Grant Harper is to blame for UC Davis head coach Tim Plough taking so long to announce who will start at quarterback this season. Plough did not reveal his decision after the spring game April 26 even though he said it would be ideal to have a starter in place when the team reconvened in July.
Making an announcement was not necessary after Plough heaped enough praise on one candidate to make it obvious who would win the job. According to Plough, that candidate was worthy of starting because “he makes everyone around him better” and “he’s a special player and has a chance to be real unique leader.”
Harper was not that candidate. Plough broke the bad news last week to the fifth-year senior, who will again be the backup after playing second fiddle to Miles Hastings the past thee seasons. That the starting job went to a redshirt freshman made Plough’s decision even more difficult for Harper to swallow after being patient for four years.
Caden Pinnick might have already won the job before clearly outplaying Harper in the spring game. Pinnick bolstered his case to be the starter by scoring on a 16-yard run and tossing an 80-yard touchdown pass to Samuel Gbatu Jr. in the first quarter. Pinnick did not make it to halftime, however, after going down with a high ankle sprain.
Plough’s reaction to what he called “a scary moment” was a telltale sign that Plough could not bear the thought of starting the season without Pinnick. Fortunately for Plough and the Aggies, the Del Oro High graduate will be ready to go in Saturday’s season opener against Mercer in Montgomery, Ala.
The 11th annual FCS Kickoff Classic will match two ranked teams. UC Davis is No. 8 and Mercer No. 11 in the Stats Perform poll. The Bears are also ranked No. 11 by the coaches and the Aggies are No. 7. UC Davis and Mercer were both 11-3 in 2024 after losing in the FCS quarterfinals. This is Mercer’s second trip to the FCS Kickoff Classis. The Bears beat North Alabama 17-7 in 2023.
Pinnick has settled the quarterback battle and spared Plough from any more questions about who will start. The only question remaining is why did it take Plough so long to say Pinnick would start when the consensus of the folks who attended the spring game would be Pinnick was much better.
Naming Pinnick as the starter might have been a foregone conclusion in April, but Plough held off on announcing it to give Harper an opportunity to return in July and give Pinnick a run for the job. That was the least Plough could do for a player who had remained loyal despite not playing much. Harper has 24 career passing attempts. Hastings had more than 24 attempts in each of 14 games last season.
Offensive coordinator Paul Shelton could tell when Harper returned that the left-hander would not surrender. “He’s a different kid than he was in the spring game – 100 percent,” Shelton said. “I think he left the spring game and said, ‘You know what, I’m going to bust my ass to be ready for camp.’”
Shelton had a say in the decision to start Pinnick and wondered how Harper would respond. “I’m sure it hurt, but the way he handled the situation goes to show what type of human being he is. He’s the ultimate teammate.” Shelton offered. “What made the decision so difficult was they were playing at a high level. But at the end of the day, we know we have two quarterbacks we can definitely win with.”
Plough realizes as a head coach that he cannot be concerned with a player’s feelings in deciding who will start. “I think too many times we want to appease people and not make the hard decisions,” Plough said. “It’s important not to mess around with that. It’s really what’s best for the team.”
