When Fresno State and Kansas kick off the college football season Saturday evening in Lawrence, Kan., a lot of attention will be paid to the starting quarterbacks. And likely their fathers.E.J. Warner, the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, is set to start for Fresno State, while Cole Ballard, the son of Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard, is the No. 2 quarterback for the Jayhawks behind sixth-year standout Jalon Daniels.Warner, a senior transfer from Rice, won a three-way quarterback battle over redshirt sophomores Carson Conklin and Jayden Mandel.”It was super close, and I told both Jayden and Carson that they have to push him every day,” Fresno State coach Matt Entz said. “I don’t want E.J. to get comfortable. That’s the last thing this program needs right now, is someone at the quarterback position just thinking they’re owed something.”Warner went 9-22 as the starting quarterback the past three seasons, two at Temple and one at Rice, and threw 58 touchdowns and 37 interceptions, finishing in the top 10 in the nation in interceptions thrown each season.”We tried to keep all the analytics, all the metrics that were required, but also there’s always some intangibles, too, that go along with it,” Entz said. “E.J. has done a great job with the communication piece, with the leadership piece. Poise, as far as just the experience that he provides to our offense, was critical.”Kansas coach Lance Leipold said Warner “doesn’t get rattled” and has proven productivity.”It’s not surprising to us that he won the job,” Leipold said.If all goes according to plan for the Jayhawks, Ballard’s time will wait one more season.The Jayhawks went 5-7 last season and didn’t qualify for a bowl game after opening the season ranked 22nd in the AP Top 25 preseason poll.Daniels threw for 2,454 yards and 14 touchdowns with 12 interceptions in his fifth season with Kansas last season. He had six rushing touchdowns to bring his career total to 64 (19 rushing) since first taking the field as a true freshman in 2020.
