Most competitive spring at quarterback since 2018

The Nebraska football team officially starts spring practice on Feb. 28, as they practice for two weeks, take a week off for spring break, and then are back for three more weeks before the spring game set for April 9.

As spring practice approaches, it’s time to take an in-depth look at each of Nebraska’s position groups.

We’re kicking it off with the quarterbacks.

The Huskers brought in two quarterbacks from the portal, a freshman and have two other scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. With the two portal players, Casey Thompson and Chubba Purdy and sophomore Logan Smothers, Nebraska will have the most competitive spring at the position since Head Coach Scott Frost’s first.

During the spring of 2018, Adrian Martinez, Tristan Gebbia and Patrick O’Brien battled for the starting QB job, with Noah Vedral watching in the wings. Martinez was named the starter in August and Gebbia transferred to Oregon State. O’Brien played three seasons at Colorado State after entering the portal that April, and then transferred to Washington.

Ever since Martinez was awarded the job that spring, it was his until he transferred to Kansas State after four seasons with Nebraska.

Now, Thompson, a transfer from Texas, is the front runner in the quarterback race heading into the spring. As the Longhorns starter, Thompson had 2,113 passing yards, rushed for 157 yards and scored 28 total touchdowns. The Oklahoma City native has two seasons of eligibility and much more game experience than his competition.

Purdy played in four games in his two seasons at Florida State. He was a four-star dual-threat quarterback and the No. 10 overall prospect in Arizona. In 2021, Purdy saw action in the Seminoles 59-3 win over Massachusetts. He went 5-of-5 with 98 passing yards and two touchdowns. In 2020 a collarbone injury took him out of the mix to be Mike Norvell’s starter.

Smothers played in six games for Nebraska in 2021 after not playing the previous season. His first start was against Iowa in the final game of the season as he went 16-of-22 with 198 passing yards, 64 rushing yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

While it’s seemingly Thompson’s job to lose, he will have two or three guys pushing hard for the position. The backup battle will likely be intense also.

Smothers is entering his third season with the Huskers and with Martinez departing, he was the most experienced on Nebraska’s roster. He gave Husker fans and the world a glimpse of what an offense ran by him looks like against Iowa.

Nebraska brought in two transfers to add depth and experience to the quarterback room. If Smothers doesn’t win the starting job going into his third season, will he consider transferring with Thompson possibility returning in the 2023 season and Purdy with four seasons of eligibility?

Maybe the Huskers will create a wildcat package for Smothers to run. He showed his speed and running ability against Iowa. If Smothers doesn’t win the starting position, this could be a viable option to get him involved, keep him on the roster and use his talents.

Purdue used backup quarterback Jack Plummer in packages after quarterback Aidan O’Connell took over his starting job five games into the season. Running packages with Plummer worked well for the Boilermakers as they finished second in the Big Ten West.

Purdy transferred to Nebraska knowing Thompson was the favored starter, so while he will battle for the starting job, he has an understanding that he’ll most likely sit for another season.

However, Smothers has been with the Huskers longer and might grow impatient.

With Thompson as the likely starter, Purdy will be competition for the backup position with Smothers. Both Purdy and Smothers were in the same recruiting class and have roughly the same amount of experience with one college start each.

As a freshman, Purdy went 27-of-53 for 219 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He rushed for 57 yards on 19 attempts in the 2020 season.

The 6-foot-0, 210-pound quarterback has an accurate arm, is dangerous on the run and burned defenses with his legs in scramble opportunities at Florida State.

Purdy’s older brother, Brock Purdy, was Iowa State’s quarterback for four seasons. Brock holds many of Iowa State’s records and was a First Team All-Big 12 coaches (2020) and AP (2021) selection.

If Chubba plays near the capabilities of his brother, the competition not only for the backup spot but the starting position will be close.

While it seems unlikely that Heinrich Haarberg will start due to the other competition, he could have a big second spring camp in terms of his development and make a jump with Whipple’s expertise along with his talent.

The Kearney, Neb. native is 6-foot-5 with great speed and field vision. This could be a huge spring for his development and he will push the guys ahead of him. Haarberg did not see any action in 2021.