Kyle Shurmur named Vanderbilt starting QB

The Vanderbilt Commodores are one of the worst teams in the SEC and they haven’t had a ton of luck on the field since former head coach James Franklin left to take the job at Penn State. However, they are looking to turn things around this year and quarterback Kyle Shurmur is ready to lead them.

On Tuesday, head coach Derek Mason spoke with the Nashville Tennessean and let them and the rest of the country know that Shurmur will be his starter going into the 2016 season. He made no bones about his decision to start the rising sophomore.

“I want to just say this: We have a clear-cut one and a clear-cut two,” Mason said. “Kyle Shurmur is my clear-cut starter.”

Over the first few years of Mason’s career with the Commodores, there has been some question entering the season about who would be the starting quarterback. He wants things to be much different this year.

“We’re not going to enter into the season like we did my first year — talking about multiple quarterbacks,” Mason said. “There is a (starter) and a (backup). That’s it. That’s how firm I’m going to be. That’s how firm I need to be. I don’t need us to get distracted by a quarterback controversy.”

Mason showed his confidence in Shurmur near the end of the 2015 season when he said that he believed they found a starting quarterback for the future.

This was after the true freshman threw for a career-high 209 yards and three touchdowns against in-state rival Tennessee.

During the 2015 season, Kyle Shurmur, a former four-star recruit, threw for 503 yards and five touchdowns against three interceptions in six games for the Commodores. Vanderbilt opens the 2016 season on Sept. 1 against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

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2016 Rimington Trophy watch list
2016 Rimington Trophy watch list