Baylor names starting quarterback after preseason battle

Following a long preseason quarterback battle for the starting spot, the Baylor Bears have named their starter going into the season. The starting position on the depth chart has been earned by junior Gerry Bohanon.

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Baylor’s starting quarterback battle is over

Gerry Bohanon will begin the season as Baylor’s new starting quarterback. The fourth-year junior was in a contested preseason battle for the starting spot and has earned the job of leading Baylor against Texas State in their season opening game.

The competition for starting quarterback was a three-way battle involving Bohanon, third-year sophomore Jacob Zeno and redshirt freshman Blake Shapen.

Bohanon will be replacing former Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer, who transferred to Utah during the offseason. The Bears ended with a disappointing 2-7 record last season with an offense ranked near the bottom of the nation.

When Bohanon originally committed to Baylor, it was big news for the Bears. Bohanon entered his college career as a four-star prospect, widely regarded as a dual-threat quarterback.

“Bohanon is a big-framed dual-threat quarterback who projects to the FBS and Power Five conference levels,” Gabe Brooks of 247 Sports wrote in 2017. “He runs well for a quarterback of his size, and he’s a high-production player at the high school level. Bohanon can improve his release point/consistency, but an encouraging aspect of his game is his touch when needing to lead receivers to certain spots. Bohanon is raw, but big and talented, so there’s plenty of potential in his game.”

New quarterback for a new offense

Bohanon’s experience with the team might have given him an edge, but he will be leading a new Baylor offense ran by offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes. The offensive coordinator was the head of Brigham Young University’s offense from 2018 to 2020. His work made him a finalist for the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach last year.

Grimes directed a high-powered offense at BYU, which finished its season ranked in the top 15 in 10 different statistical categories. Among the national rankings, BYU ranked third in scoring with 43.5 points per game, seventh in total offense with 522.2 yards per game and eighth in passing offense.

BYU quarterback Zach Wilson was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy under Grimes’ leadership, and posted an incredible 196.4 passer rating. While Bohanon may be an entirely different player, Grimes’ track record with offenses means good news for his quarterback.