Second Guessing Coaches the Nature of Fandom

There's an old axiom in college football that the most popular player on the team is the backup quarterback. This is generally true for most teams when their offenses are struggling, and fans are complaining about a change at the position.

Vanderbilt and head football coach Derek Mason appears headed for that place entering the 2020 season. Currently, four quarterbacks are competing for the starting spot when the Commodores kick off their season on Sept. 26 versus Texas A&M.

Recently quarterback Ken Seals was named a freshman All-American by 247Sports, which drew the attention of Commodore fans, as Seals is considered to be the leading candidate to get the call in College Station.

Fellow freshman Mike Wright has also been impressive, according to head coach Derek Mason. At the same time, both JUCO transfers Danny Clark and Jeremy Mussa have both reportedly missed time due to quarantine.

"What I will say for the quarterback position, again, much like any position, it's all about availability," said Mason on Tuesday during his media conferene call. "Those guys (Clark and Mussa) have stayed constant in terms of Zoom meetings, but on the grass you've still got to be able to take the reps. you've still got to be able to feel the game. You've still got to be able to make your mistakes and learn from your mistakes."

"I think missing that for these guys is going to eb something that they are going to have to overcome, but were talking about experienced quarterbacks who played college football," concluded Mason. "I think with these guys, they're poised to get back in there and just start doing with they do. They understand it's about making up some ground, but like I told these guys, pressing is not gonna help you now. I think what you have to do is just make sure you understand what to do, continue to drill the fundamentals, continue to get through your reads, and when we're on the grass, command the huddle because in doing so, we get better."

Should Seals win the starters' role and struggle, it won't take long for fans to second guess starting a true freshman, regardless of his talent and potential. Likewise, should Clark or Mussa earn the spot, if they struggle, Mason will be second-guessed for not starting the younger signal-callers?

It's a no-win situation for Mason, but it is also a better position for him than last season.

A season ago, the Commodores struggled at the quarterback position even before injuries sidelined starter Riley Neal. In his absence, things got worse, though Mo Hassan did earn the win as the team's starter in their upset win over Missouri.

Still, the quarterback situation seems much better this time around, despite the inexperience of all four quarterbacks at the SEC level.

While we aren't likely to know which quarterback will get the nod for a few more weeks, everyone should be prepared for what could well be a revolving door at the position should the team struggle as most people expect.

Of course, Mason and offensive coordinator Todd Fitch will make the moves, if necessary, to try to improve the offense, which will leave fans to second guess every decision they make.

It's just the nature of the beast for fans and coaches and every quarterback at the NCAA level, and Commodores fans could have another season of quarterback roulette in their future.

Follow Greg on Twitter @GregAriasSports and @SIVanderbilt or Facebook at Vanderbilt Commodores-Maven.

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