We all know that Adrian Martinez is going to be the starting quarterback for Nebraska football heading into the 2021 season. It is more intriguing as to who will be the second-string quarterback. That battle could be interesting.
As it stands right now, two young quarterbacks are shifting into focus. Heinrich Haarberg and Logan Smothers both appear to be impressing coach Scott Frost. Friday, Nebraska football had a 100-play scrimmage, and Frost liked what he saw from Smothers during it.
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The hyppe surrounding Smothers has been pretty big. Frost talked about how impressed he was with the quarterback in January. Now, it seems like the performance is matching the hype, at least for now. It has certainly put a little bit of friendly competition into the second-string quarterback battle.
I always thought Smothers would be a good fit in the Nebraska football offense. He has the dual-threat ability that allows him to run and pass pretty well. I can see him doing well in this offense with the option plays and high-tempo situations. As long as he continues to develop at a high level, and as long as he continues to progress, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be able to climb up the depth chart during his time in Lincoln.
The development process is going to be key here. I have been extremely critical of Nebraska in their ability to develop quarterbacks. As it stands right now during spring practices, the coaching staff seems to like what they see from the young signal-caller. Frost loved what he saw from the quarterback during the scrimmage on Friday.
"“I thought he threw it the best he’s thrown it last Friday,” Frost said of the redshirt freshman. “That continues to improve. He and Mario continue to work on his stroke a little bit. He’s always been a quick decision-maker. He sees the field so well. Accurate and gets the ball out of his hands, but he pushed the ball downfield on Friday. Certainly can run well and made a couple plays with his feet as well. We get all that squared away, I think the biggest thing is getting him reps and confidence.”"
This is certainly encouraging to hear, especially given that Smothers may be the future of Nebraska football. This spring is extremely important for him, especially as he continues to adjust to the offense. I love the fact that he can throw downfield as well. This is something that Nebraska football has been missing over the past couple of seasons. Quarterbacks have struggled to throw the football down the field.
It sounds like Smothers is right on schedule for what Nebraska football wants to see out of him in his development. As long as he keeps pushing and practicing hard, he should be able to fly up that depth chart in no time.