With just under three weeks until Baylor football’s season opener against Tarleton at McLane Stadium on August 31, head coach Dave Aranda has yet to name a starting quarterback.
On Saturday after the opening scrimmage of fall camp, Aranda spoke with the media and gave an update on the quarterback competition between Toledo transfer Dequan Finn (6Sr.) and Sawyer Robertson (RJr.).
“It’s a close competition; guys are battling,” Aranda said. “The things that Sawyer [Robertson] did today were the leadership and the poise in the pocket. There are times when Sawyer's back there and there's a nervous energy about him. Today, he was really calm and poised and made some throws where he stepped into it; it was impressive. [Finn] was able to see edge pressure and get us out of it and get us into something else, and that was good to see him do that.”
Despite neither candidate jumping ahead of the other and taking the starting job, Aranda discussed the urgency of needing to name a starter as soon as possible.
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With the season less than three weeks away, head coach Dave Aranda has yet to name a starting quarterback.
“I think the sooner, the better,” he said. “Sooner is better [because] when you name a guy, then you can give him more reps. The team will coalesce around them. Right now, there’s this set of plays for this quarterback, and then there’s a similar but [different] set of plays for that quarterback. [When you name a starter], you can narrow all of that down. We need to get that done, and we’re fighting to do that.”
At Toledo, Finn started 32 games while throwing for over 7,000 yards and rushing for 1,840 yards in his career. He’s been named to multiple preseason watch lists, and he was one of ten collegiate standouts at the Manning Passing Academy in late June of this summer.
Naturally, the consensus among the fanbase and the media members is that Finn will get the nod against Tarleton. After all, he’s the reigning MAC Most Valuable Player and was Baylor’s biggest transfer portal addition of the offseason.
Aranda, however, doesn’t believe that to be the case. At the beginning of fall camp, when asked if he was concerned that Finn might not be the starter despite the NIL resources that were given to land the highly coveted Toledo transfer, Aranda bluntly said, “I’m really concerned about winning games.”
Meanwhile, Robertson, who played in six games last season and started four in place of an injured Blake Shapen has reportedly taken a step forward this fall. In those six contests in 2023, Robertson threw for 864 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 69 yards. Despite a starter not being named yet, Robertson is trying his best to focus on what he can control throughout camp.
“I’m putting the blinders on, looking at myself, and saying, ‘Okay. What do I need to do to help the team?’ Don’t worry about all that [extra] stuff,” Robertson said after practice on August 2. “Focus on myself, my abilities, and the opportunity God gave me and just go out there and have fun.”
Under first-year offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, the spread offense has made its way back to Waco, and Robertson, who ran a similar offense under Mike Leach at Mississippi State (2021-22), is reaping the benefits.
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“It’s a close competition; guys are battling,” Aranda said on Saturday after the opening scrimmage of fall camp. Aranda, however, would prefer to name a starter “sooner rather than later.”
“I feel comfortable and keep getting better every day,” Robertson said. “[The offense] is definitely different in some areas, but it is essentially the same thing. I love [the spread]. It’s fun, and I feel comfortable in it. It’s good to have some familiarity with everything.”
As for the quarterback battle with Finn, Robertson had nothing but glowing things to say about his counterpart.
“I'm a firm believer that competition breeds excellence,” he said. “[Finn] is awesome to have around because I know I'm becoming a better quarterback by just learning from him and watching him. We hang out so much throughout fall camp. We're basically together all the time. So it's kind of cracking jokes here and there but just continuing to develop that relationship.”
Amongst the team, there’s no clear consensus on who the starter should be. Wide receiver Josh Cameron (RJr.) believes both quarterbacks are talented enough to get the job done on the field this fall.
“I'd say both of them are making plays in their own unique way, honestly,” Cameron said. “I feel that when it comes to the first game, whatever Coach Aranda makes a decision, we'll be in great hands. Both of those guys can sling it, throw it. They both are [all-around] packages.”
As the countdown to kickoff winds down, Baylor football will open the season with either Finn or Robertson behind center at 6 p.m. on August 31 against Tarleton at McLane Stadium.
