Towson will start incumbent Nathan Kent or newcomer Carlos Davis at quarterback for its season opener at Cincinnati on Aug. 31, according to head coach Pete Shinnick, who is looking for his offense to take a step forward this year.
Kent started all 11 games for the Tigers in 2023, leading the team to a 5-6 overall record and 4-4 mark in the Coastal Athletic Association. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound quarterback threw for 2,123 yards and 14 touchdowns while running for 288 yards and three scores. A native of Eldersburg, Kent starred at Liberty High School prior to coming to Towson.
Shinnick wanted to add competition to the quarterback room following the 2023 season, so the coach got to work. He brought in Carlos Davis, a Baltimore native and Mervo standout now on the fourth stop of his college career. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound quarterback threw for 3,669 yards and 29 touchdowns the past three seasons between Western Carolina and UMass.
Shinnick explained what both quarterbacks bring to the Tigers on Glenn Clark Radio Aug. 23.
“In Nathan, you get a guy that started 11 games for us,” Shinnick said. “You get a guy that has shown his capability in doing what we need and he’s worked on the things that we’ve asked him to work on. You get a competitor. You get a guy who isn’t going to be fazed with anything that he sees. He started against Maryland and played top-ranked teams and found ways to play really well.”
“In Carlos, you get a guy that has started more games, a little more seasoned veteran,” he continued. “You get somebody who has seen a lot. You get somebody who has moved the chains and produced high-scoring offenses in his past. So there’s a great feeling right now of, ‘We’ve got depth in that room like we wanted to have.’ That was the whole purpose of it.”
Towson finished 10th in the CAA in scoring offense (24 points per game) and 11th in total offense (349.9 yards per game) in 2023, so there’s plenty of room for improvement. Shinnick was particularly disappointed in losses to Monmouth and Norfolk State last September, when the Tigers scored just 23 and 14 points, respectively. However, they did put up 54 points against New Hampshire later in the month.
Towson has to figure out how to find more consistency and create more explosive plays in the passing game. The Tigers finished 12th in the CAA in passing offense (196.5 yards per game) a year ago. Tight end Carter Runyon figures to be a big part of the solution in that regard.
“Last year, I felt like we left a lot on the table,” Shinnick said. “I think when you look at the games that we played well, obviously that’s the expectation. In the games that we played poorly, those are the disappointing times. We have to take a step forward in every aspect of our offensive structure and our offensive productivity. We’ve got to be better on third down. We’ve got to score more points. We’ve got to be able to throw the ball better. I’m looking for us to make a huge stride this year in a lot of areas.”
For more from Shinnick, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen/PressBox and Courtesy of Towson Athletics