What questions did Kurt Benkert’s transfer answer for ECU?

With last week’s announcement of his intention to immediately transfer from the ECU football program, junior quarterback Kurt Benkert ended any potential quarterback controversy for the upcoming season.

Benkert has already landed at Virginia, so Pirates coach Scottie Montgomery and the rest of the team can now focus on moving forward without the talented junior. In the immediate aftermath, Benkert’s transfer has answered some important questions for the offense as it continues to gear up for the regular season.

Philip Nelson

The most direct beneficiary of Benkert’s transfer is senior quarterback Philip Nelson. Nelson and Benkert had spent all spring battling for the starting role, with Montgomery and offensive coordinator Tony Petersen seeing positives out of both. With Benkert now out of the picture, it looks like the starting quarterback job will go to Nelson.

Nelson, also a transfer, spent time with Minnesota and Rutgers before landing at ECU. He doesn’t have the physical tools of Benkert, but Nelson is an experienced, dependable option that fits in well with Petersen’s balanced, disciplined style of offense. Nelson has performed well in game situations this spring, including passing for 231 yards and a touchdown while completing 54 percent of his passes in the Purple-Gold spring game.

Now relieved from the burden of the position battle, Nelson can focus on further development and getting more comfortable with the offense and his teammates.

Scottie Montgomery

Any first year head coach is going to have his share of tough decisions to make. The quarterback situation was arguably the toughest decision Montgomery needed to make, but that weight is off his shoulders with Benkert’s departure.

With that out of the way, the Benkert situation was also Montgomery’s first major test as the head of the program.

"While it was initially disappointing to hear,our immediate focus needs to remain on Pirates who want to be Pirates"-Scottie Montgomery

— ECU Sports at TEC (@TEC_Sports) April 25, 2016

With the above reaction, Montgomery did everything he needed to do to properly handle the situation. Benkert was a product of former head coach Ruffin McNeill, who not coincidentally is now at Virginia on Bronco Mendenhall’s staff. While Benkert was never outwardly antagonistic to the new Pirate regime, his loyalties obviously still remained with his former coach that recruited and developed him.

Thus, Montgomery paid proper respect to Benkert’s decision while simultaneously shifting the focus back to his current players, exactly where it should be. It was a strong response to his first off-field commotion as ECU’s head coach.

Tony Petersen/Offense

The Pirates’ new offensive coordinator went from having two viable quarterback options to one senior transfer, along with two juniors and a sophomore, none of which have taken a snap as a Pirate.

Obviously, the chief concern for Petersen and the rest of the offense is depth. Nelson is experienced, having started for Minnesota in 2012 and 2013 until off-the-field issues submarined his Golden Gopher career. However, there’s no margin for error in terms of performance or injury for Nelson. One slip up, and the Pirates will be forced to throw one of their younger quarterbacks to the wolves.

Scheme-wise, Nelson was always a better fit for Petersen’s style. An accurate passer with decent arm strength, Nelson also has the added advantage of a head start in terms of understanding how the offense works.

One plus for both Petersen and Nelson is that Petersen’s system uses every weapon in its disposal, and the Pirates have lots of options at both wide receiver and running back.

Now What?

There are two ways to look at Benkert’s transfer: the more pessimistic view is that Montgomery, just four months into his tenure as ECU’s head coach, has already lost a starter-level quarterback. The optimistic view is that the program can now move forward with an experienced asset like Nelson behind center.

The fact is, Benkert’s transfer has taken the pressure off of Montgomery, Nelson and the rest of the offense. By virtue of Benkert’s departure, ECU now has a presumptive starting quarterback and Montgomery doesn’t have to choose between the two.

At least for now, it looks like Benkert’s transfer has answered more questions than it has raised.