TicketsCINCINNATI – University of Cincinnati football coach Luke Fickell is in no hurry to name his starting quarterback for the Aug. 31 season opener at Nippert Stadium against Austin Peay.
Fickell said Thursday that the competition between junior Hayden Moore and sophomore Ross Trail is very much alive despite Moore's decided advantage in experience. And although the two quarterbacks have had all of spring practice and summer workouts to separate themselves, in many respects it's just beginning.
"We sat down together two days ago, both Hayden and Ross and coach (Mike) Denbrock (offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach) and just said, 'OK, this is the way we're gonna go about things," Fickell said. "We want you guys to continue to compete. We want you guys to continue to push one another. There'll be no confusion. There'll be no what-ifs. We're going to communicate with you guys and ultimately one of you guys is going to be the starting quarterback. Whoever that is, I want you guys to respect it and the other guy to continue to push him and say we've got to do this thing together and make each other better."
Fickell told the two quarterbacks there's no designated time for making a decision and promised that they would be the first to know when the choice is made.
"Those guys will know before everybody else," Fickell said. "That's the most important thing to us is to let those guys in the locker room know, those two or three guys that are competing for the position. We want them to know that we're all on the same page and we've got great communication with each other so that ultimately whoever that guy is, the other guy is every bit as important to his growth, to our growth and everything we do this entire season."
Moore said he appreciates the straightforward approach.
"It really was a good conversation," he said. "They were telling us that they were going to be completely clear with what's going on. They're not going to talk behind our backs about anything. If there's something we need to know about the position, we're going to know. We're really in this together. We're both competing. It makes both of us better on the field and off the field."
Moore, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound junior from Clay, Alabama, was named UC's starter last year coming out of training camp, but missed five games due to an ankle injury. He completed 146 of 255 passes for 1,744 yards with 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He finished the season on a strong note, completing 20 of 37 passes for 371 yards and three touchdowns at Tulsa. He played in eight games in 2015 as a redshirt freshman including two starts.
Trail, a third-year sophomore from Wynne, Ark., was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school. The 6-foot-3, 224-pound Trail played in four games last year and made two starts. He was 25 of 38 for 276 yards vs. Miami (Ohio) with two interceptions. For the season, he was 46 of 70 for 494 yards with one touchdown and a troubling six interceptions. He's considered a better runner than Moore.
"It's close because of both of their ability to lead," Fickell said. "Right now maybe Hayden's got a little bit better grasp of throwing the ball, but there's some other things that Ross does too."
Drawing conclusions based on spring practice, Fickell said, was difficult because both quarterbacks were learning a new offense, in Moore's case his third in three years. The summer was for both to display their leadership skills. Now the next few weeks, especially the two at Higher Ground beginning Saturday, will tell the tale.
The good news is that Fickell said he's seen dramatic improvement from both of them over where they were last spring.
"It's exciting coming out here in the fall and knowing every single play and being able to throw the ball where I want to on time," Moore said. "It feels good. Really knowing the offense has given me a boost."
Whenever the decision is made, Fickell said, it won't be based solely on who can produce the best numbers.
"Some guys expect the quarterback to throw for 400 yards," Fickell said, "that they don't have a good game if they don't throw for six touchdowns and 400 yards. That's not the objective. There might be some of those days, but the guy that can manage the game and make everybody around them better and accept responsibility and blame even when it's not there's, that's the guy we want."
Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years – 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer – before joining the staff of GoBearcats.com in January 2015.
Fickell said Thursday that the competition between junior Hayden Moore and sophomore Ross Trail is very much alive despite Moore's decided advantage in experience. And although the two quarterbacks have had all of spring practice and summer workouts to separate themselves, in many respects it's just beginning.
"We sat down together two days ago, both Hayden and Ross and coach (Mike) Denbrock (offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach) and just said, 'OK, this is the way we're gonna go about things," Fickell said. "We want you guys to continue to compete. We want you guys to continue to push one another. There'll be no confusion. There'll be no what-ifs. We're going to communicate with you guys and ultimately one of you guys is going to be the starting quarterback. Whoever that is, I want you guys to respect it and the other guy to continue to push him and say we've got to do this thing together and make each other better."
Fickell told the two quarterbacks there's no designated time for making a decision and promised that they would be the first to know when the choice is made.
"Those guys will know before everybody else," Fickell said. "That's the most important thing to us is to let those guys in the locker room know, those two or three guys that are competing for the position. We want them to know that we're all on the same page and we've got great communication with each other so that ultimately whoever that guy is, the other guy is every bit as important to his growth, to our growth and everything we do this entire season."
Moore said he appreciates the straightforward approach.
"It really was a good conversation," he said. "They were telling us that they were going to be completely clear with what's going on. They're not going to talk behind our backs about anything. If there's something we need to know about the position, we're going to know. We're really in this together. We're both competing. It makes both of us better on the field and off the field."
Moore, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound junior from Clay, Alabama, was named UC's starter last year coming out of training camp, but missed five games due to an ankle injury. He completed 146 of 255 passes for 1,744 yards with 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He finished the season on a strong note, completing 20 of 37 passes for 371 yards and three touchdowns at Tulsa. He played in eight games in 2015 as a redshirt freshman including two starts.
Trail, a third-year sophomore from Wynne, Ark., was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school. The 6-foot-3, 224-pound Trail played in four games last year and made two starts. He was 25 of 38 for 276 yards vs. Miami (Ohio) with two interceptions. For the season, he was 46 of 70 for 494 yards with one touchdown and a troubling six interceptions. He's considered a better runner than Moore.
"It's close because of both of their ability to lead," Fickell said. "Right now maybe Hayden's got a little bit better grasp of throwing the ball, but there's some other things that Ross does too."
Drawing conclusions based on spring practice, Fickell said, was difficult because both quarterbacks were learning a new offense, in Moore's case his third in three years. The summer was for both to display their leadership skills. Now the next few weeks, especially the two at Higher Ground beginning Saturday, will tell the tale.
The good news is that Fickell said he's seen dramatic improvement from both of them over where they were last spring.
"It's exciting coming out here in the fall and knowing every single play and being able to throw the ball where I want to on time," Moore said. "It feels good. Really knowing the offense has given me a boost."
Whenever the decision is made, Fickell said, it won't be based solely on who can produce the best numbers.
"Some guys expect the quarterback to throw for 400 yards," Fickell said, "that they don't have a good game if they don't throw for six touchdowns and 400 yards. That's not the objective. There might be some of those days, but the guy that can manage the game and make everybody around them better and accept responsibility and blame even when it's not there's, that's the guy we want."
Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years – 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer – before joining the staff of GoBearcats.com in January 2015.