@GridironApex yeah, it wasn't just Braden though. He had a really good team. I remember being at that game, thinking how are so many of these guys playing at the fcs level. They definitely looked like D1 talent. Mercer lost a lot though, as their coach left as well I think
@GridironApex You know anything about this kid ? He looked good against Auburn last year. Think he can be really good. Interested to see how he does with a jump in competition level.
Sources: Oregon State has named Mercer transfer Braden Atkinson as the starting quarterback, and he’ll debut at No. 23 Houston on Sept. 5. He won the Jerry Rice Award for the top player in the FCS in 2025, and he beat out Maalik Murphy and Brady Jones for the starting job.
@blackgodwayne watched this kid against Auburn last year, he clearly was better than FCS. That Mercer team had a lot of D1 guys from what I saw so i'm intrigued.
I wouldn't worry too much about Stukes reportedly starting slow. He's playing nickel in a defense that asks a lot of the nickel and he's also playing safety. That's a lot to ask of a rookie. Even Hamilton (not a comp) had a slow start.