Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter has entered the transfer portal and it leaves the Flames wondering what’s next for the team and the position moving into 2024.
Salter helped lead Liberty to unprecedented success in 2023 in his first year as the team’s starting quarterback. The Flames finished the year at 13-1 following a loss to Oregon on New Year’s Day in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. Salter completed 177 of 290 passes for 2,876 yards, 32 touchdowns and 6 interceptions during the season. He also rushed 163 times for 1,089 yards and 12 additional scores.
Behind him, there are a lot of questions marks for Liberty at quarterback entering next season. Johnathan Bennett, Salter’s backup in 2023 who started a few games in 2022, has already entered the portal and committed to the Citadel. That leaves Nate Hampton, Trey Lowe, Reese Mooney, and Jayden Bradford left on the team’s roster at quarterback currently.
Hampton will be entering his fourth season at Liberty. The 6’5″ quarterback has seen limited playing time over the past couple of seasons as he has been the team’s third string quarterback most of that time. Could he be ready to emerge and fight for the starting spot?
Lowe, who began his career at West Virginia, transferred to Southern Miss prior to the 2020 season before transferring to Liberty prior to the 2023 campaign. He had limited snaps for the Flames this past season, but he did play significantly at Southern Miss even serving as a starter in several games. Could Lowe be the next man up?
Mooney was a highly rated recruit out of high school, committing to Liberty under former head coach Hugh Freeze before staying true to his word and signing with the Flames under the new coaching staff. Mooney redshirted this season and did not see any playing time. Is he ready to take the reigns?
Bradford is an incoming freshman that is expected to enroll at Liberty for the spring semester. He’s the highest rated quarterback to ever sign with Liberty out of high school as he comes to the Flames from IMG Academy. Is he ready to play as a true freshman?
The Flames are also extremely likely to pursue a quarterback in the transfer portal. Keep an eye on names that Liberty offers in the coming days and weeks. Coach Chadwell and his staff will certainly attempt to bring in some additional competition in the room. Best case scenario, Liberty finds a quarterback in the portal that can come in and win the starting job while allowing the younger QBs in the room another year to develop and learn the system.
