VIDEO: Coaches in Cars Getting Coffee – Brock Pursley & the QBs
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – This is the second part in an eight-part series chronicling Carson-Newman football's positions for the 2022 season. This feature breaks down the Eagle signal callers with the assistance of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brock Pursley.
Carson-Newman doesn't return a solitary pass completion from a player who started under center last season. Yet, Pursley is bubbling about the prospects of C-N's quarterbacks in 2022.
In large part that's because of three transfers – Middle Tennessee State's Zane Whitson, Tusculum's Ivan Corbin and Lenoir-Rhyne's Tre Lutrell – to go with the continued growth of returners Connor Hyatt, Mason Brand and Matthew Corley.
"A lot of what goes into the excitement within our room is a quote from Coach Clowney in the spring," Pursley said, "That quote, 'Everybody wants to do the gritty, but not everyone wants to be gritty. Zane is able to run our offense and when there is a yard to be made, he's going to make sure that yard is gained for this football team."
In the spring game, Whitson led all ball carriers with 51 yards on five totes and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Lutrell was the top passer, completing 3-of-5 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown.
While Corbin didn't participate in the spring game, he has extensive playing experience in the SAC. He was a preseason All-Conference selection at Limestone before transferring to Georgia Southern and then Tusculum.
Corbin threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns in 2016 for the Saints against Carson-Newman – his top passing effort as a freshman. Last year at Tusculum, he completed 51.2 percent of his passes for 2003 yards in eight games, averaging 222.6 yards per contest with 14 touchdowns against eight picks.
"A lot of it goes into the football IQ," Pursley said. "Ivan brings that experience. He has that on the field experience. We've talked to our younger quarterbacks about that. It shoes up on the practice field with him doing stuff. He's started, he's been there and that gives him a little bit of a leg up."
Luttrell is the son of two former Carson-Newman athletes. His father Stan starred for the football team, while mom Kim played soccer. At Lenoir-Rhyne, he finished the spring 2021 season with a pair of games played and totaled three grabs for 31 yards with a long of 19 yards.
In the fall, he had six catches for 57 yards with a long of 17 yards against Virginia State. As a freshman, the jack-of-all-trades finished with a rushing touchdown, a receiving touchdown and a special teams touchdown, he had a 12-yard blocked punt return for a touchdown to give LR a 7-0 lead in the Second Round of the NCAA Playoffs against Carson-Newman.
Hyatt represents Carson-Newman's lone pass completion that returns from last season. He hit an 18-yard completion in the season finale against Tusculum.
"Connor Hyatt has grown a lot mentally," Pursley said. "His understanding of the college game is really stepped up. Mason Brang reminds you of a guy who can just go in and get it done if you need him too. Matthew Corley has been working on improving every day as a guy who has been here for the last year."
Carson-Newman's position previews continue Sunday with the defensive line.
