Kansas State Wildcats: Jesse Ertz Named Starting Quarterback

By Leigh Oleszczak | Sep 2, 2015

The Kansas State Wildcats have chosen their starting quarterback for the 2015 season, and it’s Jesse Ertz out of Burlington, Iowa.

The Kansas State Wildcats have their first game of the season this Saturday, and they’re putting their trust in Ertz. Ertz beat out three other candidates for the starting quarterback gig in Manhattan, and head coach Bill Snyder has complete faith in his guy, according to Kellis Robinett of The Wichita Eagle.

"“We want a balanced quarterback,” Snyder said. “That is our ideal thing, to have the guy who can run it, throw it and make good decisions, provide leadership, process information – all those things are vital to that position. He covers the entire spectrum.”"

Kansas State had Jake Waters under center for them the past two years, and it was a huge question mark as to who the main guy would be this season. Ertz stood out though, and now the redshirt sophomore will get his chance to showcase his talents this Saturday against South Dakota.

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Ertz was with the Wildcats last year, serving as the team’s third-string quarterback behind Waters and Joe Hubener. Hubener was competing for the starting job this year as well along with Jonathan Banks and Alex Delton. He doesn’t seem to be too bitter about not winning the job though, at least not according to Robinett’s article.

"“Jesse earned it outright,” said Hubener, listed as the co-backup along with Delton. “He was the most consistent day in and day out. He performed incredibly well throughout camp. He deserves it.”"

The Kansas State Wildcats have underperformed the last few seasons. They’ve posted winning records, but never seem to make it to the bigger bowl games. This year, the Wildcats will have their work cut out for them, as one of their non-conference opponents is against Louisiana Tech. LA Tech is certainly not a school to sleep on, and it’ll only be the third game of the season.

Ertz will be yet another mobile quarterback that K-State has under center. Jake Trotter of ESPN noted that Ertz can’t exactly shake off defenders, but he has enough speed that will make defenders nervous. He also won a state championship in track during his high school days.

Trotter also mentioned that Ertz wasn’t the favorite for the starting job, but showed potential as the off season progressed.

Hopefully Jesse Ertz is a reliable quarterback for the Wildcats, and can lead Kansas State to the College Football Playoffs.

Next: Jordy Nelson Out For Season

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