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Arkansas Football: Breaking down Razorbacks’ 2019 QB battle

By Steven Hamner

FAYETTEVILLE, AR - OCTOBER 27: Head Coach Chad Morris of the Arkansas Razorbacks yells to the officials in the first half of a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Razorback Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Commodores defeated the Razorbacks 45-31. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - OCTOBER 27: Head Coach Chad Morris of the Arkansas Razorbacks yells to the officials in the first half of a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Razorback Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Commodores defeated the Razorbacks 45-31. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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Arkansas football’s quarterback competition should be one of the more competitive battles in the nation for 2019.

It is no a secret that Arkansas struggled last year in Chad Morris’ first year as the Razorbacks’ head coach. The Razorbacks went 2-10 in 2018 and had one of their worst years overall in program history. This is not news and there’s no need to beat a dead horse, the fact is, Arkansas struggled in 2018, but have moved on to focus on the 2019 season ever since 2018 ended.

While quarterback play certainly wasn’t the only reason why Arkansas struggled, it did contribute as Arkansas’ quarterbacks combined for more interceptions than passing touchdowns last year (17 touchdowns, 18 interceptions).

The Razorbacks’ quarterbacks last year combined for 2,307 yards passing, 17 passing touchdowns, 18 interceptions and a completion rate of 54.6 percent. While all of them showed glimpses of potential at times, it is obvious the quarterback play in 2019 needs to improve for Arkansas to improve.

Every quarterback to throw a touchdown last year for Arkansas is no longer on the roster. Ty Storey and Cole Kelley have both transferred, and Connor Noland just announced that he will be sticking to only baseball moving forward, according to 247Sports.

The question of who will start under center in 2019 has been a topic of discussion for Arkansas fans this offseason. While there are several candidates, it seems to be between two transfers, Ben Hicks and Nick Starkel.

Let’s take a dive into what each quarterback does well and why either one of them could be a good option for Arkansas.

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