Spring practice over, but Troy still a long way from deciding on a quarterback

The Trojans wrapped up their first spring practice under head coach Chip Lindsey on Saturday with the annual T-Day game but it is still unclear who the 2019 starting quarterback will be.

Lindsey divided the four scholarship quarterbacks he had available into two groups during the spring game. Junior Sawyer Smith and redshirt freshman Gunnar Watson were given the first and second teams while sophomore Jacob Free and true freshman Gavin Screws were given the rest.

Last year’s opening week starter, senior Kaleb Barker, was held out as he continues his recovery from the knee injury he suffered against Georgia State in 2018.

Troy arguably has the Sun Belt’s busiest quarterback room, so let’s set the stage for the spring practice finale.

Barker started the first six games of the season, completing a hyper-efficient 73 percent of his throws. Smith started the next seven, throwing for 1,669 yards. Watson made two appearances, throwing for 45 yards on just 3.8 yards per attempt.

In an unconventional recruiting maneuver, former coach Neal Brown signed two quarterbacks during the early signing period. Junior college product and former Vanderbilt signee Free and early enrollee Screws joined the team for winter workouts.

That makes five scholarship quarterbacks and Lindsey has been left to sort through them.

After five weeks and 15 practices, Lindsey has an idea of who will be the primary contenders and who could use some time to grow.

“(During the spring game) we repped Sawyer (Smith) and Gunnar (Watson) with the first group and Jacob (Free) and Gavin (Screws) with the second group,” Lindsey said after the spring game. “That’s going to continue to run its course throughout the fall camp.”

It’s important to note just how highly Lindsey values Watson and the growth he’s made in his first collegiate spring training period.

“He may be the most improved out of the five,” Lindsey said.

Watson attributes his quick improvement to the level of comfort he feels at Troy and within the offense.

“I’m way more comfortable out here now,” Watson said. “I know the people around me, I know I can execute and it’s just a lot easier for me.”

Playing behind and learning from Barker and Sawyer for a year have also been a plus, both on and off the field.

“They’ve backed me since I got here,” Watson said. “They’ve been teachers and I’ve learned a lot from them.”

Watson had a team-high 148 passing yards in the spring game. He also threw a touchdown pass to receiver Luke Whittemore on a drive that saw him complete all six of his pass attempts.

Though Barker has been limited, he’s still worked in one-on-one’s and 7-on-7 drills. Come fall, Barker will likely be let loose within the system as the quarterback battle hits the final stage.

That battle will have a very different feel to it than last year’s, as Lindsey narrows his focus on three different players who are capable of taking the first snap against the Campbell Camels on August 31.