Illini look for new QB, Scheelhaase stands out
CHAMPAIGN -- Illinois coaches say Juice Williams' successor at quarterback has not been settled yet -- but it sure sounds like there is a leading candidate.
"He's a redshirt freshman, (but) he might be one of our best leaders out here," offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said after practice this week. "Some people have that certain thing about them, and he has it."
Petrino, the new coordinator brought in from Arkansas, is talking about Nathan Scheelhaase.
The quarterback who led Illinois for two games last season, Jacob Charest, entered spring football a few weeks ago with an edge on Scheelhaase and true freshman Chandler Whitmer.
Whitmer appears to have dropped back to a clear No. 3 ahead of Saturday's spring game in Champaign. Coach Ron Zook and other coaches are all quick to note that the college game is faster than what Whitmer, a strong-armed recruit from Downers Grove, Ill., is used to.
That leaves Scheelhaase, who isn't the most polished passer of the three but who is almost certainly the best runner, and Charest, more of a passer than a runner.
Based on their performance so far, who has the edge?
"Depends on the day," Zook said. "Nathan has done a pretty good job here in the last two scrimmages, but, you know, Jacob's done some things as well."
Charest, a sophomore from North Carolina, and Scheelhaase, who is from Kansas City, Mo., say the competition is a friendly one, and one they're enjoying.
However things turn out, the Illini will enter next season without Williams on the roster for the first time in four years. His departure after his senior season left Illinois looking for its next quarterback and the team's second straight losing season had its own fallout.
Offensive coordinator Mike Schultz was fired, one of a raft of Illinois assistants cut loose last December after a loss to Fresno State left Illinois with a 3-9 record.
Petrino insists he's in no rush For Illinois to name a starting quarterback for the Sept. 4 opener against Missouri -- that's almost five months away, after all. But he doesn't shy away from his praise of Scheelhaase.
"Yeah, he's got a fire and a spirit about him that you love," Petrino said. "The way the kids rally around him; the day the quarterbacks are live, the way he'll finish a run.
"You know when someone has that," Petrino said. "He has it."
Scheelhaase hasn't played a down in college, but said he's ready to move on Saturday from the practice to something that's at least a little like a game.
"You get out there in front of a crowd, get in your jersey and everything, kind of just getting in that tempo of a game," he said.
For his part, Charest said changes in the offense that Petrino has made suit him.
Petrino's offense includes the huddle -- a 180-degree departure from the no-huddle Illinois has run virtually every play the past few seasons. It will also include two-back sets and fewer three- and four-wideout sets, another big change from the one-back formations Illinois leaned heavily on behind Williams to pilot its run-oriented option.
Charest started one game and played in three others last fall, completing 28 of 56 passes for 382 yards and two touchdowns. But he wasn't entirely comfortable running the old offense.
"The offense the last couple of years has been more kind of quarterback run, spread it out quite a bit," Charest said. "This is more pro style -- drop back, play-action bootlegs. It's definitely more my style."