Freshman quarterbacks biding their time on the sidelines

When star freshman quarterback Morgan Newton arrived on campus, there were plenty of questions about how UK would use him in his freshman season.

Even after fall camp and four games, most of those same questions still linger. Newton may or may not redshirt this season. There is also a chance he could play this weekend against South Carolina.

Freshman quarterback Ryan Mossakowski, left, will redshirt this season. Fellow freshman Morgan Newton’s status is still up in the air. Photo by Britney McIntosh | Staff

“There’s always a chance,” Newton said. “You never know what happens. You’re always a couple plays away, so you never know what can happen. You just have to try to be ready, prepare yourself as if it’s going to happen.”

UK head coach Rich Brooks said on Monday it was unlikely Newton would play this season “unless something drastic happens,” even though he would not rule out the possibility. For now, he is sticking with junior Mike Hartline at quarterback.

At this point in the season, Newton has not progressed as quickly as UK coaches would have hoped. Brooks still feels good about the future of the quarterback position, but is worried about throwing a freshman into the mix without a solid supporting cast.

There has been no discussion among the coaches about replacing Hartline, Brooks said.
That leaves Newton in the same limbo he has been in since he arrived.

“They said there’s still a possibility that I could be redshirted depending on what happens,” Newton said. “You just got to expect the unexpected and take it how it comes.”

One player who is sure of his role this season is freshman quarterback Ryan Mossakowski. Entering the season, it was widely assumed that Mossakowski would sit the season out and take a redshirt. Even Brooks acknowledged that was the most likely scenario before the season.
Mossakowski confirmed those rumors on Tuesday.

“I found that out about a game in,” Mossakowski said. “So I’ve known for a little while, about a month. It’s not bad, not bad at all. I’m glad I’m getting redshirted.”

Mossakowski will work to bulk up and rebuild his arm strength after shoulder surgery this past offseason. He said he thinks UK coaches decided to redshirt him immediately instead of Newton because they liked Newton’s athletic ability.

Mossakowski will see most of his action as a quarterback for the scout team as it prepares the defense for upcoming opponents every week.

By redshirting Mossakowski, the coaches feel they are giving him the best opportunity they can to help him succeed — the same reason why they will not throw Newton into games before he is ready.

“We just need to make sure that they’re getting every opportunity to be successful when they go in there,” Brooks said. “And if it happens they have to go in, maybe before that time, so be it. But at this point it doesn’t make a lot of sense to do that.”

For his part, Newton acknowledged he needed to work on almost “everything” about his game. He said he is trying to learn as much as he can in practice everyday while showing the coaches he can help the team.

But for now, he’s not even sure if he has any control over whether he plays or redshirts.

“To be honest, I don’t know if it has anything to do with me,” Newton said. “(The coaches are) just evaluating the things that happen on the field and they feel like Mike’s the best quarterback to help us win right now.”