The official and expected announcement came down Tuesday early evening from head coach Ed Orgeron.
LSU will begin the season with fifth-year senior Danny Etling as its starting quarterback, ahead of true freshman gunslinger Myles Brennan, who Orgeron made mention closed camp “a very close” second at the most important position on the field.
Now the operative question is how long will that remain the pecking order?
This time a year ago hardly anybody outside the LSU football inner circle believed Etling would overtake incumbent starter Brandon Harris. Yet, after a dismal start to the season, the Purdue transfer quickly ascended to the top spot on the depth chart and ended up the clear right choice down the stretch of the 2016 campaign.
For that reason – the fact that anything can happen and it’s dangerous to get stuck in assumptive ways, and because onlookers this Fall Camp report Brennan has an NFL-caliber arm, it might be safe to mark Etling’s status down in sand, not concrete.
Not to knock Etling, who last fall completed 59.5% of his passes and started 10 games despite a bum back. His experience on this stage warranted Tuesday’s decision, and it’s my belief Etling deserves to start out the game versus BYU.
“It’s a tremendous feeling and honor, and I won’t let my team down,” Etling told local reporters on Wednesday.
A student of the game who’s persevered plenty during his extended collegiate career, Etling will take the role seriously and do his best to guide Matt Canada’s offense in year one.
Just don’t count out the kid who showed up about a month ago from Mississippi by the time things are said and done. At the very least, perhaps LSU will develop its quarterback of 2018 during in-game situations in 2017.
All things are possible during a new era of purple-and-gold football on the bayou.