When Terry Wilson signed his letter of intent to attend Kentucky on Wednesday, binding himself to the Wildcats, the program's next quarterback competition began in earnest.
Cats Illustrated lays out the early arguments for and against each of the major candidates.
In the first part of Cats Illustrated's series on the QB battle, which is sure to dominate much of the offseason conversation, we put Drew Barker under the microscope.
The elder statesman - Drew Barker
Pros: Barker has been in the program longer than any of the other quarterbacks who will be vying for the starting position in 2018. That would presumably give him a command of the offense, a familiarity with Kentucky's personnel on and off the field, and a level of maturity that would benefit him upon assuming starting duties.
Mark Stoops has continued to praise Barker, most recently on Wednesday after Terry Wilson's signature came in, and believes that he can legitimately win the position. If Barker takes the reins, Kentucky's passing game could take a step forward because he may have the most arm talent of anyone in the group. When Barker was healthy at the start of last season he was fantastic in the first half against Southern Miss. That could have been a glimpse of what the passing game could be capable of with Barker behind center.
With Kentucky set to return most of its starters once again, in 2018, one could make the case that continuity and the elder statesman could be the right approach.
Cons: For all of the optimism from the coaching staff, Barker has never been able to put it together in a real game setting yet. How much blame you place on his shoulders for that is your own call, but the consistency has at least not yet been proven.
When Barker has been on the field in the past he has at times appeared flustered and rushed under pressure. He does not have the mobility of some of the other quarterbacks in the competition, especially Wilson, and considering the quarterback run game has been a big part of Kentucky's offense the last two years (and a big part of its wins), that could be a significant drawback. That opens the question of how Barker fits with Kentucky's best personnel sets. Does Kentucky have the receivers and the pass protection to become more of a pass-heavy team? The presumed strengths of the offense will still be Benny Snell, the tight ends and the physicality of the offensive line.
If Barker wins the position Kentucky will be going with a quarterback who only has one year of eligibility remaining, so there wouldn't be a "build for the future" effort.
Early prediction: Making a real, confident prediction on how Kentucky's quarterback competition will shake out at this point is a fool's errand. Certain coaches on the staff might have predictions on how it will shake out, but make no mistake. It will be a real competition.
It's probably safe to say that Barker will enter the competition as a very real contender to win the job and it would not be surprising to anyone around the program if he wins it. But if Barker does not win the job, with only one season of eligibility remaining, he will have to decide whether he wants to stick around for his final year. He is a graduate and would be able to play right away somewhere else. Barker may also have to gauge how the competition is going along the way as part of that calculation.
Mark Stoops has obviously always had a lot of faith in Barker. This is the same guy who caused Stoops' early staff to huddle around a table and watch his commitment live as it happened, erupting in cheers and congratulations when he picked the school. And Stoops is the same coach who put Barker in the game against EKU early this season when much of the fan base had already sided with Stephen Johnson in the last quarterback debate. So Barker will have every opportunity to start his last year at Kentucky.
