Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason says Kyle Shurmer is starting QB
Vanderbilt has its starting quarterback. And according to coach Derek Mason, that quarterback is Kyle Shurmer.
“I want to just say this: We have a clear-cut one and a clear-cut two,” Mason told the Tennesseean. “Kyle Shurmur is my clear-cut starter.”
Shurmur played in five games in 2015 and was 44-103 passing with five touchdowns and three interceptions. Those five games, all starts, came during the second half of the season. He was competing for the starting job with Wade Freebeck, who threw six passes in 2015.
The quarterback who played the most in 2015, Johnny McCrary, is no longer a member of the team. He announced in January that he was transferring from the school. So Shurmur, a true freshman in 2015, was the leader in the clubhouse for the starting job. And by announcing his starter now, Mason is doing so to avoid his team being “distracted by a quarterback controversy.”
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Vanderbilt’s quarterback situation has been quite murky over the past two seasons. Before McCrary and Shurmer split the majority of snaps in 2015, four players threw more than 60 passes in 2014.
McCrary was the team’s leading passer in 2014 and Freebeck, Patton Robinette and Stephen Rivers also saw playing time. Rivers transferred from the team and Robinette ended his career in the spring of 2015 because of injuries.
Shurmur, a four-star recruit in the class of 2015 and the no. 14 pro-style quarterback in the class, is the son of NFL coach Pat Shurmur, the former head coach of the Cleveland Browns. After serving as the Browns’ coach in 2011 and 2012, Shurmur was an assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s currently the tight ends coach for the Minnesota Vikings.
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For more Vanderbilt news, visit VandySports.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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