Richard Lagow Should Be Indiana Hoosiers' Starting Quarterback In 2016

By Christopher Gamble

If the Indiana Hoosiers want to turn their program around they have to start with putting redshirt junior quarterback Richard Lagow under center to begin the year. He is currently in a three-way battle for the starting quarterback position with redshirt sophomore Danny Cameron and junior Zander Diamont. Who wins the battle could decide whether the Hoosiers go from just making bowl games to winning them.

Lagow is a big pocket-passer. He stands in at 6-foot-6 and tips the scales at 240 pounds. He has the kind of physique coaches dream about in quarterbacks. The junior college transfer did very well in the spring game and clearly outplayed Cameron.

Diamont might have the edge right now for the job, however. He was the backup last year, has thrown 164 passes in his young career and knows the offense. Diamont is also a multi-dimensional weapon in that he is a lot more mobile than Lagow. However, Diamont did have surgery this offseason and has missed the entire spring.

Where Lagow shines is his arm strength. He has the best arm of the bunch and appears to be a little better at throwing the deep ball. He was rated as the No. 1 pocket-passing junior college quarterback by ESPN and ranked No. 7 overall quarterback by 247 Sports. He threw for 2,285 yards and 21 touchdowns while completing 66 percent of his passes at Texas’ Cisco Community College.

Offensive coordinator Kevin Johns compared Lagow to Nate Sudfeld which is high praise when you consider Sudfeld owns several school passing records. Indiana has a very dynamic offense that was the best in the Big Ten last year. The Hoosiers need a quarterback who can run the spread, maintain a pocket presence and stretch the field. That is what Lagow can do.

There is no doubt Lagow is facing an uphill battle. He has a lot to learn in a short amount of time and he has to command the respect of the team. But he’s off to a good start with his spring game performance, and he should be the pick for the Hoosiers if they want to take that next step forward.

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