I talked with Colorado quarterback recruit Josh Moten a few days ago. I wanted to get his reaction to the news that Matt Ballenger had left the program and that he and fellow recruit Clark Evans will now be entering fall camp in the fall with a much more realistic chance of playing in 2009.
Obviously, coaches would probably prefer both to redshirt, but with Ballenger gone, it’s possible one of these guys could be called upon this year. At the very least it’s possible one could be in the backup role at some point, if Cody Hawkins or Tyler Hansen were to get injured and be unable to play.
Moten, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound product of Harbor City, Calif., said he is ready for whatever gets thrown at him. By the way, Moten is scheduled to be in town today through Sunday for the spring game.
“I have the warrior instinct in my mind,” Moten said. “I’m going to go up there and compete and battle.”
Moten said he keeps tabs on the Buffs right now by reading about them on the Internet. He said that is how he learned of Ballenger leaving.
“I was kind of shocked and surprised and wondered why he decided to transfer all of a sudden,” Moten said. “I wish the best for him, but for me, that’s a good deal.
“I’m going to go in. It’s another guy out of the way and gives me more opportunities to shine and do what I do best. ”
There are some who assume Moten is destined to play a different position at the college level, but he has his heart set on quarterback. He said his strengths at the position at this point are finding ways to keep the chains moving and scoring points. He said he is working on ball placement and improving the velocity of his passes this spring.
“That was basically the reason why I chose Colorado,” Moten said of the opportunity to play quarterback. “Coach Hawk sat down with me and said, ‘I will give you your shot, and even if you aren’t the starter, you’re still going to have your opportunity and your shot like I promised you.’ That’s why I decided to roll with coach Hawk.”
There is a lot of Josh Moten tape on youtube.com. Here is some of it.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPttQk4O04Q[/youtube]
