No clear replacement for Flowers as USF football spring practices commence

Quinton Flowers finished his USF career with numerous program records to his name, including 71 total touchdowns.
ORACLE PHOTO/CHAVELI GUZMAN

After star quarterback Quinton Flowers rallied USF to a 38-34 Birmingham Bowl victory against Texas Tech in his final game as a Bull, potentially the biggest question surrounding USF football since has been: Who replaces the most accomplished player in USF history?

On paper, the apparent favorites to fill Flower’s void are fourth-year junior Brett Kean and redshirt sophomore Chris Oladokun.

After USF’s first spring practice Monday, coach Charlie Strong gave no indication as to who may hold an edge in the battle for the starting job, as both Oladokun and Kean took reps with the first team offense.

“We have a lot of question marks, but the thing is — you have a coaching staff that's been here for two years," Strong said. "They know the players so it's not one where you have to walk in and try to figure guys out.”

Kean, Flowers’ backup the past two seasons, has completed 25 of 37 passes and thrown two touchdowns since 2016. Oladokun, who completed the only pass of his career for 12 yards against ECU, has played in two games, both last season.

After saying that neither Oladokun nor Kean’s play resembles the quickness or agility of Flowers’ style, Strong noted that the duo has had more time to be groomed by Strong and offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert’s offensive system.

“You have with Brett (Kean) and Oladokun, guys that can release it,” Strong said. “But the good thing about it is, they're in the system now for two years and everything, so whatever is called… They're going to know and they're going to be able to adjust.”

The Bulls will hold two more practices this week before taking an intermission for spring break. The annual spring game will be held at Corbett Stadium on April 14 at 2 p.m.

Even after the spring game, however, Strong doesn’t know if he’ll have a favorite to start the 2018 season.

"Both of them are going to get a lot of reps," Strong said. "I don't know who (the starter) will be at the end of spring. We'll just be able to see where we are and just let those guys continue to battle it out."