New UCF quarterback Brandon Wimbush will get his shot to earn starting job

ORLANDO, Fla. >> New UCF quarterback Brandon Wimbush will get an opportunity to earn the starting job when the Knights begin spring practice in March, according to head coach Josh Heupel.

Heupel said Wimbush, who joined the program as a graduate transfer from Notre Dame, wasn’t promised anything in the way of being the team’s starter and that he’ll plenty of chances to prove his worth on the football field.

“We don’t ever promise anybody in recruiting,” Heupel said Wednesday when asked about his discussions with Wimbush. “We promised them the opportunity to come and compete and earn a spot. We promised that we’re going to pour energy and time into him and help him become the best version of himself as a football player.”

When asked whether there will be an open competition for the starting quarterback job this spring, Heupel was quick to point out that no spot on the team is guaranteed.

“There’s an open competition at all 22 spots; offense and defense,” Heupel said. “If you want to be a championship football team, you have to continuously strive to put the best players on the football field and to do that, you’ve got to go out and compete and earn it and prove yourself.

“There’s not a play that we made last year or did not make that’s going to help us in the coming season. We’ve got to go out and earn it as an individual and as a football team.”

The addition of Wimbush helps offset the devastating injury to starter McKenzie Milton during last season’s regular-season finale against USF. Milton has been through a series of surgeries to his right leg, including one to restore blood flow to the leg to avoid amputation as well as one to repair nerve damage.

His latest surgery was to repair his dislocated knee cap.

Heupel has been optimistic about Milton’s return to action some time down the road, but for now, his quarterback group is young and lacks practical experience.

Milton’s backup, redshirt freshman Darriel Mack Jr., has three career starts to his name, including leading the team to a come-from-behind win over Memphis in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game.

But Mack struggled during the team’s 40-32 loss to LSU in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day.

“We felt like it was an opportunity for us to bring somebody in who has a lot of game experience and has competed at the highest level, that we feel fits what we do offensively to come in and again add a player to that meeting room,” Heupel said of the decision to get Wimbush on the roster.

He believes Wimbush’s competitiveness will push the other quarterbacks on the team.

“I think Brandon brings that to our room. A level of maturity. Those guys are competing right now in a really positive way,” Heupel said.

The coach was quick to praise Wimbush’s athleticism as well as his poise after 16 career starts with the Fighting Irish.

Despite leading Notre Dame to a 3-0 start last season, Wimbush was replaced with more effective Ian Book, who finished out the season as the starter.

“He’s athletic. He manages games well. He has the ability to spread the ball down the football field. He’s an explosive athlete,” Heupel said of Wimbush. “He’s a kid that’s going through some ups and downs in his career and come out on the other side of it. I believe those experiences are critical in helping kids go compete at their next opportunity.

“He’s extremely mature and he’s handled himself in a great way. He’s been great in the meeting room and just around our players. I expect him to compete at a really high level when we get into spring ball in early March.”