In Monday’s press conference, coming off their early bye week, UCF football head coach Scott Frost announced that quarterback Cam Fancher was cleared to practice.
Fancher, the Florida Atlantic University transfer, suffered a back injury during UCF’s season opener against Jacksonville State on Aug. 28. In his limited time, Fancher completed 5-of-9 of his passes and carried the ball four times for 39 yards before his untimely exit in the second quarter.
The early bye week came at a convenient time for Fancher, as his only missed game is the Knights’ blowout victory against the North Carolina A&T Aggies. Although he’s cleared for practice, Coach Frost is unsure of how close Fancher is to 100%.
Despite the uncertainty of Fancher’s health level, offensive coordinator Steve Cooper is relieved that the left-handed gunslinger has returned.
“It’s good to have Cam back in practice,” Cooper said. “It is good to see him out there in practice and the rest of the guys running around with a little bit of rest from the bye week.”
It is a step in the right direction that Fancher has returned to the fields of the Nicholson Fieldhouse, but his availability for UCF’s anticipated matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels this Saturday is undetermined.
In light of Fancher’s uncertain status, there is one interesting tidbit about UCF’s quarterback situation. On Monday, the Knights released their early depth chart for UNC’s game, and Fancher is still the appointed starting quarterback with redshirt juniors Tayven Jackson and Jacurri Brown as his backups.
In Fancher’s absence, Jackson stepped up with tremendous performances against Jacksonville State and N.C. A&T. In his two games, Jackson has completed 29 of 45 of his passes and thrown for 471 yards with four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing). Jackson’s performances have stirred the media’s attention to the quarterback situation for the Black and Gold.
Despite the consistent attention surrounding the starting quarterback, Coach Frost’s responses always signal that the situation is fluid.
“We’ll figure that out as the week goes along,” Frost said when asked about what Fancher’s return means for the quarterback situation.
While the media focuses on who the starting quarterback is for the Black and Gold, Coach Cooper emphasizes the competition between Fancher, Jackson and Brown as it builds camaraderie among them.
“Competition is a really good thing because that’s going to bring out the best thing in most people,” Cooper said. “We say that every day with the quarterbacks. It’s a healthy competition because all the guys in the quarterback room, they really care about each other.”
The quarterback competition is an evolving situation as the coaching staff gathers more game film week by week to determine who will lead the Black and Gold during the football season.
For now, Fancher's practice clearance provides him with the opportunity to ramp up for his next game appearance and potentially maintain the starting quarterback position he was appointed at the start of the season.