Kansas State's Quarterback Battle: The Long Shots

Four quarterbacks entered fall camp with a chance to win the starting QB job for the Kansas State Wildcats. Alex Delton, Jonathan Banks, Jessie Ertz, and Joe Hubener all have strengths and weaknesses, and it's time for Bring on the Cats to examine these four players and predict who has the best shot at winning the starting job. First up are the two long shots, Alex Delton and Jonathan Banks.

Jonathan Banks- Sophomore (Contra Costa College, JUCO)

Jonathan Banks was the last addition to the 2015 recruiting class, committing to Kansas State back on May 19th as the #1 dual threat JUCO QB in the country. Banks immediately joined the quarterback carousel as his highlight video below shows a strong dual threat quarterback. Some compared Banks to a Michael Bishop style player, although he doesn't appear to be quite as polished.

Banks aquitted himself well at Conta Costa completing 140 of his 235 attempts for 1992 yards, and 17 touchdowns. He was a little loose with the ball though, as he threw 9 interceptions which puts his TD to INT ration just a bit below 2 to 1. The biggest knock against Banks is how late he joined the program, putting him far behind the other players in terms of grasping the playbook. I would expect Banks to run with the third string team, and occasionally play in the Wildcat.

Alex Delton- Freshman (Hays High School)

Bill Snyder sure does love dual-threat quarterbacks, and Delton was the best in the state last season. An early commit to Kansas State, Delton graduated high school early so he would be able to enroll at Kansas State in the spring, and be able to play in the spring game. This allowed him to get involved early with the play book, and it paid off with a solid spring game performance. Delton lead all players in rushing with 73 yards on 10 carries, and although he only completed 3 of his 12 attempts for 22 yards, he just missed on a 60 yard down field throw. The performance was good enough to warrant our very own WaggsCat to proclaim his desire to see Delton as the starter this fall.

That, however, appears to be a long shot as Bill Snyder traditionally favors playing more experienced quarterbacks who will limit mistakes over younger, potentially more explosive/talented players. That being the case, I fully expect Delton to redshirt this season in order to maintain his four years of eligibility and compete next year, for the starting job. Delton appears to have the skill and talent to make a huge impact for the Wildcats, given an extra year of seasoning in Snyder's offensive system. Below are his senior year highlights to give you a taste of what Delton brings to the table.