The Stanford University football team (3-9, 2-7 Pac-12) began its first day of spring practice on Monday. Players wore helmets and participated in live drills, but tackling was prohibited.
Heading into spring practice, head coach Troy Taylor said there will be competition for starters in each position group, including quarterback.
“You want to have as many good quarterbacks as possible and let them compete. They're going to bring out the best in each other,” Taylor said. “I thought all of our quarterbacks were in control today.”
In this practice session, all quarterbacks on the roster got the same number of reps, Taylor said.
“There's no need to rush to judgment on the first day,” Taylor said. “I hope you see them progressing and getting better and not making the same mistakes twice. I hope by then we'll see someone come along.”
No matter who the QB is this season, they will have one of the top receiving tandems in the country in third-year wide receiver Eric Ayomanor and sophomore wide receiver Tiger Bachmeier.
Ayomanor told the Daily that he has more confidence heading into this season after having a great season last year. He also said he wants to perfect his route running this offseason.
“I want to be able to play fast, but I also want to be creative,” Ayomanor said. “Now that I understand the playbook better, I can be a little more free with my routes.”
After spending a year with Taylor, Ayomanor is confident he can take the next step toward becoming a stronger team offense.
“We've been in the offense for a year, so we know how the offense works and we're starting to understand it a little bit more,” Ayomanor said. “The ease of play and speed of execution on offense is much better. It's the smaller details that we can focus on right now. Once we get better at those details, we can be more effective and efficient.” You will be able to carry out more aggressive attacks.”
According to Bachmeier, one of the most important things for receivers this offseason is building chemistry with the quarterback room.
“I love the quarterback room,” Bachmeier said. “There's a really good atmosphere when we're watching movies together. I don't know if there's ever a time when we're not there laughing and having a good time.”
The first practice also gave the receivers and running backs a chance to show off their speed.
“After the first practice, we were able to show some speed,” Bachmeyer said. “We're giving our receivers more and more opportunities to show off their speed on the routes we're putting in and new plays.”
Questions remain about the quarterback room and offensive line, but Taylor feels the confidence level of his players has increased heading into his second year.
“The guys that are new here are still learning, but I think overall their confidence is growing,” Taylor said.
