JONESBORO — Blake Anderson prefers an uneventful spring practice, one in which every job is settled and no time is spent deciding on who deserves the next rep.
“We love the boring, ‘We’ve got a starter and he’s the guy and everybody knows he’s the guy,’ ” Anderson said.
But that’s not what he’s said so far during his third spring practice with Arkansas State, particularly at quarterback.
With the departure of Fredi Knighten, who exhausted his eligibility last season, much of this spring has been spent on paring down a race that started with four quarterbacks. Anderson and firstyear offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner said after Monday’s practice that it’s down to three — James Tabary, Justice Hansen and Cameron Birse — but that doesn’t mean they’re any closer to naming a starter.
Faulkner expressed frustration Monday that one player hasn’t emerged as a favorite. He hopes to have a clear top two contenders after the April 15 spring game at Centennial Bank Stadium.
“Consistently inconsistent,” Faulkner said of the quarterback play. “One day it’s one guy, one day it’s the next guy. One drill it’s this guy, another drill it’s that guy. There’s ability in all of them. They all do some good things. We’ve got to eliminate the bad things.”
Tabary, a sophomore-to-be who started three games last season while Knighten was injured, continues to take the first snap in most drills. He said it’s hard to get a rhythm with so many vying for the job, but he feels a difference between this spring and last after completing 65 of 105 passes for 788 yards with 4 touchdowns and 6 interceptions last season.
“Tempo of the game, man,” Tabary
said. “When I got out there against USC, I was like ‘Oh my gosh, this is fast.’ And then over time I was like ‘Oh, this is easy now.’ Get on my reads fast. I’m not worried about the D-lineman or how fast they’re coming.”
Tabary said coaches aren’t providing much information about who is leading in the race, but he said his goal in the spring is to “win the job, definitely.”
To do so he’ll have to beat out Hansen, who transferred in January from Butler County (Kan.) Community College after starting his career at Oklahoma, and Birse, who Faulkner called a surprise in the spring.
Anderson and Faulkner said they’re impressed by Hansen’s mobility, which can mask mistakes as he learns a third offensive system in three years.
Hansen, a four-star recruit by Rivals.com in 2014, signed with Oklahoma, where his father had played baseball. He spent two spring practices and one season there but transferred last summer while in a crowded group behind Trevor Knight and Baker Mayfield.
After spending last season at Butler County, Hansen said he partly chose ASU over Iowa State because he had watched the Red Wolves play midweek Sun Belt Conference games, and an ease with which Anderson explained to him the offense.
“It just seemed like he knew what he was doing on offense,” Hansen said.
Anderson said Hansen is “more athletic than you would expect” and “very calm.”
“Sometimes too calm,” Anderson said. “Sometimes I feel like he’s about to fall asleep back there.”
Birse has been at ASU the longest, after signing in 2013 under former Coach Bryan Harsin. He was third string last season behind Knighten and Tabary and has thrown only four career passes.
“I think he is a really, really arm-talented kid,” Faulkner said. “Very smart. His biggest thing is just being consistent. That’s the biggest thing with Cam.”
That could be said about all three of them, Faulkner said. With three quarterbacks — redshirt freshman D.J. Pearson is the fourth — vying for the job, it’s hard to give one player the reps needed to get comfortable. But that will play out over the next week, starting with Friday’s scrimmage at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
“Right now, none of them are getting the reps that they need because we need somebody to separate themselves so they can get those reps,” Faulkner said. “It’ll happen. It takes time. They’re learning some new things. But, they’re all good. They’re all good players and excited to have them.”
Three-man race
ASU is spending this spring trying to find a starting quarterback. James Tabary has the most experience after starting three games last season, but junior Cameron Birse and transfer Justice Hansen, who started his career at Oklahoma, are also competing for the job.
PLAYER C-A-I PCT. YARDS TD AVG./G
James Tabary 54-105-6 61.9 788 4 98.5
Cameron Birse 4-4-0 100.0 37 0 4.6
Justice Hansen 163-211-3 77.3 1,694 12 188.2*
*Hansen played last season at Butler County (Kan.) Community College