NORFOLK, Va. – Quarterback Hayden Wolff has been at least a part-time starter for Old Dominion since 2019 and has thrown for 5,578 yards and 30 touchdowns.
But as ODU began spring practice on a cold, blustery Tuesday afternoon at S.B. Ballard Stadium, Wolff knew that, like everyone else on the field, he will have to earn the right to start.
Ricky Rahne, ODU's Thurmond Family Head Coach, says that, for now, no one owns a starting position and added that it's a three-man race to see who starts next season at quarterback, the most important position on the field.
ODU has a new offensive coordinator in Kevin Decker, who last season coached a pass-happy Fordham offense that led all of Division I by averaging 608.9 yards and almost 50 points per game. It is hoped he will reinvigorate an ODU offense that scored the fewest points in the Sun Belt last season.
Fordham's backup quarterback from last season, Grant Wilson, transferred to ODU, and will compete for the starting job.
A 6-foot-3, 203-pound junior, Wilson played little at Fordham, which had FCS All-American Tim DeMorat. As a senior at Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia, Wilson completed 171 of 264 passes for 2,632 yards and 24 TDs. He was rated a three-star recruit by 247Sports.
Coach Mark Dupuis talking to ODU's wide receivers.
While Wolff has the edge when it comes to experience, Wilson's two years at Fordham give him an edge when it comes to knowing the offense.
Also in the running to start is Jack Shields, a 6-1, 192-pound redshirt sophomore from Centreville Virginia. ESPN rated him a three-star prospect at Centerville High School.
"It's going to be a great competition," Rahne said. "We need somebody to take hold of the starting quarterback job. I don't think it's necessarily going to be decided this spring, but we need those guys to take a big step there.
"I think all three guys have approached this in a really positive way. It hasn't been guys going against each other as much as it has been just trying to elevate their own game where it needs to be."
Rahne acknowledged the obvious – that some players, notably All-American linebacker Jason Henderson – "have a big leg up" when it comes to nailing down a starting job.
But he added that when he played at Cornell, a close friend who started on the offensive line his first three seasons lost his starting position as a senior.
"It wasn't because he had gotten worse. It was because we got better," Rahne said.
"I think that everybody has to earn their starting position every day."
All-American linebacker Jason Henderson.
He said he wants his players to emulate his friend if they end up not starting.
"He didn't turn around and pout. He was a big-time leader for us and ended up playing a lot," he said.
The Monarchs return 10 starters – 12 if you include the punter and kicker – from the team that finished 3-9 amid a torrent of injuries. After winning three of their first six games, including victories over Virginia Tech and Sun Belt East Division champion Coastal Carolina, the Monarchs lost their last six.
Rahne said his team put that frustrating season behind them before winter workouts, in which the players worked on strength and conditioning.
"The guys weren't looking back," he said. "They were looking forward. There was a lot of competition, and you could see individual players maturing and taking the next step for them to individually be successful.
"It was a very good winter for our program."
ODU has a lot of experienced wide receivers.
Defensive Tackle Alonzo Ford Jr. said "we definitely took some time after the season to reflect back and see where we could have done things differently, where we need to improve.
"So, when it came to winter workouts, we were like, 'Okay, we know what we need to do.'"
The Monarchs lost a lot of talent to graduation and the transfer portal. Offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri and tight end Zack Kuntz both had outstanding performances at the NFL combine.
There are starting positions open at running back, the offensive and defensive lines, linebacker and the defensive backfield. In other words, there is plenty of playing time to be earned.
ODU has just three quarterbacks in spring practice. Tyler Stott, a returning freshman, is on the baseball roster and will return for fall practice. Colton Joseph, a three-star high school quarterback from Newport Beach, California, won't begin practice until August.
Rahne will be looking for a quarterback in the transfer portal as well.
"I think you're always looking to add as much talent as you can, especially to a position as important as quarterback," he said.
"We're going to give these guys a great opportunity with only three of them here for all of camp. That's a lot of reps and they basically get to throw to every wide receiver, tight end and running back."
The transfer portal has permanently altered the game and Rahne said the Monarchs could have as many as 10 additional players transferring from junior colleges or four-year schools after spring practice. That's in addition to the 29 players, a mixture of mostly high school players and some transfers, ODU signed during the winter.
Center Xavier Black is one of 12 returning starters for ODU.
"Coaching college football today means you may not know exactly who your full team is going to be until camp starts in August," he said.
"I don't think that's positive or a negative. It's just the reality of it. And so, if you're a coach who loves his job and loves to teach, then you turn it into a positive. You get more opportunities to teach because you have more people who haven't done it.
"That's something that makes our job enjoyable. It's what coaches should love to do."
ODU also has a new offensive line coach in Alex Huettel, who came with Decker from Fordham, and who must rebuild a front five that lost three starters but has good depth returning.
Cornerbacks coach Tarron Williams, who was the cornerbacks and defensive pass game coordinator at Richmond, is also a newcomer. Otherwise, all coaches are returnees.
The Monarchs will practice 15 times over the next month, with the spring game set for Saturday, April 15, at 2 p.m. at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
ODU opens the season Saturday, Sept. 2, at Virginia Tech and then hosts three home games in a row: Louisiana on Sept. 9, Wake Forest on Sept. 16 and Texas A&M University-Commerce on Sept. 23.
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Contact Minium at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Minium: Three Quarterbacks Competing in Spring Practice to Start for ODU Football
