Baylor football named junior Gerry Bohanon its starting quarterback for the season opener against Texas State. 

The news came as a surprise to some who assumed sophomore Jacob Zeno would take the starting job. Zeno pushed his way to the backup quarterback job behind Charlie Brewer in 2020, but is best known for throwing a pair of long passes against Oklahoma in the 2019 Big 12 Championship Game. 

However, new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes' wide zone system is a game-changer for the quarterback room. As opposed to the dropback passing scheme primarily utilized by Matt Rhule and in Dave Aranda's first season, the wide zone emphasizes mobility, play action and throwing the deep ball. Dave Aranda told The Athletic that Bohanon threw the best deep ball of any of the competitors. 

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At 6-foot-3 and 221 pounds, Bohanon boasts the size of an NFL linebacker and should be physically able to handle the punishment of a QB run game. He has thrown just 38 passes in his career, finishing with 194 yards and two touchdowns. The greatest unknown for Bohanon heading into 2021 is how he handles consistent live passing reps. 

If Bohanon excels, Baylor has strong wide receiver talent that was not featured in 2020. RJ Sneed caught 39 passes for 497 yards and three touchdowns in 2020. Tyquan Thornton caught 45 passes for 782 yards and five touchdowns in a strong sophomore season before falling out of favor. Jaylen Ellis and Drew Estrada are in for breakout seasons. 

Bohanon was a four-star recruit from Earle, Ark., who was an Elite 11 finalist and the No. 1 player in Arkansas. He threw for 11,362 yards and 142 touchdowns as a high school player and rushed for 5,925 yards and 70 touchdowns. He held offers from the biggest schools in the nation, though many wanted him to switch positions. Bohanon selected Baylor over Arkansas, both of whome gave him the chance to play quarterback.