Photo via HookEm.com
DALLAS – Texas quarterback Shane Buechele has not taken a regular season snap, but Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury is expecting to see great things from the freshman.
Buechele is currently in a battle with Tyrone Swoopes and Jerrod Heard to start this season. Swoopes is technically the No.1 quarterback, but the majority of Longhorn observers expect Buechele to receive the job during training camp. Buechele appeared to be the top quarterback during the spring. He definitely outperformed Swoopes during the spring game. In addition, Buechele has earned a reputation for leading offseason workouts, and even called coach Charlie Strong on a Friday night because he wanted access to the indoor facility to practice with teammates.
Those are a few reasons why Kingsbury actively recruited Buechele in high school.
I asked Kingsbury about Buechele possibly starting for Texas during Big 12 Media Days on Monday, and the rival coach had nothing but positive things to say about the freshman quarterback.
“You never know until you get them there,” Kingsbury said. “Luckily, they had Shane there this spring. It goes a long way because it’s really not like he’s a true freshman when he comes into camp. I recruited Shane. I thought he was a tremendous player in high school. I love his mentality. If anybody can do it, he’ll be a guy that can step in and play.”
Kingsbury would know.
During Kingsbury’s tenure at Texas Tech, he started freshmen quarterbacks Baker Mayfield, Pat Mahomes and Davis Webb. Kingsbury was a college quarterback at Texas Tech, and had a brief cup of coffee in the NFL.
Kingsbury actively recruited Buechele because he believed the quarterback had would it took to be successful in college. He may have lost the recruiting battle, but explained why he wanted Buechele.
“The way he threw the ball,” Kingsbury said. “The way he carried himself. He’s kind of like Pat (Mahomes) where his dad was a former professional athlete, so he’s been around it, seen what it’s like on that stage. He’s a very mature young man. I think we were the first school to actually offer him because I just thought the sky was the limit with that combination of maturity and his arm strength.”
That being said, Kingsbury said having success as a freshman is still a tall task. He said freshman quarterbacks will make mistakes, and everyone must know “it’s not always going to be pretty, but it will usually pay dividends in the end.”
“Just being able to handle the system and not trying to do too much,” Kingsbury said. “The game is not too fast for them. Certain guys can handle it right away. Certain guys can’t. It doesn't take long to see it. If they’re out there getting to their reads, making the right decisions, then you know you they got a chance.”
I will have more from media days later on Monday.
