As fall camp advances, Harold Blood, for now, is the starting quarterback.
But Southern head coach Eric Dooley leads an orchestrated competition for the job.
The second-year Jaguars coach believes in Blood. However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be a legitimate quarterback battle, either.
“Blood is trying to own the job,” Dooley told The Advocate. “He’s going to continue to accept that and not be satisfied. The guys behind him are not accepting that he’s the starter. That’s what you want, competition day in and day out.”
Blood and former Grambling State recruit Noah Bodden and Alabama-Birmingham transfer Dylan Mehrotra are vying for the job.
“At this level, it’s about how fast you recognize and apply your skills,” Blood told the newspaper. “Early in the summer, I was meeting with the defensive coaches. They were helping me with what I was seeing from a defensive point of view. That makes it much easier behind center.”
Blood, a fourth-year player, completed 11 of 19 passes for 220 yards with a touchdown and an interception in five games last season. He played well enough in the spring game to get the No. 1 nod from Dooley.
Blood said the team treats him as the starter and has supported him during fall practice.
“They look at me as a hard-nosed guy who won’t ask them to do anything I wouldn’t do,” Blood said. “They’re rallying around me right now. We’re getting that chemistry, understanding the game is fast, and practicing at that level. I’ll be ready.”
