It's Sorta Official: Jamarr Robinson Starter at Quarterback...Right Now

Even though James Franklin recently insisted that they'll still be evaluating QBs for two weeks in the fall, Ralph Friedgen might be set on Jamarr Robinson. Or he might not, and Heather Dinich might've taken a quote a little too far. Who knows? Via Dinich's blog on ESPN, emphasis mine:

Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, whose team is trying to rebound from a disappointing 2-10 season in 2009, said Wednesday that junior Jamarr Robinson will be the Terrapins' starting quarterback when they open the season against Navy in Baltimore on Sept. 6.

...

"Jamarr Robinson has had an excellent spring," Friedgen said Wednesday, during an ACC teleconference with reporters. "He's really matured, and I think he's playing at a high level. Right now, he's the starter."

Not knowing the context the question was asked in or if Friedgen said anything else about Robinson's status, it's tough to tell how accurate the conclusion drawn from the quote is. But if that's all he said and the question wasn't loaded, it's probably a tad premature to be declaring him the starter another four and half months from now based simply from Fridge making a statement about what we already knew: that, right now, Robinson leads.

[Note by Ben Broman, 04/21/10 3:51 PM EDT - Patrick Stevens agrees. He said he certainly didn't interpret the quote that way. So this might not be what it's cracked up to be.]

That said, it's not exactly a worthless soundbite. This was a position battle, after all, and it's good to get a reaffirmation that Robinson exits the spring as the leader, just the same way he entered it. That's not a guarantee he'll start, but it's a good indication.

Danny O'Brien and C.J. Brown are still in the running, but Robinson's lead is sizable for the moment. The Spring Game is more for fans and recruits than coaching evaluation, but it will be just as important as any other scrimmage, which is to say it still holds weight, and probably actually holds a little more than usual due to the fan presence. That means DOB and CJB still have one more shot to raise their stock. After that, they'll have two weeks when school's back in session to make up the deficit.

At this point, it doesn't seem all that likely. Odds are good that it'll be Robinson that suits up at QB against Navy; Friedgen's quote just confirmed that likelihood. Don't be surprised, though, if he takes the field with a short leash.