The seeds of Austin Kendall assuming the starting quarterback role at West Virginia were sewn well before a final decision was ever made.
The Oklahoma graduate transfer took significant steps after arriving in January, but that’s not to say there were adjustments as he had to learn not only his new surroundings but a new team.
Things were different in Morgantown from his time in Norman as he was asked to focus on some new techniques as well. That meant more emphasis on his footwork, run steps and drops in order to make each play a perfect one with all that’s asked out of the quarterback.
“You need to be on point with everything to make it work,” Kendall said.
It didn’t help matters that his head coach Neal Brown made life difficult on him by throwing a mix of essentially everything and anything that he could see in a game at him in those spring practices. It made for a difficult adjustment at times and one that Kendall understood would take some time.
All the while he kept his eyes on the prize.
“Even if I had bad days just forget about it and not live in the past and keep moving forward,” he said.
By the summer things were starting to come together. After 15-practices soaking up the playbook in the spring, Kendall was then left to his own devices with his teammates.
That’s where the player led practices helped him blossom in the role. Kendall worked with his group of wide receivers and offensive line on simulating plays and understanding what to do on each play.
“It helped communication wise,” Kendall added.
By the close of the summer, Kendall felt like a different player with an understanding of what was happening within the system and then being able to execute plays without any hesitance. That rubbed off on his teammates as well who could sense the confidence he exuded in the role.
The North Carolina native wasn’t just a quarterback; he had developed into a leader. That quickly spilled over into fall camp as he was noticeably different inside the huddle. While he had always attempted to take charge, now there was no doubt in what he was for the team now.
That was especially evident in situations where he would need to push the tempo and get the offense to the line of scrimmage in order to snap the ball.
“He’s kind of stepped into his own and just taken charge,” redshirt senior Colton McKivitz said.
There was now more communication between Kendall, his offensive line and wide receivers as well as a quiet confidence which allowed him to wrestle the job away from his challengers with his play.
Brown made it clear that when Kendall won the job that was only the first step in a three step process in order to truly serve as the starting quarterback. The second was to truly develop into the role with his actions on and off the field.
It’s not as if Kendall hadn’t been prepared for the jump as he was a prolific high school player in North Carolina and had the luxury of sitting behind two separate Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks at Oklahoma.
While it kept him off the field, he learned from that, too.
You can say that in a sense it helped groom him for what was to come. Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray were certainly two different personalities, but both wanted the same thing.
“Making everybody believe that if I make this play we’re going to win this game,” Kendall recalled. “That’s what they did.”
Now, that’s what he’s doing, too.
Kendall is in two master programs, sports management and coaching, to go along with what is asked of him on the football field but he is finally in a place that he has worked for so long to be. That’s a starting quarterback and one that has the confidence of his teammates as well as an understanding of what it takes to be successful in that post.
But the third item on that check list is perhaps the most important and that comes next. Now, Kendall has to lead his team to wins in order to truly take command of the job.
When Kendall makes his next start Saturday, his first full game since his high school days, he will have all of his family in the stands soaking up the moment. That’s a first for him, too.
Still as calm and collected as ever, Kendall is now ready to tackle the third item on his list.
“He knows it’s now his offense so he’s been more vocal,” Brown said.
It seems those seeds that were planted are ready to bloom.
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