Kansas State named Jesse Ertz its starting quarterback Tuesday. Ertz won a four-way competition with Joe Hubener, Alex Delton and Jonathan Banks.
Here are five things to know about Ertz.
He can throw and run. Ertz can't shake defenders like Daniel Sams or bowl over them like Collin Klein. But he has good straight-line speed that will force defenders to honor the QB run game, a staple of coach Bill Snyder offense. Ertz won a state high school championship in track in the 4×100-meter relay.
He was not the clear favorite coming out of the spring. Ertz won the job by making major improvement over the summer, then outperforming the others this preseason. The Wildcats brought in Banks from junior college after spring ball, in part because none of the other QBs created separation in the spring. But Ertz created that separation the Wildcats had been looking for early on in fall camp.
He's not experienced. Ertz saw action last season in just four games, rushing for 46 yards on seven attempts, including 26 yards against Oklahoma State. But he has never attempted a pass. The third-year sophomore redshirted in 2013.
Ertz is another Iowa native. Like his predecessor Jake Waters, Ertz hails from the Hawkeye State, specifically, Mediapolis, Iowa, which has a population of less than 2,000. Ertz broke the Iowa high school state record for career touchdowns (98) and ranked fifth in state history in career passing yardage (7,317). He was rated a three-star recruit when he signed with K-State coming out of high school.
Ertz has three older sisters. Still trying to confirm whether they dressed him up as a kid.