With the signings of Austin Wilson and Mitch Kimble, Syracuse is going to have five quarterbacks competing for the starting spot.

That’s exactly what Scott Shafer wants.

Wilson, from Camp Hill, Pa., committed to Syracuse back in May. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound quarterback also had an offer from Eastern Michigan. Kimble, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound quarterback out of Jerseyville (Ill.) Community High School, can both run and throw well.

In high school, he ran an up-tempo offense that’s similar to the one Syracuse runs.

“I think the biggest thing you see is athleticism. Whether he’s on the perimeter or whether he’s throwing it,” offensive coordinator George McDonald said. “He’s probably the most athletic quarterback that we have in terms of having the combination.”

Wilson and Kimble will join the competition in training camp with John Kinder, Terrel Hunt and Charley Loeb, who’s considered the frontrunner for the spot.

Shafer said Wednesday he and the coaches made it a goal to go out and find a pair of quarterbacks to bring to Syracuse. The head coach said both of his new quarterbacks are “dynamic” and “competitive.”

Syracuse has its quarterback candidates. Now, that group just needs to be pared down to an eventual successor to Ryan Nassib.

“We’ve got good kids in-house that are going to compete,” Shafer said. “But you need to have competition with five or six guys at that position early on. And then we have to decipher where we’re at pretty early on.”

Published on February 7, 2013 at 12:35 am

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman