I wasn't exactly sure what we got in this kid when the news first broke. I knew he was a likely upgrade over what we had, but I wasn't sure how much of an upgrade he actually was.
After watching basically everything he's done at OU, I feel like he will comfortably win any QB competition.
I would say he's sneakily athletic, but it's honestly not very sneaky if you actually watch him. He's a pretty fluid mover, and he's honestly pretty fast. I don't think it'd be a stretch to say he's got similar top end speed to Skyler. But he's taller and heavier, so he's a little more stiff (Skyler was also a stiff runner, why he was so easily tripped up so often).
He's got a decent arm and decent accuracy, but even some balls that are caught are slightly off target. And it's pretty easy to see the root of his problems. He doesn't throw with an even base.
Throws off his back foot are regular, and all arm throws are just as regular. Grier also had this problem, but his somewhat wonky release and stronger arm allowed him to make the throws. Kendall's arm isn't as strong as Will's, so it results in his throws sailing.
Skyler Howard taught me a lot about about college football. Things that I already kind of knew became glaringly obvious. He taught me that even an average to below average thrower can have success in an Air Raid type offense if they combine IQ with running ability. It's the cheat code of college football. If your QB is mobile and even a passable thrower, your offense will have success when paired with a good run game.
I don't think we got a guy that's gonna put up Will or Geno passing numbers (I also don't think we have a coach that would strive for that), but I do think we got a completely capable starting QB in the Big 12.
I think Kendall is athletic enough to move the chains with his legs. And I think his ceiling as a thrower is higher than Skyler's was. I've come away excited at what we have now at the QB position. I think we have a 2 year starter who should be good enough to lead this team to wins. It's up to the coaches to see if we can get over the hump.