Arizona State true freshman Jaden Rashada making a case for starting spot at quarterback

Four years ago Jayden Daniels became the first true freshman in Arizona State football history to start the opening game of the regular season at quarterback. Now another player with the same first name and donning the familiar No. 5 is poised to put himself in that classification as well.

The battle for the starting spot at quarterback is perhaps the most compelling storyline of the Sun Devils' fall camp. For the balance of spring drills and even early in fall camp that battle seemed to be a two-player showdown between red-shirt junior Trenton Bourguet and redshirt sophomore Drew Pyne, the latter being a transfer who started 10 games last season at Notre Dame.

But now it seems to be a battle between Bourguet and true freshman Jaden Rashada after Pyne injured a hamstring early in Saturday's scrimmage at Camp Tontozona. ASU coach Kenny Dillingham has kept mum on the status of Pyne but 3,000 or so folks at Camp T saw Pyne slide out of bounds after a run and have trouble getting up. If that had happened earlier in camp it might not be cause for concern, but with the Aug. 31 season-opener against Southern Utah quickly approaching, it is unlikely Pyne will be ready.

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That brings us back to Bourguet and Rashada, with BYU transfer Jacob Conover sliding up to the No. 3 spot as the emergency quarterback for now.

After Pyne went down Bourguet played some in the scrimmage but it was Rashada getting the majority of the snaps. No word on whether it was planned that way or if Dillingham limited Bourguet just as a precaution with Pyne having gone down. But Rashada took advantage of the reps and furthered his cause to be considered.

While the other two are battle-tested in game scenarios, Rashada is the raw up-and-comer, the quarterback of the future, one that many thought was a year away from seriously contending for the job. That has changed as Rashada's time could indeed be now.

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Rashada, a four-star prospect out of Pittsburg, California, continued on the upward trajectory with his performance this week in practice, throwing two long bombs to Elijhah Badger, highlighting Wednesday's scrimmage which was held inside Mountain America Stadium.

On Monday, Dillingham chastised his offense for its lack of "passion." But on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Sun Devils looked better on that side of the ball and the boss was singing its praise, much of that was because of the plays by Rashada.

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When asked about the quarterback battle on multiple occasions Dillingham has said he would announce a starter when one player had separated himself from the others. That has not been the case as of yet and it will probably be late next week when Dillingham will finally disclose that final verdict.

"If there would have been a clear-cut, no-brainer dude, if somebody would have played so bad that he wasn’t in the competition, they would know about it," Dillingham said of having to make the decision. "So I feel confident putting all three of those guys on the field. Now we just got to determine after we watch film which one of the three gives us the best chance to win football games. That’s not saying the other two can not win football games, it’s just saying that this guy, in my opinion, gives us the best chance to win football games.”

It's hard not to pull for Bourguet, who came to ASU in 2019 as a walk-on and was in the same quarterback room with Daniels and some highly touted others. Daniels and 14 others came and went yet Bourguet has remained. He did an admirable job last season when pressed into duty after then-starter Emory Jones was injured in the first half against Washington.

Bourguet, who hails from Tucson, led the team to an upset win in that game. He started the last five games last season, throwing for more than 400 yards in his first career start against Colorado in Boulder. And he did that despite not being at full strength, a foot injury slowing him for a second straight season.

The now-healthy Bourguet is smart. He has a quick release and typically makes good decisions but he doesn't have the arm or the athleticism of the rookie.

One of the Sun Devils' biggest problems in the last few years has been the inconsistency of the passing game and the lack of explosive plays. Of course that doesn't all fall on the quarterback, but Rashada's arm gives the Sun Devils more of a chance to stretch the field. And the Sun Devils have the playmakers at wide receiver — Badger, Idaho State transfer Xavier Guillory, Giovanni Sanders and tight end Jalin Conyers have that potential. That position group is loaded.

Rashada also has something else in common with Daniels, now starting his second year as the starter at LSU. Both can make plays with their legs if they have to improvise. A lot might come down to whether Dillingham thinks he's playing for now or playing for the future. If you think this is just a building year, you roll the dice with the youngster and let him get the experience. Baptism under fire, right?

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If you think you can win, you go with the more established veteran. Go with the rookie and there are sure to be some growing pains and learning moments. You can't afford a lot of those if you think you're in the hunt for something.

There is no wrong or right decision as both have their upsides. It will be interesting to see which way Dillingham goes with this quarterback conundrum.

"It's taken shape," Dillingham said of the quarterback battle. "No updates but it's taken shape, that's for sure. Different shapes. Depending on the day, depending on the play. There are definitely shapes being created."

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU quarterback battle: Jaden Rashada vs. Trenton Bourguet