The Quarterback Change

It's official. In a statement today, UConn interim coach T.J. Weist announced that the team would be shaking up the quarterback depth chart, moving on from Chandler Whitmer, who's been the start since last season.

Weist had this to say about Whitmer in his statement:

Chandler Whitmer has exhibited outstanding character and integrity since the day I stepped onto this campus and even before I got here. He has worked extremely hard, put in a lot of hours at his craft, and done everything in his power to help this team be successful.

It's been no secret that UConn is not one of the better teams in all of college football when it comes to offense, a trend that began well before Chandler Whitmer ever stepped onto Rentschler Field. Here's a look at Whitmer's career numbers over the past two seasons:

Chandler Whitmer hasn't been a great quarterback, there's no question about that. In his time here, he's been more of a game manager, which is okay but only when you take care of the football. His career completion percentage is under 60 and he has turned the ball over nearly twice as many times as he's thrown for touchdowns. Not pictured in the statistics above: 53 sacks. While you may not take a lot of stock in that stat, as the offensive line has a lot to do with it, Whitmer has shown the tendency of holding onto the ball for too long and looking indecisive at times. The quarterback change isn't a shocker, although the replacement may be a bit of a surprise.

When he was originally recruited, Connecticut's own Casey Cochran was believed to be the future starting quarterback at UConn. While he spent the entirety of the 2012 season behind Whitmer, some still thought of Cochran as the better alternative, and it appeared that with the struggles of Whitmer and the firing of head coach Paul Pasqualoni, that Cochran would finally get his shot.

However after rumors earlier this week, T.J. Weist ended the speculation, confirming that freshman quarterback Tim Boyle will be the new starter:

We feel like at this time we need to give Tim a chance to play and see if he can provide a spark for our team. He has been working hard and deserves an opportunity to show what he can do.

At 0-4 and with a quarterback and coaching change, this has become, in a sense, a rebuilding year for UConn football. The odds are they won't go on a magical winning streak and play their way into a bowl game come January. But that's okay. At this point, fans will have a chance to watch the freshman Tim Boyle and determine if he is a part of the solution next season.