Kentucky Wildcats' Quarterback Job Remains Open

The Kentucky Wildcats are having an open competition for the starting quarterback job during spring practice. And while many assume that Patrick Towles will be behind center when the season starts in the fall, it may not be that clear.

Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops and new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson have liked what they have seen from Towles, for the most part. But they have also liked the play of redshirt freshman Drew Barker, who is finally showing flashes of the potential that made him a four-star recruit in high school.

Towles and Barker have similar backgrounds. Both are from northern Kentucky (near Cincinnati). Both were four-star recruits. And both chose Kentucky over out-of-state suitors. Now, the players who grew up about 20 miles from one another are engaged in a battle to be the starter for the home state team.

Halfway through last season, if someone had said that Barker would push Towles for the job during the offseason, that person would have been seen as foolish. That’s because Towles was outstanding over the first six games of the season, leading Kentucky to a 5-1 record. But in the last six games, Towles was not the same as he threw only four touchdowns compared to five interceptions in those games.

Then, last season’s offensive coordinator, Neal Brown, left Kentucky to become the head coach at Troy. And when Stoops hired Dawson, the job was opened and Barker was given a shot.

Barker has made headlines while in Lexington, but for all of the wrong reasons. He was involved in an on-campus incident with an “Air Soft” gun, which earned he and three other players one-game suspensions last season. Then, after the 2014 season completed, Barker was involved in another incident, this time in Richmond, Ky., in which Barker and some of his teammates allegedly assaulted an Eastern Kentucky football player. That incident is still being investigated.

As for now, it would appear that Towles is the man to beat for the job. But if Barker can stay on the right path, he may have a shot at the job.

Tim Letcher is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.