Who will be the Ball State Cardinals Starting QB in 2023? Exploring the QB battle between Layne Hatcher, Kadin Semonza and more

Ball State will be working toward redemption in the upcoming college football season after a disappointing end to last season. Mike Neu will hope to lead his team to a bowl game once again in 2023 after missing out in the previous season.

The Cardinals were just a single victory away from achieving a remarkable feat in 2022: securing three consecutive bowl seasons, a milestone never before reached in the history of the program. However, they experienced a setback by losing their last three matches.

The quarterback position will play a crucial role in the team's success in the 2023 season. With John Paddock transferring out of the team to Illinois, let's take a look at the Cardinals quarterback depth chart for the upcoming season.

Ball State QB depth chart

Ball State seeks to replace one-year starter John Paddock after his exit from the program. The quarterback recorded 2,719 passing yards and 18 touchdowns while in charge of the offense last season. The Cardinals still have a number of talents to do the job.

The quarterback room currently has Texas State transfer Layne Hatcher who has been a starter in college football for four years. There's also Kiael Kelly, Kadin Semonza, Colin Blazek and Aidan Leffler on the team, ready to compete for the Cardinals' starting role in 2023.

Layne Hatcher: Stats and strength

Layne Hatcher is playing in his fourth college football program at Ball State. His college career began as a walk-on at Alabama before transferring to Arkansas State, where he spent three years. He played the 2022 college football season at Texas State.

Over the course of his four-year tenure as a starter, he managed to achieve a completion rate of roughly 62%, amassing a total of 10,080 passing yards and 84 touchdowns. He currently has the second most touchdown passes in the history of the Sun Belt Conference.

Ball State's starting quarterback in the last five years

• 2022: John Paddock (2,719 passing yards and 18 touchdowns)

• 2021: Drew Plitt (2,541 passing yards and 18 touchdowns)
• 2020: Drew Plitt (2,154 passing yards and 17 touchdowns)
• 2019: Drew Plitt (2918 passing yards and 24 touchdowns)
• 2018: Riley Neal (1917 passing yards and 11 touchdowns)

Who will be Ball State's starting QB in 2023?

Considering his production in the last four seasons across two programs, Layne Hatcher will take the starting quarterback role for the Cardinals in the 2023 season. He will be backed up by true freshman Kadin Semonza who was also in the frame for the starting position.

Redshirt sophomore Kiael Kelly was also a candidate for the starting position and Mike Neu believes he has a role to play this season in the rotation. Freshmen Colin Blazek and Aidan Leffler will also hope to make their mark with the Cardinals this season after seeing no action in 2022.