WKU Football: Quarterback Week — The Mike Sanford I Know

Photo Credit: 247Sports

Welcome to the second week of football preview coverage here on The Towel Rack. Last week, we had Bold Prediction Week and this week, we are going under center for Quarterback Week.

As Western Kentucky head football coach Mike Sanford heads into year two at the helm of the Chrome Domes, questions abound at the quarterback position specifically. I worked with Sanford as his quarterback manager in 2010, and we are still Facebook friends. We’ve even messaged each other! He knew who I was at the HAF Banquet last year! #BFF4L

WKU has had three all-time greats in a row as the leaders of the football team: Kawaun Jakes, Brandon Doughty and Mike White. All of them are gone, and all three of them at least got invited to NFL minicamps. Doughty and White were actually drafted. That’s a long time not having to worry about the field general.

So where does that leave the Tops, and who is going to lead this next crop of talent to be legitimate leaders of a program expecting to get back to its recent championship ways?

The Horses in the Barn

Well, first of all, who are the options? I won’t delve into these guys too deeply, because we (along with everyone else on the WKU beat) will be covering them in depth all week. Here’s a quick snapshot of each.

Steven Duncan

Big framed, decently rated by recruiting services, and a pro-style quarterback, Steven Duncan seemed like one of the three realistic possibilities at QB this year. However, his DUI charge in April really dampens his likelihood. He certainly won’t play against Wisconsin, because he’ll be serving his one game suspension. However, he could still see the field this year.

Drew Eckels

The man who will, at the very least, start the season opener against Wisconsin, Eckels has done well in his very limited playing time (15-for-24 passing in 17 games) as primary backup to both Doughty and White the past three years.

Eckels doesn’t jump out as an incredible arm, or even as an incredible athlete. Despite not being a freak, he’s way more versatile than his two predecessors; in other words, he can move around in the pocket. A few words to describe Eckels would be “solid” and “dependable”. Eckels is the safe bet at QB for the Tops.

Graydon Kulick

A transfer from Davidson, Kulick was on the team last year and never really factored into the conversation. This should probably be the case again this year. Still, keep an eye on him. You never know who’s going to surprise you.

Davis Shanley

A two-star recruit from Sanford’s 2017 recruiting class, Shanley received a redshirt last season. He’s looking to get in the mix, but barring unforeseen improvement, he’s still rounding into shape as a college athlete. He probably needs another year or two to compete for playing time. Keep an eye on him next year for sure.

Kevaris Thomas

As a 6'4" and 250 pound true freshman, Thomas comes into the QB room with SEC linebacker size and length, a quarterback’s arm. The highest rated recruit (four-stars with 247 Sports) to ever sign out of high school for the Toppers, he’s got the buzz around him as the next great WKU quarterback. In my experience at WKU football, it was incredibly difficult for a true freshman to come in and steal a job. Kawaun Jakes couldn’t do it. Doughty couldn’t do it. If Kevaris does start, he’s either the clear best option, or there’s no competition. Topper fans, if he starts, let’s hope he’s incredible.

The Horse Trainer

Without doubt, Coach Sanford has recruited and coached some of the better quarterback and running back talents in recent memory. Jay Ajayi, Andrew Luck, Mike White, Brandon Doughty, Kevin Hogan, Deshone Kizer, and Christian McCaffrey provide a sparkling laundry list of great players directly coached and/or recruited by Mike Sanford. He has significant bowl game experience, including last year’s Cure Bowl appearance with WKU.

What does he really bring to the table? When I was with the program in 2010, I was his quarterback manager. Kawaun, Brandon and Matt Pelesasa were the QB’s at the time. Kawaun was just coming off of his redshirt freshman year, where he didn’t have great stats, but showed promise and was a good, tough game manager. Doughty was a true freshman and Pelesasa was new, a JUCO transfer.

First of all, he played a part in bringing Brandon Doughty and Pelesasa to WKU: That alone is a testament to his recruiting ability, and he has passed the test as far as bringing in good QB prospects in his first two years as a head coach. Three of the five on the roster are his recruits already and two of them look to be legitimate prospects.

In 2010, Coach Sanford was 27 years old. At 27, he was polished enough to not only be in the college football coaching scene but be good enough and effective enough to be a pretty good position coach at the Division I level. Impressive. Frankly, I think his strength is not individual coaching. I believe he is solid, but when we analyze Jeff Brohm’s strengths and weaknesses, perhaps recruiting players above expectation was not a strength. Yet his X’s and O’s were mind-blowing.

Sanford was not somebody who sharpened his players by brilliant coaching drills. He was laid back and a little weird. For example, he looked at the sky on a dreary late September day, looked at Pelesasa (who was from northern California) and (in a thick surfer dude accent) says, “Perfect bay weather, dude.” He turned to Coach Raymond Woodie on Valentine’s Day and says (again in a surfer dude accent), “Hey cuz. Where you taking your Valentine tonight? I’m taking mine to Mariah’s!”

But he was likable and we went to work every day. I think he ultimately coached Kawaun, Brandon, and “Pile of Salsa” to improvement. Kawaun cut out some of his devastating blunders. He ultimately ended up being one of the most prolific passers in WKU history.

Doughty was able to take a step from a weird freshman to being in a position to nearly steal Kawaun’s job as a redshirt freshman. Pelesasa ended up being a viable backup to Kawaun by the end of the season, despite barely seeing the field. Sanford moved on to Stanford and continued his meteoric rise in the ranks, running to Boise State and Notre Dame before ultimately coming back to the Hill.

Ultimately…

Mike Sanford knows what he’s doing. I knew him when he was younger (27) than I am currently (28). He had some rough edges and needed to grow up just like I do (just ask my wife about me). But ultimately he’s rounded himself out. He has experience being more than just a position coach. He’s got a learning curve still ahead of him in terms of managing the program, developing a culture, and some other details of head coaching. Without doubt, he’s organized, and to his credit, he really does know how to sell himself. Being a coach’s son, he knows how to play the game and be an upset pick to lead a program a year or two early. Good for him. I’m not going to hold it against him.

When you watch Mike Sanford, you’re getting pretty average game strategy and management and more straight-laced offensive production. Some of that issue will dissapate within a year or two of being a head coach.

He is not going to be as flashy and fancy as Brohm. Get over it. RIP school record breaking.

However, you’re also getting a guy who’s going to absolutely recruit above expectations and land some guys that would never be expected under previous head coaches. You’re going to get a really physical mentality and a run-first philosophy. The defense is always going to be really good. He likes pro style, under-center offense. He likes the idea of a versatile quarterback. If you look back at 2017, he won’t be afraid of throwing out two quarterbacks if he has to or wants to.

Ultimately, his dream while at Western would be for WKU to be the next Boise State. He was the starting quarterback at Boise right before they hit the big time against Oklahoma in 2007. He would always talk about Boise, and much of his staff comes from experience at or related to Boise State. It only stands to reason that is what he is trying to build at WKU. Why would he not want to model a young Group of Five program after the most successful of them all?

The strategy will become more sophisticated, and the experience will increase as he goes along. I wouldn’t worry about his work ethic, his ability to recruit, his character, or his ability to work with people. What remains to be seen is whether he can piece it together and build his superior recruiting into a product on the field Topper fans can swell with pride about.

Give the man a chance to get dug in with the Tops, and I believe we’re going to see a meteoric rise. You can’t teach talent, and he’s bringing it in like jobs to an economy. If they sold it, I’d buy some Topper stock right now.

As we go through this week and watch our quarterback articles roll out, think about the impact Sanford might have, who he might want to see be the leader of the team, and maybe the difference he could make in each of these quarterbacks and running backs going forward.

Personally, we’re into camp and it brings back memories. I can’t wait to see how this season turns out. Could they surprise us? Could it possibly be a disastrous year? Will the Tops find a way to a bowl game? Does the team get on board with Sanford? Or does it derail? Can’t wait. Let’s see how this unfolds. It should be fun.