The battle to follow Shedeur Sanders as Jackson State's quarterback has surprise contender

Jackson State football coach T.C. Taylor knows the decision he makes about the starting quarterback is probably as important as whom he chose to marry. For the past two seasons, the Tigers had the comfort of having record-setting Shedeur Sanders at the position.

Sanders transferred to Colorado and Taylor is hedging his bets on Jason Brown, the graduate transfer from Virginia Tech. The real story in the quarterback battle during the spring game Saturday was not Phillip Short, Zy McDonald (who did not play) or Brown but little-used and mentioned Greyson Thompson, who stole the show. Thompson's performance loudly declared he should be in the conversation to start against South Carolina State in the season opener Aug. 26.

Here is a look at how all four quarterbacks fared in the Blue and White scrimmage.

Jason Brown

It is obvious the coaches prefer Brown, who started with the first team and ran a majority of the snaps during the spring game, including in the 7-on-7 drills and red zone packages. Brown showed leadership and maturity as he checked out of plays at the line of scrimmage and directed running plays away from the blitz.

Brown called time out when there was confusion after coaches were slow to send in a play. Brown's numbers were good: He was 5-of-9 passing for 120 yards with one touchdown and one interception. But he was sacked three times.

"We wanted to see what he could do in this kind of situation," Taylor said of Brown. "We wanted to see what kind of leader he is. He's a veteran and he is a one-and-done guy. He has one year to go out there and kind of show us and the world what he can do on a big stage. We ask him to step up and be a leader, we expect him to grasp the offense, which he has done. He has been doing a good job."

Phillip Short

Short had a rough day, going 4-for-10 for 26 yards and getting sacked four times. He also fumbled the ball twice. He was the second quarterback to play in the offense vs. defense scrimmage, and had the second-most snaps behind Brown. Short seemed to rally during the red zone period.

Greyson Thompson

Greyson Thompson went against the first-team defense and not only surprised fans but stole the show. The Tigers seemed to rally around him on his first series when he audibled at the line of scrimmage and threw a slant to a wide receiver on the side of a blitzing linebacker for a 35-yard gain.

Thompson played with confidence and just let the ball go. He was clearly the dominant quarterback and played himself into an opportunity to be the starter in preseason camp by throwing for a touchdown and dominating in the 7-on-7 and in the red zone drills.

Thompson was 5-of-6 for 87 yards with a touchdown and two sacks.

"He's just been fighting for his time," Taylor said of Thompson. "He comes and talks to me all of the time. I just tell him to be patient and when you get those opportunities get out there and take advantage of them and let it fly. I thought he made a great throw to Kobe Paul today for a touchdown."

Zy McDonald

Zy McDonald did not play because he tweaked a hamstring in practice, Taylor said.

"He had been aggravating the hamstring a couple times early in the spring practice," Taylor said. "So he just got mental reps today."

One thing came out of the Blue and White game, and that was Jackson State has a starting quarterback going into preseason practice. Brown will open as the starter with a battle for the No. 2 spot among Thompson, Short and McDonald.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: How Jackson State football's quarterback race stands after spring game