WKU Football: Quarterback Steven Duncan Enters Transfer Portal
WKU Football got some unexpected news on Monday afternoon as former starting quarterback Steven Duncan announced his plans to enter the…
WKU Football got some unexpected news on Monday afternoon as former starting quarterback Steven Duncan announced his plans to enter the transfer portal
Duncan was set to enter his 5th season on the Hill. The South Carolina native played in 12 games over the last two seasons (starting 8 of them) throwing for 1861 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Duncan started the first three games of the 2019 season (going 1–2) before succumbing to a broken foot that he sustained during the Louisville game. In his absence, Ty Storey took the starting quarterback job and performed remarkably well guiding WKU to 8 wins in their last 10 games.
Duncan was recently awarded a 6th season of eligibility by the NCAA and has two years remaining to play. He was thought to be the nominal frontrunner for the starting quarterback job over Davis Shanley, Kavaris Thomas and incoming freshman Grady Robison and Darius Ocean.
Duncan like the rest of his team was definitely hurt by the lack of spring practice. He could have shown that he was ready to be the full starter but instead wasn’t given the opportunity due to coronavirus. Head coach Tyson Helton had spoken multiple times during the offseason that he’s still searching for a grad transfer at quarterback despite what the Hilltoppers have coming back. Maybe Duncan saw the writing on the wall and figured now was the time to look for a better fit for his last two seasons.
Duncan’s departure leaves Davis Shanley as the only quarterback on the roster with starting experience (4 games in 2018). Former 4-star quarterback Kevaris Thomas has also appeared in a few games. I look for Tyson Helton to bring in a grad transfer to push the two returnees. While I would be surprised if USC transfer JT Daniels picked WKU over others, there are a lot of connections to WKU’s staff.
Duncan will probably be a what-if in WKU Football history. While he was inconsistent he did show potential. His big arm and toughness were on display but so were many mistakes. He didn’t get the advantage of growing into the starting role due to injury and for that we’ll never know what he could have been.
WKU is set to return a lot of production in 2020 (if we have a season) and finding a quarterback is the missing piece to the championship puzzle. Best of luck to Steven wherever he goes.