Coach Ed Orgeron announced Tuesday that senior Danny Etling will be the Tigers starting quarterback in the season opener against BYU.
Through spring practice, summer workouts and most of fall camp, Orgeron left the competition at quarterback open.
While Etling had been the clear leader all along, freshman Myles Brennan was given the opportunity to take the starting role.
“We made a decision to announce Danny as our starting quarterback.,” Orgeron said at a press conference. “Danny did a very good job for us, it was very competitive, he’s handled the daily competition well.”
In April, Etling underwent a minor back surgery which Orgeron said made a difference in his performance and set Etling apart from the other quarterbacks.
“After the surgery [he] came back [and] he must have worked throughout the summer night and day,” he said. “He was prepared. I think the competition helped him get better. Matt [Canada] feels like he is throwing the ball better since his operation.”
Last season, Etling led the Tigers to an 8-4 record, throwing 2,123 yards with 11 touchdowns.
Etling earned his role as LSU’s starting quarterback against Jacksonville State during the 2016 season and remained the Tigers go-to guy for the remainder of the season.
However, Etling’s position was up for grabs once the season had ended with talents behind him like redshirt sophomore Justin McMillan, freshman Lowell Narcisse and Brennan.
Brennan stood out amongst the rest and during the Tigers second scrimmage, took some first team snaps putting Brennan even closer to the starting position.
“We knew [Myles] was going to be a good player. There were some things he did beyond my expectations, but he was still a freshman. A freshman coming to LSU, especially being a quarterback, it’s a big stage it takes a while to get used to that. Myles went through a phase that he had to get used to it, but he did.”
Orgeron said that if Etling does not perform to his standard, he has no issue putting Brennan in, officially making the Bay St. Louis native the backup quarterback.
With the season opener in less than two weeks, Orgeron made the announcement to give the team confidence moving forward.
“I just wanted to make sure Danny knew that I believed in him. I think it is important that the quarterback knows that the head coach and the coordinator and the team believes in him. We spend two weeks knowing, ‘Hey man, you are our guy, let’s go.’ I think he’s going to play better.”
