UCF offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey is just as curious about the Knights’ quarterback battle as fans are.
“For me, quarterback-wise where will this pecking order fall? I’m sure it won’t be answered until the fall I guess, but who knows,” Lindsey, who also serves as the quarterbacks coach, said.
Lindsey is hoping to see a big step taken by the quarterbacks — sophomore Mikey Keene, senior John Rhys Plumlee, freshman Thomas Castellanos and redshirt sophomore Parker Navarro — in the final 6 practices of spring camp before the team departs for the summer.
“Not to say they haven’t improved [since the start of spring] — you’d like them to take a big step, where that way in the summer during captains practice they can lead them and they know what they’re doing,” Lindsey said. “Then in the fall, it’s not like we’d have to repeat the basic things.”
Keene and Plumlee, a transfer from Ole Miss, have taken the majority of snaps with the starters in spring camp but Castellanos, an early enrollee from the 2022 signing class, has shown some flashes as the quarterbacks rotate.
One big difference between the three quarterbacks is that Plumlee had played wide receiver his final year at Ole Miss. Lindsey said Plumlee has grown tremendously throwing the ball again in UCF’s 9 spring practices.
“I think now you’re getting into the details of playing the position, like seeing different [defensive] fronts and different coverages, making sure we get the protections right and the RPO game, and just the little details of everything,” Lindsey said.
“The more he’s that, the better he’s going to get,” Lindsey added. “That’s kind of probably where he’s missed the most but at the same time, he’s a quick learner and he’s sharp.”
While Plumlee has the ability to use his legs more than Keene — having caught 19 passes for 201 yards in 2021 while also rushing 9 times for 72 yards as a receiver — Keene has more experience making 10 starts under his belt at UCF.
“You can tell Mikey’s played in this offense,” Lindsey said. “You can see that in the way he handles himself, his demeanor and the way he handles communication. He doesn’t have to think as hard about some things.”
Added Lindsey: “He’s pretty much going to be able to make the right decision most of the time.”
While Keene might have the upper hand on the playbook, Lindsey pointed out one negative attribute.
“For him, it’s just sometimes speeding up the decision,” the UCF coach said.
Then there’s Castellanos — who hasn’t even attended his high school senior prom yet. Lindsey had high praise for the freshman quarterback.
“The growth he’s had coming from high school is just tremendous,” Lindsey said. “I told him walking down the hallway, from all of the early enrollees I’ve been with in the past, he’s right up there at the top from a standpoint of growth and maturity.”
Of course, the quarterback battle isn’t the only remaining question Lindsey wants to find an answer to in the remaining spring and into the fall.
UCF is still looking to find the combination for the offensive line — a unit that lost multi-year starters Cole Schneider and Marcus Tatum but added Virginia transfer Ryan Swoboda and Jacksonville State transfer Tylan Grable to the mix.
“We’ve got some talent there for sure, but what combination works best? This guy here or there? Coach [Herb] Hand does a great job at that,” Lindsey said.
The UCF offensive coordinator feels confident about his side of the ball but still is putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
“Overall I think it’s just us getting the right combination of guys,” Lindsey said. “Figuring out what guys do the best and trying to get them in those spots as many times as you can.”
Email Jason Beede at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @therealBeede.
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