As fall camp rolls along, Herdnation.com will spend the next few days breaking down the different position groups and biggest storylines heading into the 2016 season.

We start today by taking a look at Marshall's quarterback - a group loaded with potential - almost all of it young.

Garet Morrell

When Morrell gave his verbal to Marshall, I think most people considered him the Blake Frohnapfel and Chase Litton being the Rakeem Cato. Solid QB, but stuck behind a guy who is becoming the face of the program. Morrell is a very talented QB who has a lot of upside. His athletic ability is very underappreciated and he played in the highest classification in the state of Georgia. He should be well prepared to battle for the backup spot against the other freshman QBs.

Xavier Gaines

Gaines was a player who popped up later on Marshall’s radar. According to an article written in 2015, one of the top dual-threat QBs in the 2016 recruiting class had a top five and it consisted of Alabama, Auburn, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Texas. He is unique. He brings something to the table that Marshall hasn’t really had since Doc Holliday’s second year when AJ Graham lined up behind center—a true dual-threat, playmaking, QB. Gaines is 6’2, 220 pounds, and has the speed to play anywhere on the field. Gaines’ versatility and playmaking ability should make it difficult for the Marshall coaching staff to slap a redshirt on him.

Jackson White

White is a 2016 blueshirt who will count toward the 2017 recruiting class. He will be eligible this fall to contribute and compete for the backup spot. I think White is mechanically sound, but he doesn’t seem to be the type of player who could hold down the position in case of an emergency like Morrell or Gaines could. White reminds me of a QB about the same caliber as Gunnar Holcomb. He can be a solid player over time after he gains experience in the system.

Deshaun Phillips

Phillips is a walk-on whose measurables look the part. 6’6, 205 pounds, some mobility, and a huge arm. I think Phillips has a long way to go in his development. He seems like the type of QB who lacks consistency. The big play ability from his natural talents is always there, but long stretches of play where he can’t make the necessary plays to move the chains is also there. He could develop into a good one, but it will take time and patience.

Alex Roy

Roy is a local walk-on product from Ashland, KY. I wasn’t expecting much from Roy, but I saw him in person at practice and I liked what I seen. For a walk-on, he has good size, a lively arm, and seemed to be mechanically in the limited reps I got to see of him.

I don’t think it’s any surprise Litton will be the key player at this position. As he goes, ultimately Marshall will go. I don’t think there is any doubt that Marshall will field a good football team in the 2016 season, but how good they’ll be could come down to how big Litton plays in big games. The leadership, consistency, toughness, and ability to make plays in clutch situations could be the difference between Marshall having a season replicating 2013 or 2014. It looks like Chase has dropped some of the baby fat he had as a freshman and has put on some needed muscle. Whether he’s made the necessary strides in cleaning up his mechanics is yet to be seen.

Obviously, the backup QB position has to be filled. Whoever that player is, they need to provide consistency. The coaching staff and the players around them need to know what they’re getting from them on every single play. Even if that means scaling back the playbook like Marshall did last season with a true freshman Chase Litton.

I think the backup position will come down to Morrell and Gaines. If the backup is Morrell, I see it playing out much how the staff played it when they had a sophomore Rakeem Cato being backed up by a redshirt freshman Blake Frohnapfel. The only time Morrell will see the field is to get some reps late in games in mop up duty where he’ll use those valuable reps to gain experience just in case he’s needed later on.

If Gaines wins the backup position, I think it will be played completely different by the coaching staff. I see the staff using Gaines in a similar role to how they used Michael Birdsong in the St. Petersburg Bowl game vs UConn. There will be special packages created for Gaines to be used in certain down and distance and/or field position scenarios. Gaines will get his reps and experience in those situations just in case he needs to hold down the position for an extended period of time. Whoever it is, in my opinion, consistency will be the key.