Bearcats will go into 2018 with new quarterback again

JON DYKSTRA/DAILY FORUM
Northwest Missouri State quarterback Jadyn Kowalski throws a pass during the Bearcat preseason practices in August at Bearcat Stadium.

Two seasons ago, the Northwest Missouri State football team had to replace its starting quarterback, but senior Kyle Zimmerman stepped in and led the Bearcats to a national championship and Zimmerman himself ended up being the runner-up for the Harlon Hill Trophy.

Before this season and with Zimmerman gone, the Bearcats had a quarterback competition between seniors Zach Martin and Jonathan Baker with Martin winning out and becoming the starter.

Martin flashed his talent early, but after losses to Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State, the Bearcats turned to Baker as the starter.

Baker led the Bearcats to a victory in the season finale against Missouri Western, but in the first round of the playoffs, he struggled in the harsh weather conditions in Ashland, Ohio, and Martin was reinserted to try to rally the team for a victory.

Now with Martin and Baker each out of eligibility, that means the Bearcats will once again have a new face under center in 2018.

While it is possible that the Bearcats attempt to bring in a transfer to add to the competition, the early leader for that job would appear to be sophomore Jadyn Kowalski.

Kowalski was the third-string quarterback and appeared in one game against Missouri Southern, where his only pass attempt was a 38-yard pass to Joe Straws. That drive, the only one of the season for the redshirt freshman, resulted in a touchdown.

The 6-foot-4, 219-pound quarterback had a prolific high school career with 3,146 yards and 46 touchdowns against just five interceptions on 174-of-258 passing during his senior season at Bellevue West in Bellevue, Nebraska.

Kowalski won several awards for being the top high school player in the state of Nebraska, including being named the Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year.

At the time of Kowalski’s signing, his primary recruiter Chad Bostwick spoke to the Omaha World Herald about the potential that the young quarterback possesses.

“He has a high football IQ, he really understands the game, and Bellevue West put a lot on his plate,” Bostwick said. “He’s a kid that I evaluated for a long time.”

Aside from Kowalski, sophomore Joe Brannen will be back after reshirting in 2016 and missing 2017 with a hip injury. Brannen was an honorable mention All-State selection his senior season at Jacksonville (Florida) High School.

The only other quarterback on the roster is freshman Braden Wright.

Wright redshirted this season and will maintain his freshman status for next season.

The 6-foot-2 quarterback led Elkhorn South in Elkhorn, Nebraska, to a pair of state championships. Wright was named to the Class B All-State team as a senior.

After decommitting from Nebraska-Kearney following the departure of then-Loper coach Josh Lamberson to join former-Northwest coach Adam Dorrell at Abilene Christian.

Wright turned down a walk-on offer from the Nebraska Cornhuskers to join the Bearcats.

“If you’re going D-II, that’s where you want to be. It’s that simple,” Wright told the World-Herald at the time. “I fell in love with that place.”

COMING SOON

This is the first of a series of position breakdowns as the Forum will explore each spot on the Bearcat depth chart in the coming weeks.