HOUSTON — Houston coach Dana Holgorsen was talking with former star quarterback Case Keenum earlier this summer about when he should name a starting quarterback and end the competition between Donovan Smith and Lucas Coley.
Keenum’s answer?
“I wouldn’t,” Holgorsen said he told him. “Just let them compete, because if they compete, it makes them better, and then it should take care of itself.”
Keenum’s answer came from experience with the same situation when he and Blake Joseph were vying for the job in 2008 before Keenum was eventually named the starter on a Houston team where Holgorsen was the offensive coordinator.
Smith and Coley are competing to replace Clayton Tune, the team’s quarterback for the past four seasons.
Smith joined the Cougars after appearing in 21 games for Texas Tech in the past two seasons. The 6-foot-5 Smith threw for 1,505 yards and 12 touchdowns last season after throwing for 1,181 yards and seven touchdowns in 2021. Coley came to Houston after spending last season at Arkansas where he appeared in three games but threw just three passes.
Though Holgorsen hasn’t name a starter, he certainly seems to be leaning toward Smith as the Cougars make the jump to the Big 12 after playing in the American Athletic Conference since 2013.
“The expectations are high for Donovan,” he said. “I felt like it was important to bring a guy in with experience, with Big 12 experience… Donovan has impressed me. I think his best days are ahead of him. He’s only been playing quarterback for a couple years. He’s got the upper hand right now based on 21 games of experience, but Lucas Coley has been battling and is really competing hard, and he’s got a lot of good football ahead of him, as well.”
HOLGORSEN’S BIG 12 RETURN
Though the Cougars are new to the Big 12, Holgorsen has plenty of experience in the conference, having coached West Virginia for eight seasons before leaving to take over at Houston. He was the coach at West Virginia when the Mountaineers moved from the Big East to the Big 12 in 2012 and knows the difficulties of moving up to a Power Five conference.
“This is the deepest conference in the country,” Holgorsen said. “By adding the four schools that we added, I think it adds to the deepest conference in the country. Better get ready to line up and prepare your best each and every week to put your best foot forward, and I think we will do that, and I think we’ll be competitive.”
GOLDEN RECEIVER
Receiver Matthew Golden is expected to star for Houston’s offense after a standout freshman season where he had 38 receptions for 584 yards and seven touchdowns. He played in 11 games with eight starts in 2022 and his seven receiving touchdowns ranked second in the nation among true freshmen.
REKINDLED RIVALRIES
Holgorsen is looking forward to renewing old rivalries with Houston returning to the same conference with fellow Lone Star state schools Texas, TCU, Texas Tech and Baylor for the first time since the Southwest Conference disbanded in 1996.
“So, I think it’ll happen actually a little bit quicker,” he said. “That’s great for college football. That’s great for the Big 12. Certainly, that’s great for the University of Houston and our fan base.”
SCHEDULE STUFF
Houston opens the season Sept. 2 at home against UTSA and hosts No. 17 TCU in Week 3. The Cougars host No. 11 Texas on Oct. 21 and travel to No. 16 Kansas State the following week. In all, the Cougars play eight games in Houston.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
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