Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Brian Pitts

Sports Editor

When Ty Miller finished his high school career last November, the War Eagles found themselves in a bind.

Here’s a refresher of Miller’s impact during the 2022-23 seasons. He completed 412 passes for 5,327 yards, threw 54 touchdowns, ran for 15 scores, fired at least one TD in a Davie-record 22 straight games and set program records for 200-yard passing games (15) and 300-yard passing games (seven). One of the most prolific passers in Davie history is now a freshman at Arkansas State.

That’s a tough act to follow. In the offseason, priority No. 1 for coach Tim Devericks was finding a new triggerman. Devericks and offensive coordinator Matt Gould spent many days throwing spaghetti at walls. They considered moving star receiver Ethan Driver to QB, but ultimately decided to roll with senior Leon Bradshaw, a receiver the past three years, and junior Aiden Hall, a QB on JV in 2022-23.

“There were some restless nights once Ty Miller graduated, but that happens in every program,” Devericks said. “Those guys have been splitting reps and getting better all spring and summer. Where Aiden might be able to dissect a defense and throw some routes better than Leon, Leon might make up for it by being able to move to the right or left off a spot. It’s not going to be Ty Miller or Alex Summers or Nate Hampton, but we’ve settled in and said this is how we’re going to orchestrate it. I think it’ll be an ongoing competition. They haven’t seen live bullets; they feel defensive linemen rush by them. When you add those live bullets in a scrimmage, how do both of them handle that?”

Bradshaw is learning on the job after playing receiver last year and contributing 30 receptions.

“As a wide receiver, you’ve got to know your route and your assignment,” Devericks said. “As a quarterback, you have to know all four receivers, five when you count the running back, and also know where your hot read is based on the protection up front. When you put all of that on somebody, there is going to be a learning curve and some time needed for that to sink in. Sometimes you don’t want to get spooked and run when you don’t really have to. That all comes with experience and knowing when I do need to do that and when is it time for me to sit in here and fire a ball to a receiver?”

Are there questions to answer at QB? Absolutely. Bumps are to be expected. But if Bradshaw winds up being the man, he will bring excitement for a couple of reasons: He’s lightning fast, meaning he could create something on busted plays, and he can sling it deep better than most people would have thought when summer workouts began.

“He’s wanted to throw the ball since he got here,” Gould said. “He would throw in practice, but he really just started playing quarterback late spring/early summer. But even since then, I’ve seen him grow and get more comfortable with it. He’s not a prototypical quarterback – he’s got some good athleticism and he has a natural feel for the game.”

Bradshaw’s speed and quickness could make him a productive scrambler. As a sophomore receiver on JV, he had a ton of highlight-reel moments. Last year on varsity, he played in the shadows of Driver, Braddock Coleman and Grey Deal, but there still were times he had coaches in the film room doing the coach thing of watching and rewinding, watching and rewinding.

“He took a couple screens last year – I think they both ended up getting called back – where we just threw it to him in the flats and he made three people miss and ended up scoring,” Gould said. “His sophomore year, he was basically the whole JV offense. It was throw it to him and something would happen. He’s definitely one of those natural football players who can get out in space and make something happen.

“He’s not afraid to chunk it. He knows if Ethan Driver’s got a deep route, he’s willing to throw it and give him a chance. And Landon Waller is a big target. Leon knows if he’s got him on a deep route, he’ll give him a chance to win, too. He won’t let (the defense) just sit underneath; he’s willing to take those shots.”

The other option is Hall. He can’t run like Bradshaw, but he does have considerably more experience at the position.

“Aiden is more of a pocket passer and less of a runner,” Gould said. “He tries to make quick decisions – just get the ball to the playmakers in space and let ‘em play. He has to have a plan before the snap and execute that with his arm.

“It’ll be interesting to see how it goes. Once we start scrimmaging and playing games, I think one of them will step up and we’ll be alright.”