Houston Roughnecks Name Starting Quarterback, Star Running Back Injured
One of the more interesting training camp storylines was who would be the starting quarterback for the Houston Roughnecks after the departure of Kenji Bahar. Coach Curtis Johnson answered that question during his media availability on Wednesday.
According to Johnson, former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Jarrett Guarantano will be the Week 1 starter for the Roughnecks. While speaking to the media, Johnson spoke about what went into the decision and why it was a tough choice between Guarantano, Reid Sinnett and Nolan Henderson.
“I think it was a great competition all camp long. We thought one day it was Nolan, one day it was Jarrett, one day it was Reid. But in the end, I think the body of work that Jarrett put forth, I think he deserves to start and whoever is the backup we are going to play both of them. You’ll see them in the first game, second quarter, third series, something like that. But man, I thought Jarrett played extremely well.”
QB1🔥@JayGuarantano has been named the starting quarterback for Week 1 🙌 pic.twitter.com/kwPOUaYkCq
— Houston Roughnecks (@XFLRoughnecks) March 21, 2024
Guarantano was signed by the Houston Gamblers in December before the USFL and XFL merged to the UFL. He had stints with the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals the last two years in the NFL. The 26-year-old quarterback played four seasons with the Volunteers, throwing for 6,174 yards and 38 touchdowns to 17 interceptions.
Johnson did not name a backup quarterback as Sinnett and Henderson will be battling through the end of camp for the second-string job.
In other news, Johnson also discussed running back Mark Thompson dealing with a knee sprain suffered during practice. There is no timetable for his return to the field.
Coach Johnson says RB Mark Thompson is dealing with a knee sprain. @XFLRoughnecks @XFL2023 #UFL
— Greg Parks (@gregmparks) March 20, 2024
Thompson is entering his third season in spring football after being named the USFL Offensive Player of the Year last year with the Gamblers after rushing for 653 yards and 14 touchdowns. He played in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions.
This leaves the door open for Tiyon Evans Jr. and T.J. Pledger IV to fill in while Thompson is out. Pledger already had to do so last year after Thompson missed two games due to injury.
The Roughnecks start the 2024 UFL season at home against the Memphis Showboats.
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Anthony Miller has been covering professional spring football since 2019 including XFL, USFL, and CFL. He was a local news reporter in Texas before transitioning to sports. Other sites he writes for includes College Football Network and NTZ Network.