FAYETTEVILLE — There’s a three-man race to back up starting quarterback Austin Allen at Arkansas.
Sophomore Rafe Peavey, redshirt freshman Ty Storey and true freshman Cole Kelley are fighting to win the No. 2 job. The competition notably doesn't include redshirt freshman Ricky Town, an absence that became apparent in Saturday's scrimmage, while Kelley being in the race at this point at this point is intriguing.
Peavey was the No. 2 quarterback in the spring, but is still working to fully recover from minor back surgery last month. Storey performed well in Saturday’s scrimmage and has a year in the system now. Kelley’s raw talent has him in the conversation.
None of them have separated themselves from the pack.
“We’re trying to start to dwindle it down,” offensive coordinator Dan Enos said. “Guys have a couple more days. …. Very inconsistent play from all of them, to be perfectly honest, but all of them have done some things that we’ve been excited about, too, so we’ve got to just continue to put them in situations.
“The hard part is our starter hasn’t played a lot of football, so we can’t take the reps away from him.”
All three quarterbacks worked with the backups in Saturday’s scrimmage. Storey looked comfortable and in command, finishing 5 of 5 for 62 yards and a touchdown. The Charleston native appeared to be the No. 3 quarterback in the spring, but could very well wind up being the backup if he steps up.
Peavey was 3 for 3 for 27 yards in the scrimmage. He’s admittedly not gotten back to where he was before the surgery. He’s healthy, but hasn’t regained his mobility, arguably what sets him apart from the others in the competition.
Kelley had the most up-and-down day, finishing 5 of 12 for 116 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He flashed his impressive arm strength — easily the best on the team — on several occasions, rifling balls downfield with ease. Enos spoke glowingly and at-length about him whenever asked Wednesday.
“He’s got elite arm talent,” Enos said. “He’s got great arm strength. He makes a lot of wow-you throws, but he also has a pretty good understanding knowledge of offense and he understands defenses. He has good anticipation and he’s very poised. Even if he doesn’t make a play, he hasn’t gotten rattled — which is a good and bad thing, mostly good.”
Kelley still figures to be a prime redshirt candidate unless injury disaster strikes at the position. He needs to learn the nuances of the position and his form, particularly his footwork, needs to improve.
“Upper body, he’s very good,” Enos said. “Lower body, he’s poor. And I’m probably being nice. I’m not telling you anything I haven’t told Cole. He’s much better than he was day one, but he’s certainly a guy that hasn’t had a lot of underneath center, rhythm drops, passing game, footwork 101 stuff, so every day is really something new for him.”
But Kelley’s ceiling appears very high. With Allen a near-lock to start the next two years, Kelley’s elite physical makeup makes him an intriguing long-term option at the position. He may be the most gifted quarterback on campus.
“He’s just got a little something to him,” Enos said. “When we scrimmage and do team stuff, he just seems to elevate his game a little bit. He seems to find the right guy to get the ball to on most occasions. He’s got a lot of good, natural, instinctive characteristics that a quarterback needs to possess and obviously with that arm talent, it makes things even easier for him.”
Town was the only one of the scholarship quarterbacks to not work with the first-or second-team offenses in Saturday’s scrimmage. Instead, the USC transfer completed both of his passes for 13 yards with the developmental group. He has ground to make up to figure into any future races moving forward.
Town was the first quarterback to be essentially knocked out of the backup race. He won’t be the last as the Sept. 3 opener with Louisiana Tech creeps closer.
“You are waiting for a guy to jump out and say, ‘Hey, this is me. This is where I want to be. This is what I want to do,’” coach Bret Bielema said.