With spring football coming to a close soon, the Cowboys’ head coach Craig Bohl has almost made his decision on who will replace star quarterback Josh Allen next season.
The battle for the starting position has been narrowed down to senior Nick Smith and redshirt-freshman Tyler Vander Waal.
“We’re back and forth between the two guys,” Bohl said. “Both of them have made progress, so we’re encouraged by that. Our hope is to name a starter at the end of spring.”
It should come as no surprise that returning backup quarterback Nick Smith is favored for the starting position, he filled in for Allen in several games last season, and, according to ESPN, he had 471 passing yards last season.
Now with Allen gone, Smith hopes to get the number one spot.
“Personally, I feel like it’s been a good spring,” Smith said. “I feel like I’m definitely making strides to where I want to be.”
Since Smith has been with the Cowboys for several years, he knows the ins and outs of how the coaching staff runs the team and what they are looking for in a starting quarterback, which will be very beneficial when it comes time for the final decision.
“I think it’s going to be making plays and being consistent,” Smith said. “Also being able to make the plays that present themselves. It’s hard because Josh set the bar high, but I think it’s going to take matching his level of play and the expectations he set.”
Smith certainly has the upper hand having played alongside Allen for three seasons. But redshirt-freshman Tyler Vander Waal will be a force to be reckoned with.
“I feel pretty good getting back out there and getting into the swing of things,” Vander Waal said. “You know it’s just spring ball and I’m going out there and trying to get better every day.”
Vander Waal went to Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento, California. During his senior season, Vander Waal completed 60.7 percent of his passes for a total of 2,926 passing yards, according to gowyo.com. Vander Waal also rushed for 378 yards on 118 rushing attempts. He understands Smith’s seniority over him but won’t let that deter him from reaching for the starting spot.
“Ultimately my goal is to win the starting job,” Vander Waal said. “I just need to show the coaches that I know what I’m doing.”
With two weeks left until the spring game, both quarterbacks are going to have to put in a tremendous amount of effort to prove to this coaching staff that they are the right choice for the starting quarterback position.
“[I need to prove to the coaches] just that they can trust me; that I can make plays, make the right reads, on third downs that I can execute and that I can push my teammates and make them better,” Vander Waal said.
With a majority of the offense returning, both Smith and Vander Waal have high expectations for their team can do next season, regardless of who is picked for the starting spot.
“Coming off of two back-to-back bowl seasons my expectations are pretty high,” Vander Waal said. “I think the team’s expectations are pretty high too. We all want to go back to another bowl game and be in that Mountain West Championship again.”
Smith had a very similar outlook on his expectations for next season.
“I think each year you have to look to grow and get better each and every day, as a team,” Smith said. “The ultimate goal for the team is to win games and be in that Mountain West championship again.”
The Cowboys have one more week after this before their spring game that will take place Saturday, April 21 at 2 p.m. MST at War Memorial Stadium here in Laramie.
