As UCF heads into the final days of preseason camp, the competition continues between Brandon Wimbush, Quadry Jones and Dillon Gabriel. Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby spoke about the battle following Friday's practice.
Is the quarterback competition becoming a little more clear?
"We're not quite there yet. Today was a big day. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. Once we finish out camp, then Sunday, get in here, continue to review things and look at the whole body of camp and make a decision hopefully at some point. But we'll be ready to go regardless."
Did guys make improvements from scrimmage one to scrimmage two?
"Absolutely, absolutely. All three of those guys have made great improvement, really have, when you think about it all the way through spring ball and all the way through the summer, fall camp. Now we're two scrimmages in and we've got a lot of situational ball in, so you get to put them out there and let them play. They've done a good job."
In that second scrimmage last Tuesday, did you see any of the QBs take a step forward?
"I saw execution. Guys understanding what we're trying to get done every single snap every single situation. That's what we saw early offensively. We got into some situational things later in the scrimmage that weren't as clean for us. But we were just a lot cleaner. We operated it at a standard that we're trying to operate at."
What have you seen from Brandon Wimbush's footwork?
"Yeah, Brandon has done a good job. He's put a ton of work in, but from a body position standpoint, it's still a work in progress every single day to create consistent throws and create consistent body positions. But he's doing that more every single day. I'm proud of him."
Off the field, when you're talking about these guys in the meeting rooms, what have you seen in how they're handling this competition?
"Complete buy-in. They've been selfless. They really have. I'm proud of them. We've got a hell of a group. We really do. Guys have done a great job. We'll continue that."
Where have you seen the most improvement from Brandon Wimbush maybe from spring to now? Are there areas in his game that he's really elevated?
"Yeah, just what we just got through talking about. Just from a body position standpoint, creating consistent throws every single day. He's worked on that and there's been great, great improvement."
How has his short and medium passing accuracy been?
"Yeah, he's got things to clean up but we all do. That's the goal. That's why they call us coaches. We're trying to get to a point to where we're going to operate at a high standard and a high level and get done the things we're trying to get done. You know, so he's got things to clean up, but he's not the only one in that boat."
At some point, you'll have to identify a QB No. 2? What will that decision come down to?
"The way we view that is, whoever is in the game, needs to operate at a high level. We've got high standards of how we're gonna play offensively. I don't care who's in there, who's taking the snap, we're gonna have a guy that's gonna get it done."
How is Dillon Gabriel adjusting to his first camp? He's a freshman, first time he's dealt with a grind like this.
"He's done a good job. There hadn't been any huge lulls, which is outstanding. He's an 18-year-old kid, first time going through this real grind for him and there hadn't been any lulls. That's what's been really good."
Do you have a timetable on when Darriel Mack can come back or start throwing?
"We don't. He can do some stuff throwing wise as he's static. We don't really have a timetable. But he's done a good job from a rehab standpoint. Hopefully a little bit ahead of the game, but we'll see how it plays out."
Have you ever been through a quarterback competition like this? Is this as close as it's been?
"It's been a long time, 2008 (at Baylor). It was Robert Griffin and Kirby Freeman. It ended up really well."
[Robert Griffin III went on to win a Heisman Trophy]
Was it really close?
"It was."
What are you seeing from Quadry?
"He does a good job executing. He's clean. He's clean mentally. He's clean with his footwork. He's throwing a great deep ball right now and playing playing fast."
What's McKenzie Milton's role through this process?
"KZ has been great. He's got great insight on how to play the game when they're out there. He's great in the meeting room. He's great on the field and been really, really good for all the guys."
Where will KZ be during the games?
"He was in the box for the first scrimmage. He was on the field for the second scrimmage. So as we work through it, we'll kind of see what fits best and go from there."
From now until the decision, what is going to win this job?
"Guys that are gonna have predictable outcomes. We want to call plays and know what's gonna happen before it happens. And whoever does that, continues to do that, is going to be the guy that ultimately walks out there on the 29th."
When you have to give out the bad news to whoever is not going to be the starter, what will be your message?
"Continue to do what you've done. That's it. These guys have worked at a high level. They've done a great job competing every day. So if they'll continue that trend, it's all about making the room as good as we can make it. I think we got guys that are bought into that and they'll do that, whoever walks out there the first day, the other two will continue to work at a high level."
How do you temper your quarterbacks' mindsets not to get too rattled?
"You're always dealing with that stuff, especially with guys that haven't played on a Saturday afternoon in front of a bunch of people. So you never know how it's going to end up until you truly walk out there. We try to work through that every single day. We try to put them in high-stress situations every day in practice, to make it hard on them. We feel like if we can make it as hard as possible, in practice, it will calm down for them in the game and I think we've done that fall camp."
Whoever it will be will be a first-time starter at UCF, how much does the surrounding talent on offense help that guy, whoever it's going to be?
"It helps a bunch. We've got great football players. I've been saying that since the very beginning in this whole thing, back in really January. We've got great players, so that's going to take stress off those guys. We're going to get it to playmakers, play fast and play really well."
How does it feel to have a dashing, handsome young Greg McCrae in the back field with your quarterbacks? (asked by Greg McCrae)
"Appreciate you, Greg. Love you, buddy."
