Was it a good idea for Vanderbilt to take away Kyle Shurmur's redshirt?
In the SEC, starting a true freshman quarterback can be a wild and bumpy ride. This is not a learn-as-you-go type of league, with athletic defenders and complex schemes ready to eat a kid alive.
That’s why starting a freshman is rarely done. When it happens, it is usually out of necessity.
Necessity is exactly what prompted Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason to insert his prized freshman quarterback recruit into the lineup midway through the season. Sophomore Johnny McCrary was turning the ball over at an alarming rate through the first six games, and the Commodores sported the league’s worst turnover margin because of it.
With the Vanderbilt defense playing well enough to win games – and Mason surely feeling the pressure to produce in his second season – inserting Shurmur into the lineup seemed like the best solution to solve the Commodores’ quarterbacking problems.
But was it the right move for the long-term health of the program?
Here’s a look at Shurmur’s game-by-game production after receiving word in October that he would not be taking a redshirt season:
OPPONENT (W/L) | COMP/ATT | PASS YARDS | TD/INT |
---|---|---|---|
Missouri (W) | 10/20 | 89 | 0/0 |
at Houston (L) | 3/11 | 20 | 0/1 |
at Florida (L) | DNP | DNP | DNP |
Kentucky (W) | 13/26 | 166 | 2/0 |
Texas A&M (L) | 3/12 | 19 | 0/1 |
at Tennessee (L) | 15/34 | 209 | 3/1 |
Let’s analyze the decision to play Shurmur and use up a year of eligibility in a down year.
Pros to playing Shurmur
- He can now enter spring practice with a working knowledge of the offense in live action. Running the scout team during practice for the duration of the season would not have allowed for that.
- Likewise, he’ll be working in the spring with a solid idea of the speed and deception of a SEC defense. No matter how much you try to replicate it in practice, there is no replacing the real thing.
- He has film of himself to watch. As the son of an NFL offensive coordinator, Shurmur is no stranger to the film room. Having something to look over with his coaches and his father during the offseason is sure to be a constructive activity.
- Shurmur had his best game of the season during his final game, which can be a positive going forward. The Commodores may not have won, but it does leave Shurmur with something to have confidence about. And we all know that quarterbacks are nothing without confidence.
- From a coaching perspective, it gives Mason and offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig a better idea of what their long-term outlook may be for the position. That will impact recruiting, future play-calling, potential transfers and a host of other decisions.
Cons to playing Shurmur
- He was clearly overwhelmed at times. Completing just 42.7 percent of his passes was evidence of that.
- It didn’t help the Commodores win. Vandy had close games against Missouri and Kentucky, but those wins were more because of the defense more than anything Shurmur did. It could make some wonder if this wasn’t a wasted season.
- Ludwig admitted to simplifying the playbook for Shurmur because he wasn’t yet comfortable with the full menu. The Commodores offense needed more wrinkles to deceive defenses, not less.
- If he does end up as the Commodores’ long-term quarterback, a partial season in a losing year will cost him a potential extra season in 2019 as a redshirt senior.
- Any bad habits that were developed out of adaptation for survival during the season will be hard to break in the offseason. This was not high school football and it could have a lasting impact on the way he plays in a negative way.
Was it the right decision?
Yes, I think so.
Despite his struggles, the Commodores now have the opportunity to plug Shurmur into the starting quarterback role in the spring and try to move forward with some stability after two years of pure chaos. If he hadn’t played, they’d be looking at another quarterback competition without game film on Shurmur, with the hope that he’d survive as a redshirt freshman taking his first snaps next fall. Not having to deal with that is worth the investment of a half season on the front end of things.
The argument that it may have cost the Commodores a quality redshirt senior season from Shurmur is valid, but Mason and his staff need success in the near term before they’re able to even think about being in the position of having to deal with a lost season from Shurmur in 2019.
In other words, they’ll burn that bridge when they get there.