Nick Starkel embracing competition with transfer to Arkansas
With his decision to transfer to Arkansas, Nick Starkel shows he’s willing to embrace competition for the starting job.
It’s spring practice season in college football, and another quarterback has announced his transfer destination. Nick Starkel announced his intention to transfer from Texas A&M in January, and on Monday night he announced on Twitter that he’s headed to Arkansas.
Starkel was Texas A&M’s starting quarterback start the 2017 season, but a broken ankle in the season opener sidelined him until the final four games.
He ended that season on a high note, with 499 passing yards in a bowl game loss to Wake Forest, but he lost the starting job to Kellen Mond and played in just five games last season.
Starkel is scheduled to graduate from Texas A&M in a few months, so he’ll be eligible immediately as a grad transfer with two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Ohio State, Arizona, Duke, SMU and Florida State were all rumored landing spots for Starkel, but he decided on Arkansas before even taking a visit to Tallahassee.
Starkel is the second grad transfer quarterback Razorbacks head coach Chad Morris has landed this offseason. Ben Hicks arrived in Fayetteville from SMU, where he started two seasons (2016 and 2017) under Morris.
He left SMU as the Mustangs’ all-time leader in passing yards (9,081) and touchdowns (71), and had 33 touchdowns through the air (ninth in FBS) running Morris’ offense in 2017.
It’s important to note Hicks has one year of eligibility left, while Starkel has two. Ty Storey (nine starts) and Cole Kelley (three starts) offered lackluster play under center last season, and both have announced decisions to transfer.
So Morris has managed to upgrade and restock depth at the most important position on the field, while pretty much securing his starting quarterback for each of the next two seasons.
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In any competition for the starting job this year, Hicks is getting the important head start of spring practice to go along with his previous experience running Morris’ offense. But Starkel gets credit for embracing the competition, even when he’ll enter it late, rather than running from it.