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Figured a leading candidate to be Nebraska’s next starting quarterback, Patrick Witt is leaving the program.
“We have no comment and Patrick has no comment. He’s leaving,” Gene Witt said Sunday night.
Gene Witt said his son, a sophomore-to-be from Wylie, Texas, would leave Lincoln in May after finishing out this semester of classes.
“Everything was official (Saturday). It’s a done deal,” Gene said. “He’ll be leaving at the end of this semester. He’s got a 4.0 GPA and he’s focusing on his grades now.”
Husker head coach Bo Pelini issued a statement on Sunday night, wishing Witt well.
“Patrick has decided that it is in his best interest to continue his college career at another school,” Pelini said. “Patrick is a great kid from a great family and I appreciate the contributions he has made to our football program. I wish him nothing but the best in the future and know he will be a success wherever he goes.”
Witt’s departure seems to place junior Zac Lee as the top quarterback candidate going into spring ball next month, given his experience in the system. However, redshirt freshman Kody Spano and true freshman Cody Green will have something to say about that in the race to replace Joe Ganz as starter.
Green enrolled at Nebraska in January and is already participating with the team in winter conditioning. Taylor Martinez, a Corona, Calif., product who was part of the 2009 recruiting class, also wants to play quarterback at NU, though he would be a longshot for the starting job this year since he won’t be here in the spring.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Witt appeared in five games this past season and completed 6 of 8 passes for 48 yards while rushing four times for 20 yards and a touchdown.
Throughout the fall, Pelini said Witt and Lee were back and forth in their battle for the No. 2 spot.
Witt did seem to have a slight edge at season’s end and was called upon in the Gator Bowl to replace an injured Ganz for one play in the fourth quarter.
The play was a key one in the game. Witt scrambled for four yards to the NU 31, but the ball came out and a Clemson player picked it up and raced for what he thought was a game-turning touchdown. But officials reviewed the play and found that Witt was down before the ball came out.
Leading to that game, Witt seemed excited for his chance to be the man at Nebraska in 2009.
“I’ve been here for a while now. I’m pretty familiar with the ins and outs,” Witt told the Journal Star in December. “I’m ready to get out there and start taking command.”
Part of the 2007 recruiting class, Witt threw for 1,846 yards and 17 touchdowns his senior year at Wylie. He arrived there after playing his junior season at Parkview High School in Lilburn, Ga.
As for Witt’s next step, “He’s got a bright future and we’ll evaluate that as we go,” his father said. “We appreciate the opportunity at Nebraska, and we just have no comment about what took place.”
Who’s left at QB?
With Patrick Witt departing, the race for this year’s starting quarterback at Nebraska seems to have three lead candidates:
Zac Lee: Entering his third year in the NU system, Lee is mobile and possesses a strong arm, capable of throwing a ball 70 yards. At 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, he threw for more than 3,400 yards in 2006 for San Francisco Community College but has thrown just two passes as a Husker.
Kody Spano: A dual-threat quarterback who redshirted last season. Threw for more than 5,000 yards and rushed for about 900 his last two years at Stephenville High School in Texas.
Cody Green: Passed for more than 3,200 yards and ran for more than 1,600 last year during his senior year at Dayton High in Texas. He’s loaded with potential and already on campus, but obviously has some catching up to do with Lee and Spano in knowing the offense.
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.
