Boulder — Colorado may have some depth at the quarterback position after all.
Matt Ballenger, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound true freshman from Nampa, Idaho, flexed his strong right arm Tuesday morning and put on a show. He hit receivers with several deep passes and also completed difficult throws to the sideline outside the reach of defensive backs.
The plan remains to redshirt Ballenger this season. But he already shows signs of being able to step in and make plays as an emergency quarterback if something were to happen to Cody Hawkins and Nick Nelson.
“Matt looks real good, real good,” said wideout Markques Simas, a true freshman who figures to make an impact this fall. “Yesterday (Monday) we were a little off on the timing but today we are lot smoother and he got the ball there.”
CU coach Dan Hawkins has said Ballenger is a diamond in the rough and may need some time. In high school, Ballenger was known more in high school for his basketball skills, having twice earned Idaho’s two-time Gatorade player of the year award as a guard. For football, he was named the nation’s No. 23 quarterback prospect by .
Two of Ballenger’s deep throws on Tuesday went to freshman speedster Josh Smith.
“I thought Ballenger did a great job today,” Dan Hawkins said. “He threw some nice balls. He’s very, very raw. But I think he will get better at an accelerated rate. He’s got the size, the arm strength and the athletic ability and intelligence – all those things you want. He’s got some poise. I like what he’s done so far.”
Staff writer Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
