In With the New

Varsity 845 has the scoop... Trent Steelman will be Army's starting QB.

Army coach Rich Ellerson named Steelman his starting quarterback for the season opener at Eastern Michigan.

When Steelman, who is 6 foot and 185 pounds, takes his first snap, he'll make West Point history. No freshman quarterback has started an Army opener in the modern era, since 1944.

"If we are, in fact, a triple-option football team, he's the best triple-option quarterback," Ellerson said Tuesday. "Our best guess and evaluation is if the quarterback's legs are going to be a big part of our run game and if we want a real operator out there, the guy that can make things happen is Trent."

That's good news for Steelman, and it's clear he's the man for the job, but you can probably expect to see Chip Bowden play depending on the situation. No matter how you slice it, this year will offer a lot of new trends for Army football, new option offense, new QB, new double eagle flex defense, all brought about by the new coach.

Ellerson's decision to go with the Freshman might present some growing pains in the first couple of years, but depending on how well Steelman progresses and goes forward it sets the future up nicely with some experienced talent under center.