Even the suggestion that quarterback Byrum Brown might – I’ll whisper this: get hurt -- would keep the average USF football fan awake at night.
Brown proved last year that he’s as tough as a $3 sirloin after the physical pounding he took, and he has put on more than 20 pounds since the season ended, and most of it looks like muscle.
But football is a rough sport, and stuff happens. That’s why head coach Alex Golesh has continued to build depth in the quarterback room. And, he was asked, if Brown ever did have to miss time, who goes in from the other five quarterbacks on the roster?
The most obvious backup would have been Gerry Bohanon because of his extensive experience, but he transferred to BYU and is in the mix to start there. Beyond that, there is talent in the quarterback room but not much experience. Brown threw 427 passes last year. Bryce Archie was the next closest to him with 15 tosses.
Golesh said it’s an open question at the moment who would step in if needed.
“For all of them, it's been really, really solid. I don't know that I can tell you a one, two, and three (behind Brown),” he said.
It will probably come down to Archie and sophomore Israel Carter.
Archie, Golesh said, “has been really impressive.”
But he also hasn’t had much playing time. Archie transferred last year to USF after appearing in just two games in 2022 for Coastal Carolina. He got into seven games last season for the Bulls.
Carter, who threw one pass last season after serving as the third-string QB, is in the mix, too.
“Izzy has brought his game up,” Golesh said. “That’s what happens when you've got guys that know the offense, they just continue to push each other.
‘You know, I think Bryce and Izzy will continue to push each other. They've split (second-team) reps. They've got (first-team) reps. They're going to continue to compete there. Those three guys (including Brown) have competed like crazy.”
Freshman Marcelis Tate “has come along really well … you've seen him continuously grow,” Golesh said. “And Ryan Bolduc - he's a senior, that's, that's really steady.”
We may have a better idea of the backup pecking order if the opening game against Bethune-Cookman is as one-sided as most USF fans expect it to be. I imagine Golesh would take advantage of that to get the backups some game-time experience because, well, it’s football – and you never know.