarterback was “weighing his options.”
Frost added that he only wants players who want to be here. That reaction is far from ideal for a number of reasons as well.
Let’s be clear. If Tristan Gebbia decides to transfer because he lost out on a quarterback battle during his red-shirt freshman season, it would show a lack of maturity I certainly thought he possessed.
Tristan Gebbia did not practice today. Frost said he took the news initially well, but he didn't practice today. Frost says he wants kids who wants to be here. #huskers
— Sam McKewon (@swmckewonOWH) August 27, 2018
During the competition, Gebbia seemed to know there was a chance he wasn’t going to be the man. He seemed to be someone who, if he lost it, would get up, dust himself off and keep trying.
That’s in stark contrast with not coming to practice, during game week, because you, like dozens of your teammates, have been named a backup. Some of this is just the culture we live in now.
Frost said QB situation is not ideal.
— Sam McKewon (@swmckewonOWH) August 27, 2018
When players don’t win position battles, they leave. Let’s keep in mind though, Gebbia has presumably not just the rest of this season, but several more years to win the job back.
We have no idea how Adrian Martinez is going to play in a live game. What if the coaches decide in a few weeks that he’s not ready? Hasn’t anyone explained that to Gebbia?
That’s the other troubling and quite frankly weird aspect of this story. The coaching staff had to be aware the decision was going to be a blow to Gebbia.
No, Frost can’t appear to be coddling a player who skipped practice. He also doesn’t need to make fairly inflammatory comments aimed at a player at an important position.
There was a better in-between there. The fact of the matter is that if Tristan Gebbia leaves the Nebraska football program, the team will find itself in a precarious place.
Should Adrian Martinez get hurt (remember he missed all of last season due to injury) the starting quarterback would have to be Andrew Bunch. Having a walkon as the starting quarterback for a Big Ten team is never ideal. Your entire active roster at quarterback being walkons is even less so.
Should Martinez go down and Gebbia leave, Bunch and walkon true freshman Matt Masker are it. Noah Vedral cannot step up, by NCAA rules.
That’s why this whole situation might make you a bit queasy. Set aside the “if he wants to go, let him go” approach for some practicality.
I hope Tristan Gebbia sees the light. I hope, moving forward the coaching staff treats this situation with kid gloves, even if it’s all behind closed doors. The last thing the Nebraska football team needs is to go into its first game of the Scott Frost era wincing every time Adrian Martinez gets tackled.