Head coach David Shaw announced after Wednesday’s practice that senior Ryan Burns will be the starting quarterback for the season opener against Kansas State, beating out junior Keller Chryst. Although Burns will play “a good chunk of the game,” Chryst will still receive playing time, according to Shaw.
The announcement comes as a shock to many Cardinal fans, as Chryst seemed the favorite to win the starting job coming into spring training camp. Chryst—a 4-star recruit and the 3rd-ranked pro-style quarterback in the class of 2014 by 247Sports—backed up Kevin Hogan last season, completing 5-of-9 passes for 59 yards in four games last year.
Comparatively, Burns—a 6-foot-5, 232-pound, 4-star recruit and the 12th-best pro-style quarterback in the class of 2013—has played in six games and has thrown only one pass over the past two years.
“There hasn’t been a huge separation between the two. Both guys have played extremely well,” Shaw said. “Ryan’s just been barely enough ahead to get the nod, but I think both guys are going to play and hopefully help us win.”
Stanford, ranked 8th in the preseason AP Poll, kicks off its season against Kansas State on Sept. 2 at Stanford Stadium.
Contact Laura Stickells at lauraczs ‘at’ stanford.edu.