Stanford Names Starting Quarterback

Senior quarterback Josh Nunes was named Stanford's starting quarterback by Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw on Tuesday, following the team's morning training camp practice.

"Josh has done a great job," said Shaw. "The guy who is going to play quarterback is the guy who can do it all - managing the running game, managing our protections and getting us into the right play. Josh has done that."

The decision and announcement for Stanford's signal caller came in the third and final week of training camp.

"If I had to make this decision the first week, that would have meant we wouldn't have had competition," offered Shaw. "The fact that it took this long was a good thing because it was a battle."

Nunes is the first regular season starting quarterback for Stanford other than Andrew Luck since the 2008 season. The Upland (Calif.) native was Luck's primary backup in 2010, making four appearances on the season and completing one of two passes. Nunes did not see action in 2011, when Brett Nottingham was Stanford's backup quarterback.

"It feels great," said Nunes. "This is something I've wanted to be here for a long time, obviously."

"Being behind Andrew Luck was pretty much the biggest blessing I think you could ever ask for," the senior opined. "I learned a lot from him, and I feel like I'm ready to lead this team."

"The great thing is that the path has been laid how to be a successful quarterback here at Stanford," Nunes added. "I have to realize, too, that I'm not Andrew Luck. By no means am I trying to be exactly him.

Stanford is preseason ranked 18th in the USA Today Coaches Poll and 21st in the AP Top 25 College Football Poll. Josh Nunes and the 2012 Cardinal will open their season August 31 at Stanford Stadium versus San Jose State, with a national broadcast on the Pac-12 Networks.

--Stanford News Service

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