Report, Sources Confirm Seals to Start for Vanderbilt
True freshman Ken Seals will reportedly get the nod as the starting quarterback for the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday night in their season opener against Texas A&M in College Station.
The Vanderbilt Hustler was first to report the story on Thursday evening, and sources with knowledge of the decision have also confirmed the Weatherford, Texas native will indeed get the call to start his first collegiate game in his home state against the Aggies.
According to sources, and as reported by the Hustler, Vanderbilt's players were told of the decision following the last intrasquad scrimmage.
"Vanderbilt has not started a true freshman at quarterback since 2015, when Kyle Shurmur started five games," according to the Hustler report. "However, Shurmur did not start the season opener; a much more infrequent feat in the SEC, there have only been two true freshman quarterbacks to start season openers since freshman eligibility was restored in 1972 (Brent Schaeffer, Tennessee, 2014 and Bo Nix, Auburn, 2019)."
Seals came to Vanderbilt with the reputation as a passing quarterback to also make plays with his legs. In two seasons as the starting quarterback for Weatherford High School, Seals threw for over 5,000 yards against Texas high school competition.
Commodore Country first spoke with Seals in December 2019 after he visited Vanderbilt, where the then high school standout spoke of competing and starting the first game of this season and his college career.
"Absolutely! I have the confidence in myself that I'm going to be able to do that and put up a very good case for myself to be out there week one against Mercer," said Seals to Commodore Country. "We'll have to see how it goes, of course, but I'm planning on being out there, and I'm going to prepare like it."
It now appears as he has made good on his comment and will take the first snap of his college career on Saturday evening, in his first-ever college game and in his home state no less. It remains to be seen how Seals career will play out, but it is off to a storybook start in 2020.
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