(Photo via Matt Venezia/WCSN)
During Thursday’s media availability, Arizona State head coach Herm Edwards named redshirt junior quarterback Emory Jones the starting quarterback for ASU.
“The starting quarterback going into opening day will be Emory Jones,” Edwards said. “We’ve got nine practices left, so as we close in on the opening game of the season, obviously a lot of things get honed in on your opponent, offensively and defensively, and we’re kind of getting into that mode.”
In addition to Jones, six other quarterbacks battled for the starting job. Redshirt junior quarterback Paul Tyson and redshirt junior quarterback Trenton Bourguet took many reps with the first offensive group during fall camp, appearing to be the two closest opponents to Jones. Freshman quarterback Bennett Meredith, redshirt quarterback Finn Collins and redshirt sophomore quarterback Daylin McLemore were also in competition for the starting job.
“This is always the hard part for coaches in college football because you have so many guys who’ve been competitive all year. Now you got to worry about guys dressing,” Edwards said. “[The] Pac-12 rule is when you go on the road, you only get to dress 74. How many are you gonna dress at home? How many are going to be in the polo shirts? This is always the hard part right now. When you talk about how many guys will actually dress on game day, we generally dress them all. For Arizona, that’s always been the history that has been agreed by both parties. But now going forward, I gotta determine what guys are gonna dress, what guys gonna be a polo shirt?”
When Jones transferred to Tempe after spring practices, many believed he was the front runner to win the job, which is how the situation played out.
Jones spent the 2021 season with the Florida Gators, leading the program to a 6-7 record and 2-6 in the SEC. Jones completed 64.7 percent of his passes, throwing for 2,734 yards and 19 touchdowns. The biggest critique of Jones’ games is his interception rate. In 2021, Jones threw 13 interceptions, tying him for third-most across the country.
