When Vanderbilt kicks off summer camp a little over a month from now, there will be, barring injury, no drama at the quarterback position.
Monday, head coach Derek Mason made sure he would avoid any type of controversy at the most important position in the sport, stating unequivocally that Kyle Shurmur is his starter at quarterback. Shurmur, a true sophomore, had been in a competition with junior Wade Freebeck throughout the spring.
Clearly, however, that competition has come to an end, and decidedly in favor of Shurmur.
“I want to just say this: We have a clear-cut one and a clear-cut two,” Mason said according to The Tennessean. “Kyle Shurmur is my clear-cut starter. ...
“We’re not going to enter into the season like we did my first year – talking about multiple quarterbacks. There is a (starter) and a (backup). That’s it. That’s how firm I’m going to be. That’s how firm I need to be. I don’t need us to get distracted by a quarterback controversy.”
As a true freshman last season, Shurmur started five of the last six games of the year. He completed just under 43 percent of his passes (44-103) for 503 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions.
The Commodores went 2-3 in the games Shurmur started, 2-5 in games he didn’t.
