QB Sweepstakes

Josh Bean

I suppose I could try to build up to something here and leave the elephant in the room for last.

But when assessing each unit of the Columbia Football team for 2018, it's silly to waste any time not focusing on the one position that is the biggest question and key for the season.

Quarterback.

Of course, that was the case at this time last year as well. It was clear that Anders Hill '18 needed to have a good year, or the Lions wouldn't go very far.

Hill didn't just have a good year stats-wise, but he came through time after time in the clutch en route to an 8-2 season. He also wrapped up his career as a starter with an 11-7 won-lost record, putting him atop the list for any Columbia QB with more than five starts in a lifetime.

Some part of Hill's success came from his unique ability to throw the deep ball, making Columbia the only team in the Ivies with a consistent long ball attack. 

I mention that because the decision on who gets to start as CU's QB this year may come down to who wins a debate over arm strength vs. heart.

The Lions were in the running for Florida transfer QB Jake Allen most of the spring. But he chose to go to Dartmouth instead.

That leaves the job squarely between sophomores Josh Bean and Dillon Davis. 

Bean has a lot of advantages in this race, thanks mostly to the heart he showed all season as the specialist QB in goal line situations. Bean was successful every single time in those situations, running for eight TD's and throwing for another. A few of those TD runs came on crucial 4th down situations, including two of them in the dramatic win over Penn.

In the spring, Bean also impressed with his throws and he was generally strong through the air in the spring game. The coaches seem to really believe in him too.

But don't count out Davis. His arm is strong and he showed good scrambling ability in the preseason scrimmage last year.

Dillon Davis in 2016

For most of Head Coach Al Bagnoli's career, he's utilized something of an 80/20 QB shuttle program where one QB gets almost all the snaps, but is given a rest for at least 2-3 possessions per game. He's tried to do that at one point or another almost every year here at Columbia, but injuries and other factors have made it impossible to do so consistently.

Bean's running ability and Davis' pocket passer skills seem perfectly fitted for that kind of a shuttle system this season.

If I had to bet on it right now, I'd say Bean is in the lead to either be the full starter or at least the "80" in that 80/20 QB job sharing agreement we could see this fall. But we really have to at least wait until the preseason coaches conference call before we get a better idea of what to expect.

One thing we do know is that Columbia will struggle mightily if the QB position is a weakness in 2018. Worse, the extraordinary talent at the wide receiver would likely be wasted for an entire season.

It's really "success or bust" for the Lions at QB this fall.