UVa's QB1 is clear but question lingers on who backs him up
One of the most important parts of any offseason is making sure your quarterback situation is square. With Brennan Armstrong coming back and presumably with a more normal spring and summer, UVa is in a good spot.
But Armstrong is a dual-threat type who looks to run through contact, not around it. As such, who backs him up is an important question and one the Cavaliers are working toward answering this spring. With Lindell Stone no longer on the squad, the team will be looking for a new QB2 in 2021.
Virginia brought in Mississippi State transfer Keytaon Thompson last year so the former four-star Rivals100 standout could compete for the starting job in fall camp. A torn labrum robbed him of that chance, though, and so he was shifted to a “slash” position. And regardless of where he lined up, he shined last season.
That’s also the situation that early enrollee Ira Armstead found himself in, though a lower-leg injury against Miami kept him from having the kind of season-long impact that Thompson had on the offense.
QBs coach Jason Beck was clear last week that the bulk of work this spring for both is at quarterback and it’s where their development needs the most time.
“He is an option at quarterback,” Beck said of Thompson, who said he’s having a blast doing all that’s asked of him. “We are training him and developing him at quarterback. There is a long-term issue that we have to manage with reps but for an individual game, he’d be fine. It’s just a matter of not overdoing it too early that it becomes an issue. But yes, we will develop him at quarterback as well.”
The fact that the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Thompson knew the playbook so well helped him as the season wore on and the opportunities on the field varied wildly.
“I think with having that big-picture view,” Beck explained, “and understanding how all of those pieces work enabled him to jump into those roles without having a ton of reps and years of experience developing in that. It was pretty impressive. In some ways you can make it look so easy but then you step back and realize everything he’s doing, it’s pretty impressive.”
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Armstead, meanwhile, didn’t have the kind of previous foundation to work with going into his first season on the field.
“He has a lot of development as a quarterback [ahead], with losing spring last year and then with the injury during the season,” Beck said of Armstead. “He feels somewhere more like a first-year with just training and developing at the quarterback spot. Right now, that’s our major, major emphasis. He does have that ability to have kind of a slash role and bring something to our offense. But right now, everything’s just been with understanding the offense, anticipating reading the defense, and making great decisions from the quarterback spot. So, excited about his development and his future in both ways, as a quarterback and as a slash guy.”
Armstead got to go through offseason winter conditioning before being stuck at home for spring break and having a good part of his install be over Zoom. Needless to say, that wasn't what he was expecting.
“Being back now is kind of like being a first-year again,” Armstead said. “Missing that spring was pretty tough but going home, working out, just developing my own game, helped as well.”
As his rehab has continued and he’s gotten back to full speed, he’s finally able to focus on QB again. That’s been his reality since he was a freshman in high school, which was the last time before last fall that he had worked out elsewhere on offense.
“It was pretty challenging,” Armstead said of being out. “Like every other player, it’s always a challenge. You don’t want to be on the sideline. Also, it’s a very humbling experience as well. With that, it helped me grow as a person and just looking at myself in a different aspect. Just growing as a person, getting stronger every day, just taking it one day a time.”
Throughout his time in Charlottesville so far, he’s leaned on Armstrong and eventually Thompson as they’ve helped him in a number of ways.
“Both Brennan and Keytaon are like brothers to me,” Armstead said. “Keytaon, the funny guy, and Brennan being like the serious one. Brennan, just watching his game and picking up on certain keys from him, his leadership, the way he communicates with guys, things like that. And with Keytaon, being so versatile as well which I kind of was in the same position as well. He and I were always talking, going over things. Those two guys are very helpful for me and helped my game as well.”
Given that he never envisioned a role like a slash, was it tough to pick that up and run with it?
“It honestly wasn’t a challenge,” he said. “Pressure is just coming from within your own head. I told myself to just keep calm, stay confident, and at the end of the day it’s just football. I’ve been doing this since I was a kid. Just keeping that mentality, everything played out pretty smooth. Did a good job, could’ve been better, but it was all good.”
As far as what happens going forward, for now his focus is on QB.
“There hasn’t been any conversation about it,” Armstead said. “Haven’t heard anything about it. But my main priority is just being under center right now, taking snaps at QB…I’m a team player, so whatever it takes to win I’ll do anything for my brothers when the game’s are on the line.”
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