We begin our position previews today with a look at Liberty’s quarterbacks.
Following the conclusion of the 2024 regular season, Kaidon Salter entered the transfer portal and landed at Colorado. In two years as Liberty’s starter, Salter guided the Flames to a 13-1 campaign in 2023 that included a CUSA Championship and Fiesta Bowl appearance. Things didn’t go the way many anticipated last fall before Salter ended up transferring. Now, it’s a brand new look for the Flames at the quarterback position with three newcomers and two returners vying for QB1. Head coach Jamey Chadwell said all five are in the mix through the first nine practices of camp at which point that group will be narrowed down to two or three before the staff hopes to pick the starter entering the end of training camp as the team begins preparation for the season opener against Maine on August 30.
Frontrunners
15 Ethan Vasko R-JR 6’3″ 220
Coming to Liberty from Coastal Carolina this past spring, Vasko is the most likely to win the starting job though he will have to earn it. 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.
18 Ryan Burger R-JR 6’4″ 205
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 played in just two games while at App State, starting the 2023 opener, completing 11 of 17 passes for 113 yards and one touchdown. He also played 26 snaps against Robert Morris as a true freshman in 2022. Burger served as Salter’s backup in 2024. 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 which certainly set him back in the chase to become Liberty’s starter.
Competition
7 Michael Merdinger R-FR 6’2″ 210
Merdinger transferred to Liberty in the spring from North Carolina. He has all the tools you’re looking for in a quarterback, but his only playing experience came in the bowl game for the Tar Heels back in December. Merdinger will certainly get a long look from the coaching staff during camp. He was 9 of 12 passing for 86 yards and an interception in his only appearance which came in the Fenway Bowl, a 27-14 loss for the Tar Heels to UConn. Merdinger was North Carolina’s third string quarterback for most of the 2024 season under then head coach Mack Brown. He was an early enrollee at UNC last January. He chose the Tar Heels over several offers out of high school including Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Minnesota, and others. He is from Fort Lauderdale and Cardinal Gibbons where he was a three-star prospect and the 34th best quarterback in his recruiting class as he threw for 2,850 yards and 26 touchdowns as a senior.
4 Jayden Bradford R-FR 6’0″ 185
The former IMG quarterback had offers from a countless list of suitors before committing to Liberty. He came into the program a year ago with a lot of hype as he adjusted to the college game. Bradford redshirted at Liberty last season and did not see the field. He suffered an injury during the season, put the surgery off until the end of the year which forced him to miss the entire spring. Back at practice now, can Bradford push the more veteran guys in the room during camp?
Depth
14 Ethan Houck FR 6’4″ 205
A true freshman, Houck’s recruiting profile skyrocketed during his senior season. He went from an under-the-radar guy with only a couple of offers when he committed to Liberty to being one of the highest rated quarterbacks to sign with a non-Power Conference team. Houck was here in the spring and he turned heads with his physique and ability especially for someone who should have still been in high school. The future and ceiling for Houck is extremely high, but it would be a bit of an upset if he were to win the starting job by Week 1 this season.
