More than a few people, myself included, are of the mind that CAL is a proven QB away from being the top dog in 2A this year. Had Austin Carr remained a Centurion, they'd be my personal #1 in the class. They've got an abundance of size and talent...

 

- All-around superstar Milton Wright, one of the top recruits in the country.

 

- Goliath bookend OTs in John Young (6’6”, 300 lbs with offers from UK, UofL, Tennessee, and Purdue, among others) and Stingray Miller (6’8”, 280 lbs).

 

- Running back Brandt Babin (6’1”, 200 lbs), CAL’s leading rusher last year as a freshman.

 

- DE/OG Austin Collins (6’4”, 260 lbs with offers from WKU and Ball State).

 

- Linebacker Luke Paulson (6’3”, 200 lbs), brother of Minnesota TE Jake Paulson.

 

- Cornerback Elijah Smith (recently received his first offer from Morehead State)

 

Those are just the ones I can name off the top of my head.

 

CAL’s QB issues last year were well documented. They were a different team without their chief signal caller. Coming into this season, the QB position at CAL remains an unknown. With all due respect to Mayfield (BGP's #1), DeSales, and Danville, I submit this question to the masses... With all of the talent on Coach Lefors’ squad, is serviceable QB play the lone missing ingredient from making CAL the favorite in 2A in 2018?

With talent like that, you don't even have to have a proven quarterback. Just someone who gets the game and doesn't make lots of mistakes could take a loaded roster like this a long way.

 

Mayfield is my favorite in 2A, but I'm definitely open to believing this team could beat just about anyone.

 

2A looks to be fun to follow this year.

With talent like that, you don't even have to have a proven quarterback. Just someone who gets the game and doesn't make lots of mistakes could take a loaded roster like this a long way.

 

This was proven, to an extent, to be true last year when Wright started at QB for a few games. As great as he is, he wasn't a true QB and didn't have the reps/experience to pick right up where Austin Carr left off. He tossed 4 interceptions in the surprise loss to NewCath and was 6/14 for 47 yards and an interception in an ugly loss to DeSales. Several weeks later, Carr was back under center, Wright was freed up to do his usual thing, and CAL reversed their prior result against the Colts. Carr didn't have a great game vs. DeSales by any stretch, but just having his steady hand and experience back there made such a huge difference.

To answer the question I think we have to sit back and watch the QB play the first few weeks.

 

Coach LeFors is a self-proclaimed QB Guru so I expect CAL to have a lot of depth at QB every year or something isn't as it seems at CAL.

To answer the question I think we have to sit back and watch the QB play the first few weeks.

 

Coach LeFors is a self-proclaimed QB Guru so I expect CAL to have a lot of depth at QB every year or something isn't as it seems at CAL.

 

That's a good point. I found it a little odd that when their QB was out for several weeks last year, they had to move Wright out of position. You'd think with Lefors' background he'd have had a capable backup ready to step in to at least manage the game.

Is the other Babin kid not playing anymore?

I think as long as Wright doesn’t have to play QB and they have someone who doesn’t turn the ball over then they have a really good chance at winning 2A. So I guess my answer to the question is yes, but they don’t need a great QB just a smart one.

...they don’t need a great QB just a smart one.

 

Well said. We might be wise to take their first couple of games/results with a grain of salt but with all of the talent on that team, finding a quarterback that doesn't hurt you early and improves as the year progresses is likely enough.

Is the other Babin kid not playing anymore?

 

He's listed on their roster. Is he a QB?

He's listed on their roster. Is he a QB?

 

They both were LB at one time, and both were used as more HBack players in the past.