Logan Smothers

Mavric said:
Logan seems to be quicker and Haarberg has the bigger arm. 

I think a lot of people are jumping to a lot of conclusions that Frost is changing a lot of things about how he recruits.  They claim he changed to recruit bigger linemen even though his first class had three OL that were 6-6 or taller.  They claimed he was changing to recruit bigger backs but the commit we just got is 5-11, 185.  They claimed he was recruiting taller, more pass-first QBs.  Frost specifically said that how tall the QB is isn't really a priority.  He talked about how he's had success with all different kinds of QBs.

So I think the talk is overblown.  I think they find the guys they like best that they can get interested in coming to Nebraska.  Some are a little better at one thing and others are a little bit better at something else.  Verdu specifically said Smothers is a little inconsistant in his release point.  It was something they knew coming in and had worked on it but then it cropped up again this spring.  He doesn't expect it to be an issue going forward but it sounds like that was the source of a lot of the "struggles" Smothers had this spring.  

But from all accounts Smothers runs the offense very well and is pretty accurate.  So I think the comments that he is the odd man out are premature.  It could still end up being the case but I think it's far from decided at this point.
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Good summary. Thanks for the additional info.

 
As far as speed goes, from what I've heard Smothers's best asset there is that he's quick and shifty in the pocket, avoiding the rush well. A 4.5 40 is what I've heard, too. Not quite as good on the deep ball as Haarberg or Martinez, but good accuracy and just about automatic within 10.

Biggest problem for him is just limited development time. More time is spent developing guys farther back on the depth chart during spring and fall camps, while during the season itself most of the focus is on getting the top two guys ready for that week's opponent. But last year we didn't really get a spring camp and fall screwy too. Verduzco pretty much alluded to this and said Smothers came in this spring kinda cold and regressed on some things they'd worked on in fall camp, but should be OK on as he gets more reps.

 
Switching to the backup quarterback spot, Frost said that battle has been “exciting to watch.” He shared that Logan Smothers has a quick mind and is getting balls to the right players at the right time, while Heinrich Haarberg is “really talented.”

 
My impression from practice reports is that Smothers is ahead, but Haarberg might be progressing faster. Smothers is probably a lock for #2 to start the season, but it might not stay that way forever...

 
Toe said:
My impression from practice reports is that Smothers is ahead, but Haarberg might be progressing faster. Smothers is probably a lock for #2 to start the season, but it might not stay that way forever...
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I would think that Haarberg would have to be obviously better for him to be listed as the #2 on the depth chart.  If it's anywhere close, you pretty much have to list Smothers or he'd likely leave.

As to who would actually go into a game if needed, I agree that I still think it's Smothers at this point.  He just seems to be able to run the offense better at this point.  Probably doesn't have the big arm but if you're in that situation you're looking for a guy to hold down the fort and not lose the game.  I'm not sure either is ready to go out there and carry the team at this point.

 
Mavric said:
I would think that Haarberg would have to be obviously better for him to be listed as the #2 on the depth chart.  If it's anywhere close, you pretty much have to list Smothers or he'd likely leave.

As to who would actually go into a game if needed, I agree that I still think it's Smothers at this point.  He just seems to be able to run the offense better at this point.  Probably doesn't have the big arm but if you're in that situation you're looking for a guy to hold down the fort and not lose the game.  I'm not sure either is ready to go out there and carry the team at this point.
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Smothers if he needs to drive. Haarberg if its a hail mary.

 
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I'm more than curious who will be the #2 and how soon one of them move on.  My guess is that one of them will be gone after the season [probably Smothers].  That whole QB position is gonna be almost vacant in another year.  Hopefully Martinez materializes this year and then stays around through next year so we can get in a few more QB's.  It looks like we will need a transfer who is a capable starter next year as I don't see anyone being here or being developed enough to start.

 
I think the prototype for Smothers is McKenzie Milton. If you can make good reads and make quick, smart decisions he could have a ton of success in this offense without a big arm. He is extremely athletic so he could still be very dangerous I just hope he’s not McCaffery 2.0.  Haarberg reminds me of Josh Allen. Big, strong arm and pretty athletic but he is obviously very raw. In my opinion he has an NFL ceiling but will take years to develop. If he beats Smothers out, Smothers most certainly transfers so he’s probably QB3 no matter what this year. In years past I’d be very concerned about depth but in this day and age if we need a QB we will almost certainly hit the transfer market and at minimum get somebody decent. Hopefully we have some success and Adrian shows out and we can get a big time QB like Raiola for 2023.

 
One thing I still don’t like is we still haven’t established an offensive identity. If Smothers comes in we are probably going to adjust our offense vs if Haarberg comes in. Wisconsin, Iowa, and Ohio State don’t have to adjust their offense for their QB’s. That being said Torres resembles Haarberg much more than Smothers. Could be coincidence that the best guy they could get two years in a row are big athletic guys with strong arms or maybe they’ve figured out those kind of QBs will be better suited in the B1G. I think this is the case and they actually prefer Haarberg’s skill set if they believe he can make the correct reads/decisions. 

 
Farms said:
One thing I still don’t like is we still haven’t established an offensive identity. If Smothers comes in we are probably going to adjust our offense vs if Haarberg comes in. Wisconsin, Iowa, and Ohio State don’t have to adjust their offense for their QB’s. That being said Torres resembles Haarberg much more than Smothers. Could be coincidence that the best guy they could get two years in a row are big athletic guys with strong arms or maybe they’ve figured out those kind of QBs will be better suited in the B1G. I think this is the case and they actually prefer Haarberg’s skill set if they believe he can make the correct reads/decisions. 
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"Offensive Identity" is a red herring - a euphemisism for "we aren't good enough".

What would you say is Clemson's "offensive identity"?  What about Oklahoma?

 
I think the offensive identity will look much like the offense in the last few games of last season, run heavy. The upgrade will come with the receiving corps. I really think NU's receivers are going to give defenses trouble if 2AM is as settled down as we're hearing.

 
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