Although the football team does not have an on-campus indoor facility to give refuge from the rough Buffalo winter, the quarterbacks spent the offseason together training and taking advantage of the Buffalo Bills' indoor field house. They met up with receivers and running backs, forming the groundwork of the offense for the upcoming season.
The preparations continued off the field for these quarterbacks, who watch film together, attend meetings and talk about what they saw on tape and between the lines.
Even outside of football, the group is spending time together, including spontaneous trips to Red Robin or weekly bowling.
"We are together with the team the whole time," said sophomore quarterback Tony Daniel. "We are all competitive guys, but we know only one guy takes snaps at a time. We are all in the film room, making each other better, asking questions, talking to each other and telling each other what we see and they see so we are making each other better, and we know that one guy plays. We know that's just the way it is."
While being there for one another, they also understand the biggest problem about the position - it's a solo act.
This season, the Bulls will have four quarterbacks competing for the starting job. Soon-to-be senior Alex Zordich began last season as the starting quarterback, but sophomore Joe Licata took over the reins of the Buffalo offense eight games in and made the most of his opportunity, steering the Bulls to a 3-1 finish.
"The best way to learn as a quarterback is through experience and I was lucky enough to start the last four games," Licata said. "I got some playing time earlier in the season and that experience is going to really help me moving forward."
Licata finished the season with a 52.8 completion percentage, totaling 1,045 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He seemed to form a strong connection with senior receiver Alex Neutz as well, with the two hooking up for touchdowns in four of the final five games.
Licata's play from last year does not mean that he will not have to compete for the starting job this spring. Zordich returns for his senior season, looking to regain his starting position. Daniel and redshirt freshman Collin Michael are in the hunt to start as well.
Zordich and Licata bring the most experience to the field and are the front-runners to take the first snap against Ohio State, but they have vastly different styles of play.
Licata will stand in the pocket and fire the ball to all parts of the field, while Zordich relies on his feet to extend plays.
This is a familiar situation for head coach Jeff Quinn; he had two capable quarterbacks with contrasting skill sets at Cincinnati in Tony Pike and Zach Collaros.
"I think what you are always looking for is continuity with your system and having that guy that can manage it," Quinn said. "I'm never ruling out ways to win and score points and help this football team succeed."
Last season, Zordich had 501 yards on the ground to go with his 1,254 passing. When a play broke down, he would scramble around the backfield, giving receivers time to get open or finding a lane to run through.
However, he struggled in his four conference games before the switch to Licata - throwing more interceptions (four) than touchdowns (three) in his four Mid-American Conference starts.
"I've always said experience is the most important thing - game experience especially. There's nothing like game speed," Zordich said. "So it was good to get a bunch of games under my belt. We didn't produce like we wanted to but we're working [hard] and really looking forward to this year."
Michael, who spent last season running the scout team, has an impressive resume. He possesses size and arm strength.
According to scout.com, he was the 41st best quarterback in the country out of high school, throwing for 3,230 yards and 42 touchdowns while rushing for 14 touchdowns in his high school career in Lexington, Ohio.
"[Spring practices] are key," Michael said. "It's all we can go on. Everybody's got a clean slate. You've got to come out every day and prove yourself and make your teammates respect you."
Daniel, the final competitor for the starting job, saw minimal action last season. However, he was able to showcase his strong arm and speed as he fumbled a bad snap on a field goal against Miami Ohio last season and hit senior tight end Alex Dennison for a 10-yard gain. This play helped lead to a Bulls victory that jumpstarted a three-game winning streak at the end of the season.
The coaching staff will spend the next five months deciding who will take the field and line up under center as the Bulls open their season on Aug. 31 against Ohio State at the Horseshoe.
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