2019 Fall Camp Preview: Quarterbacks

2018 was mostly a mixed bag for the Panther quarterback position. JUCO transfer Danterious Ellington took over the starting job for the graduating Conner Manning – and while he put up impressive stats on the ground and led the team in rushing yards, it never quite came together for Ellington and his receiving group. 2018 saw the Panthers average passing yards per game fall 62 yards per game from 270 to 208. On the other hand, the Panther running attack was much improved from the year prior, led by a strong running back group as well as smart decision-making from Ellington when plays broke down. A late season injury cost him the opportunity to eclipse 3,000 all-purpose yards but, all things considered, Dan had as successful a 2018 season you can have when the team finished 2-10.

This fall, the quarterback position is fairly set as Ellington will be under center on August 31st in Knoxville. The back-up QB position should look very different, as Aaron Winchester, Jack Walker, Swift Lyle, and Jaquez Parks have all left the program. With these departures, the only other scholarship QB currently on the roster is true freshmen Cornelius Brown. Things were always going to be precarious for the Panthers if Ellington missed any time due to injury, and the flurry of transfers doesn’t help that. The Panthers

The 2019 offense will come down to Ellington’s continued improvement (and continued good health) and how well the offense takes to new offensive coordinator Brad Glenn. Glenn has experience working with mobile QBs, and if the mostly returning rushing attack from a year ago can remain productive, there is no reason to believe the Panthers won’t be even better than they were last year.