On Thursday, Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell named Ethan Vasko as the Flames’ starting quarterback ahead of the team’s 2025 season opener against Maine on Saturday, August 30.
“Ethan Vasko has won our quarterback job,” Chadwell said during his Thursday morning press conference. “We had a great battle between him and Ryan (Burger). I think our team is confident in both of those quarterbacks that we can win games with those guys. Ethan gives us some experience that we feel like we need. He’s played a lot of football and has done a good job.”
When Liberty started training camp at the end of July, Chadwell said the first nine practices of camp would be pretty close to a wide-open quarterback battle between the five guys at the position. Ethan Vasko, Ryan Burger, Michael Merdinger, Jayden Bradford, and Ethan Houck were all vying to become the Flames’ next starting quarterback. Two weeks into camp, Chadwell narrowed the competition down to two, Vasko and Burger. Chadwell informed the quarterbacks this past Saturday that it would be Vasko getting the start to open the season.
“It was just making sure we got all the information that we wanted to have to make the best decision,” Chadwell said of taking his time to name the starter. “I think both of them performed well. Ryan did a fantastic job. As we are starting this season off and hopefully finishing it with a championship, I think you probably need both of them, that’s why we were really going along with it to make sure who gives us the best chance. Then secondly, if we decided to play both what’s the role they can both play. We were feeling that out a little bit.”
Chadwell didn’t close the door on Burger playing at some point this season, perhaps as soon as Saturday against Maine. He feels that Burger has earned an opportunity to continue being in the conversation for playing time on the field, though he didn’t flat out say both quarterbacks would play moving forward, depending on how the game flows.
“If we feel confident that we can win with both and somebody has earned the opportunity to do that, then we will play them,” Chadwell explained. “If you look at the history of our quarterbacks, they have been banged up. I think we’re trying to make sure we keep the quarterback healthy for long term to play a lot of games. If there’s a way that we can play both quarterbacks, it takes hits, it takes whatever off of him to stay healthy as long as possible, it will be something that we strongly consider…I’m not going to say that’s by series or by quarter or anything of that nature, but if I have a feeling of hey lets put somebody else in here because of what he can do for us in this certain situation, then we will do that.”
Vasko, the transfer from Coastal Carolina, is easily the most experienced at the FBS level of this group, making 16 starts for the Chanticleers over the past two seasons. He started all 12 games for Coastal in 2024, throwing 14 touchdowns and 8 interceptions with a 55% completion percentage while throwing for over 2,000 yards. During his two seasons at Coastal, Vasko played in 20 games. He completed 224 of his 393 passes for 2,889 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. A mobile quarterback, Vasko rushed the ball 170 times for 815 yards and 7 scores as he brings something the other quarterbacks in the room don’t possess and that’s significant playing experience at the college level. Vasko is the only current Flame with either a 300-yard passing effort (once) or a 100-yard rushing performance (once), accomplishing both feats during his time at Coastal Carolina. He began his college career at Kansas before transferring to Coastal Carolina.
“Trust in the staff,” Vasko said of his decision for wanting to transfer to Liberty. “I’ve known Coach Korn and Coach Chadwell for a long time, out of high school. Having conversations with them since high school, being a part of talking to them for a long time. Even when I transferred from Kansas to Coastal, I had conversations with them. I think it was a good time for me to come here knowing that I would fit well in this offense. I think everything worked out well, trusting in them, trusting in myself that I could come here and win the job.”
The 6’3″, 220 pound quarterback is originally from Chesapeake, Virginia where he attended Oscar Smith High School. In his most recent performance, Vasko completed 13 of 17 passes for 200 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown on 13 rushing attempts. The regular season finale performance at Georgia State helped lift the Chanticleers to the win and bowl eligibility.
In 2023, as a redshirt-freshman, Vasko played some after Grayson McCall was injured. In four starts, he threw 7 touchdowns and had just one interception. He had 7 appearances total during 2023, completing 63% of his passes for almost 800 yards. Vasko was named Hawaii Bowl MVP following a 24-14 Chanticleer win over San Jose State to end the 2023 campaign. He finished the game with 199 yards passing and three touchdowns. Prior to his time at Coastal Carolina, Vasko began his college career at Kansas where he redshirted as a true freshman in 2022. He played in one game for the Jayhawks, completing 3 of 5 passes for 13 yards with two rushes for six yards against Texas Tech.
“It was a great battle,” Vasko said of the battle throughout the off-season, particularly with Burger. “It was long. We have a lot of great quarterbacks in the room. Going against them every day, helping make each other better. I don’t know exactly what set me part. I think just consistency, every day coming in with the same mindset, I think that helps a lot. It was a great battle. We have a lot of great quarterbacks. I’m just happy to be in this position.”
Saturday, he makes the 17th start of his college career and first with the Flames.
“At the end of the day, you need playing experience,” said Chadwell. “If you look at everybody on our roster from a quarterback position, Vasko is the only one that has played a lot in games. Ryan has played very little. Mike (Merdinger)’s played very little. At the end of the day, that’s what really won out is the experience. Making sure that when we go out there for the first time with us, that somebody has had some experience underneath the lights, underneath the center. That’s ultimately what won out.”
Vasko was a three-star recruit coming out of high school with offers from hometown Old Dominion, Virginia Tech, South Florida, Buffalo, UConn, Penn, and Columbia before Kansas got involved. He helped lead Oscar Smith to three state championship games and back-to-back state championships. He broke the Virginia High School record with 10 touchdowns in a single game and tied the state record with 9 touchdown passes in a single game. Vasko recorded a 35-3 record as a starting quarterback with 9,203 total yards and 134 total touchdowns during his high school career.
Ryan Burger joined the Flames a year ago through the transfer portal, coming over from Appalachian State where he began the 2023 season as App’s starting quarterback before suffering a hand injury in the first half of the first game that caused him to miss the remainder of the season. Burger served as Kaidon Salter’s backup in 2024 at Liberty. He got playing time in five games, most notably in the Bahamas Bowl against Buffalo, where Liberty lost 26-7. Burger started that game as Salter was already in the transfer portal. He completed 4 of 12 passes for 40 yards and was sacked 3 times. He also rushed 11 times for 57 yards. Burger did miss the spring practice sessions due to a concussion suffered in the bowl game.
Burger is the only quarterback who has started a game for the Flames. For 2024 as the team’s backup, Burger was 8 of 19 passing for 88 yards while rushing 17 times for 70 yards a touchdown. A 6’4″, 205-pound redshirt-junior from Myrtle Beach High School, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Burger has played in seven games in his college career while making two starts. During his time in high school, Burger threw for 6,474 yards and 70 touchdowns while completing 65% of his passes in three varsity seasons at Myrtle Beach.
“They believe in the way our quarterbacks lead, the way our quarterbacks are in the locker room,” said Chadwell. “They are well liked. We have three quarterbacks on our leadership council. They are well liked. They are all well-respected. The team was going to respond no matter who is out there under center. This team – I’m talking about offense, defense, everybody – was going to respond in a good way because they really value the teamwork that those quarterbacks have in the locker room and the type of teammates they are. I know they are excited for whoever was going to run out there.”
