Georgia Southern quarterback competition has slotted a starter recruited for the role

Georgia Southern had opened the 2021 football season with questions at quarterback, and the position was unsettled with five different players getting turns over the course of a 3-9 campaign.

The Eagles' new head coach, Clay Helton, apparently took away any suspense for the 2022 season opener with his introduction of Kyle Vantrease as the team's starting QB at a media event Tuesday.

Not that it was a surprise. Vantrease had taken snaps with the first string since arriving on campus as a transfer from the University of Buffalo in January and worked with them during a busy first half at the annual spring game.

He was recruited by Helton and new offensive coordinator Bryan Ellis as a veteran player to line up under center when there is a large experience gap in the quarterback room and a new playbook to install.

"I think in starting each program, you have to start right from the quarterback position," Helton said Tuesday during his first appearance as Georgia Southern's head coach at the annual Sun Belt Conference Media Days in New Orleans. "It was so imperative for us to be able to garner somebody like Kyle."

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Georgia Southern's depth at the position has been tested. The most experienced QB, Justin Tomlin, was recruited to run an option offense. He left the team after the 2021 season.

The player regarded as the future of the program as a true freshman last fall, strong-armed lefty Cam Ransom, competed this spring before entering the transfer portal. He signed with McNeese State.

The only QB on the roster now with starting experience as an Eagle is redshirt sophomore Connor Cigelske. Helton's 2022 recruiting class includes freshmen David Dallas and Zak Rozsman, while sophomore transfer Richie Lankford also is among the ranks.

While Helton introduced as starters the two GS players with him in New Orleans — Vantrease and sixth-year defensive end Dillon Springer — the coach also reiterated that the team will release a two-deep lineup each Friday on game weeks. The competition to start is renewed each week.

For now at least, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Vantrease has earned the nod going into fall practice starting Aug. 3 as he enters his sixth and final season of college football.

Vantrease had spent five seasons at Buffalo, and primarily as the starter the past three before seeking a change of scenery. With an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA to student-athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic, Vantrease "bet on himself" and entered the transfer portal in December.

After visiting Statesboro with his parents and meeting the coaches, the Ohio native transferred to Georgia Southern in January.

"The quality of talent was evident on the tape," Helton said. "I've already seen him lead Buffalo to a (Mid-American Conference) championship football game. But more importantly, when he came on campus, you got to meet him and his family, the quality of person that he is, the quality of character that he has. The quarterback has to be the example of what you want a Georgia Southern Eagle to be on a daily basis. That he lives to a standard in his life, not only on the field but most importantly off the field."

The coach said that Vantrease, who made 26 starts for Buffalo, brings a professionalism along with his arm talent. As for the latter, Vantrease appears to be a good fit for the Eagles' new offense which Helton and Ellis have said is breaking from the program's traditional run-heavy attack to more balanced scheme.

"We will still be a physical, inside-the-tackles run team, but part of being at this level is being able to push the ball down the field vertically," Helton said.

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The good hands people

When he was hired in early November, he witnessed in person three games and determined the Eagles needed to be better at passing the ball. And it wasn't because of a lack of skilled pass catchers.

"I was very surprised, and I think Kyle was, too, that there were already great receivers on the team," Helton said. "They didn't get the opportunity to touch the ball much, but there were some really quality receivers the world is going to get to know this year and we were pleasantly surprised with that and looking forward to being able to use them."

Instead of letting the defense limit his play calling, Helton wants to be proficient at both the run and pass and force the issue. If the opponent loads the box to stuff the run, "We'll throw it over your head," he said. If the defense puts more bodies in pass coverage, "We'll run the ball with some really talented running backs and be able to take what the defense gives us."

For Vantrease, who expects the Eagles to be an explosive offense that's fun for both the players and the fans watching, the team is not reinventing the wheel. Asked about the transition from one system to the next, he said the hardest part is the difference in terminology.

"Schematically, football is football," Vantrease said. "You're going to run a lot of the same plays, the same concepts, whether it's run or pass. It's the terminologies, understanding the philosophy and what your coach is thinking and where he wants to call certain plays against what coverages, what you're trying to look for."

Nathan Dominitz is the Sports Content Editor of the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow.com. Email him at ndominitz@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @NathanDominitz

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Kyle Vantrease named Georgia Southern football starting QB