The Rams have not had a consistent quarterback since Caleb Hanie -- who is now with the Chicago Bears -- was guiding the Rams offense in 2006 and 2007. The last time the Rams had a truly great quarterback was the days of the flowing blond locks of hair with the athletic Bradlee Van Pelt.
Going to start Pete Thomas against CU. I just feel like he gives us the best chance to win.
Steve Fairchild
CoachFairchild
Starting a freshman quarterback is not a big deal these days in college football as a lot of them have had success over the past year, and with Thomas being in Fort Collins the past spring he is almost a redshirt freshman anyways. Here is a partial nifty list of true freshman quarterbacks who have started under center:
Thomas won't be the first, or the last, true freshman to start a major college football game. The long list includes John Elway (Stanford), Peyton Manning (Tennessee), Kevin Kolb (Houston), Jamelle Holieway (Oklahoma), Chad Henne (Michigan), Jimmy Claussen (Notre Dame), Brady Quinn (Notre Dame), Terrelle Pryor (Ohio State) and Matthew Stafford (Georgia). In 2009 alone, Matt Barkley (USC), Jordan Wynn (Utah) and Tate Forcier (Michigan) joined the list.
Thomas may not have the success of Matt Barkley or Jordan Wynn, but he is the highest rated quarterback to ever enroll at Colorado State as he is a four star rated recruit from Rivals. The good news is that the Rams finally have settled on a quarterback after a few years of doing the quarterback shuffle.