Summer is here, which means it's time to take a look at Utah State's positions one by one as we start the countdown for fall camp. To kick things off in our series, we'll start by looking at the critical quarterback position:
Starter: Jordan Love
Last season we saw a definite passing of the torch from senior Kent Myers to then redshirt freshman Jordan Love. Expectations were high for Myers as he entered his final year in Logan. There was hope that he'd be able to recapture his sophomore season QB rating of 151.6.
Unfortunately for the Aggies, Myers' performance just didn't live up to those lofty expectations.
While Myers was deadly accurate against Idaho State of the FCS as he went 24 for 26, the very next game he managed to complete only 9 of his 23 attempts against Wake Forest. As the year wore on, it became clear that Myers wasn't Utah State's best option on the roster. He finished his senior season with just 1,278 yards passing, eight touchdowns, seven interceptions and rushed for 291 yards and five touchdowns.
Myers' struggles gave Love a chance to show what he could do, and by the end of the season the freshman would take the starting job from the senior.
That isn't to say that Love had a perfect freshman season. He threw three picks and zero touchdowns against a tough Wyoming defense that led the nation in turnovers gained last season. But he did have his moments, such as his 316 yards and two touchdowns with no picks in a 52-28 rout of UNLV. Love's numbers weren't particularly flashy as he finished his first season with 1,377 yards passing, eight touchdowns and six interceptions to go with 164 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. But there's no doubt Love has potential as he will begin 2018 as the starter.
For one, Love has a solid arm. His first touchdown pass as an Aggie was a 77-yard strike to Gerold Bright.
Love threw two more 70-yard or longer completions last season, and both of them came against UNLV. Love found Savon Scarver for a 70-yard score:
Later in that same game Love found Jordan Nathan for a 75-yard touchdown.
Like many of Utah State's recent quarterbacks, Love can run the ball as well as throw it. However, he made only 35 rushing attempts compared to Kent Myers' 80. Love doesn't have the exclusiveness than can lead to long touchdowns, such as Myers' 68-yard touchdown run against San Jose State. However, he does have the ability to evade would-be tacklers and has enough poise to continue looking downfield for his receivers.
And that makes him dangerous.
In short, Love has a strong arm and enough running ability to pick up a few yards or buy himself enough time to find his target. The only major thing Love lacked last season was experience, but he gained more than was expected given the expectations for Myers. There's a good possibility that Love takes a big step forward in 2018.
The backups
A clear No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart has yet to develop, so the battle to become the backup is going to stretch into fall camp. There are three quarterbacks on the roster fighting to be Love's backup are freshmen Andrew Peasley and Henry Colombi and junior Zach Larson.
Colombi, a three-star recruit out of Hollywood, Florida, threw for 1,520 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for 590 yards and three touchdowns as a senior at Chaminade-Madonna College Prep. He took a redshirt year last season and was the highest recruit of any QB on Utah State's roster other than Love.
Peasley is a true freshman out of La Grande, Oregon, who was a consensus two-star recruit who chose the Aggies over Boise State. Peasley ran a 4.6 40-yard dash according to the Oregonian, which is on par with quarterbacks in this year's NFL Combine. His speed will be more than welcome in Logan and will make things interesting in the backup QB competition. Larson is a junior college transfer from Snow College who has yet to record a stat in college.
While it doesn't appear any of these will push Love out of the starting position, the race to back him up will be worth watching if for nothing else to see Utah State's future.