Jordan Lane will be Johnson C. Smith’s starting quarterback for Saturday’s season opener against Wingate.

Golden Bulls coach Kermit Blount said Lane, a freshman from Charlotte, beat out fellow freshman Harold Herbin for the job.

“Jordan Lane is that front-runner,” Blount said. “He’s probably going to be the guy, but I can make that announcement – let’s say I can clean it up for sure – on Thursday.”

Lane, who led Victory Christian to an N.C. independent schools championship as a senior, is part of JCSU’s overhauled backfield. West Mecklenburg High graduate Richard Brannon, who rushed for 21 yards on 14 carries last year, is likely to start in a rotation of backs.

“We’ve got a few kids we like,” Blount said. “We like (Desean) Binyard from Winston-Salem, he’s had a great camp. Richard Brannon has had a great camp as well; Tramecio Summers has had a great camp. We feel like we’ve got three or four runners who can help us. Brannon is probably the most experienced, so if we had to go with one today, it would probably be Richard.”

Blount’s emphasis on controlling possession will be a change for the offense, which returns all five line starters from last season. Blount’s run-first scheme emphasizes physical play at the point of attack.

“We have to get off to a good start,” sophomore center Jordan Shaw said. “It’s easier to progress than depress.”

In addition to maintaining possession, Blount wants the Golden Bulls to limit turnovers. Wingate, he cautions, was efficient at turning mistakes into points last year.

“We can’t commit turnovers because they thrive off turnovers,” he said. We have to be very well-oiled this weekend where we’re not making mistakes. We can’t let our special teams beat us. We have to have some positive things happen to us on our special teams.”

After three weeks of practice, opening day is full of unknowns. Blount, who is in his first season at JCSU, is focused on developng a successful debut.

“We’re still preparing,” he said. “We’re still undecided on a few things on the overall but we have no pressure on us. I never worry about pressure. I’m just worried about making sure we have our guys prepared to play and we’re not doing anything to beat ourselves on Saturday.”

Said Shaw: “It’s a big thing. The community comes out, the press and preachers come out. It’s that open eye for the season.  It’s really going to tell what happens in the season, so I feel if we go out there and knock them out on the first play, it’s on.”

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