Three Southeast Missouri State QBs compete for starting job

Southeast Missouri State football coach Tony Samuel said he's not sure who the Redhawks' starting quarterback will be.

While some might regard that as a problem, Samuel sees it as a luxury.

According to Samuel, the Redhawks have no less than three capable signal callers who he would feel comfortable putting on the field for the Aug. 29 season opener at Southeastern Louisiana.

In fact, Samuel doesn't rule out the possibility of using more than one quarterback at various times this year.

"At this point, you've got to keep every option open with all the weapons you have on your team," said Samuel, whose squad is entering its second week of fall camp. "I don't know how it's going to unfold, but it would be nice to make sure they all contribute."

Junior Kyle Snyder and sophomore Scott Lathrop appear to be the frontrunners for the starting job, with sophomore Blake Jackson also in the mix.

"I think we're fortunate to be in this situation. We've been in situations before where we only had one quarterback. It's never good to be in that situation," Samuel said. "They all bring something athletically, they're all multi-dimensional."

Snyder, a native of Barberton, Ohio, suffered a season-ending knee injury nine days into fall camp last year.

That came after Snyder, a 6-foot-1 and 216-pound transfer from FBS Ohio University, had an impressive 2012 spring and firmly established himself as the Redhawks' starting signal caller.

"It was a tough deal when Kyle went down, but he's bounced back very well," Samuel said. "He looks good."

Lathrop, from Warrenton, Mo., made the most of his opportunity last year after Snyder's injury.

Lathrop was by far Southeast's most pleasant surprise in 2012 as he earned Ohio Valley Conference freshman of the year honors, becoming the first Southeast player to win that award since it started in 2004.

Lathrop, who previously had not taken a collegiate snap -- he redshirted during his first season at Southeast -- rushed for 824 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns. He completed 91 of 158 passes (57.6 percent) for 1,025 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions.

Lathrop, much smaller than Snyder at 5-foot-10 and 177 pounds, was among 20 finalists for the Jerry Rice Award which goes to the FCS national freshman of the year.

"He did a great job. You couldn't have asked more than what he did," Samuel said.

While Snyder and Lathrop have a leg up for the starting job, Samuel warned not to count out Jackson, who displayed plenty of potential in limited action as a true freshman last season.

Jackson, a 6-foot, 191 pounder from Houston, Texas, saw action in eight games, completing 4 of 9 passes for 36 yards and a touchdown. He ran for 119 yards and one TD on 30 carries.

"We had to play him as a true freshman, but he did a very good job and showed us a lot," Samuel said.

All three signal callers hope to show Southeast's coaching staff plenty when the Redhawks hold their only scheduled fall scrimmage at 9 a.m. Saturday at Houck Stadium.

Whether Southeast's quarterback picture becomes any clearer after that remains to be seen.