When Liberty officially kicked off its 2025 training camp this past Wednesday, the Flames had five quarterbacks in the mix to be named the team’s starter for the 2025 season opener against Maine on August 30. Head coach Jamey Chadwell said on the opening day of camp, that the first nine practices will be an open competition before narrowing down the focus to the top two-three contenders.
“The first nine practices we’ve got five guys that have an opportunity to battle for a job,” said Chadwell. “We will narrow that down after that nine to three. Then after that next week, we will hope to have who the starter is going into the first week of school.”
Returners Ryan Burger and Jayden Bradford are joined by newcomers Ethan Vasko, Michael Merdinger, and Ethan Houck to become Kaidon Salter’s replacement after he transferred to Colorado following the 2024 campaign.
Vasko, the transfer from Coastal Carolina, is easily the most experienced at the FBS level of this group. 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.
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 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.
Another transfer who joined Liberty prior to the start of spring practice is Michael Merdinger. Merdinger is a 6’3″, 200 pound quarterback who spent his true freshman season at North Carolina in 2024. 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.
Bradford redshirted at Liberty last year and did not see game action while Houck is a true freshman who joined the program in the spring. Both are the highest rated quarterback prospects to sign with Liberty out of high school but have yet to see the field in a college game.
“It’s really back to the 2023 season in terms of what fall camp looks like,” said Liberty QB Coach and Co-Offensive Coordinator Willly Korn. “You’re trying to manage the reps the best you can amongst all of them. The goal is through the first nine practices to have those reps as even as you can, and then cut it down to maybe two or potentially three guys for that last week. I think practice number 17 is our first Maine practice, so have a guy named by that point.”
In the spring and summer, the coaching staff has had a chance to get a good gauge for where each of these five quarterbacks are at, so they’re not all starting from a blank canvas. Still, there will be reps and opportunities for all five to catch the eye of the coaching staff and earn a lengthier look heading into the back half of training camp.
Chadwell emphasized that one of the most important factors will be in valuing the football and not turning it over as well as being someone who is respected among his teammates.
“I think regardless of who it is, does the team play hard for them and does the team care about them, I think that is first and foremost,” Chadwell said of the starting quarterback. “I think any of those quarterbacks that are there, I think if you ask any of their teammates, they care about their teammates, they have shown that. So, I feel confident in whoever wins the job that they are going to play hard for that guy because of their attitude.”
