Column: The starting quarterback should be...

Senior wide receiver Kofi Hughes knew the question was coming.

He’s answered it several times before, so many times that he has his answer down to a science.

It’s been the storyline all summer.

“Who’s going to be the starting quarterback?”

“I’ve got confidence in all three,” Hughes said. “I really don’t care who it is.”

It’s getting to the point where you start to feel bad asking about it.

IU kicks off its season Thursday night, and we still have no idea who the starting quarterback will be.

By now, you know the contenders. There’s the mobile sophomore Tre Roberson, who started the first two games last year and looked to be the quarterback for the forseeable future until he broke his leg in the second game.

There’s junior Cam Coffman, who was Mr. Reliable last year, starting the remaining 10 games after Roberson went down.

And there’s sophomore Nate Sudfeld, who has the biggest arm of all three and had the highest efficiency rating last year in seven appearances.

The coaching staff and players have said the same thing for more than a month. All three guys are good. All three can contribute. All three still need to get better.

We get it.

But you still have to pick one of them to run out there Thursday night.

To be honest, it’s starting to drive me crazy. I just want an answer to the question I’ve been asking for more than a month now.

“It’s been a distraction for you guys,” Hughes said Sunday of the media’s infatuation with the quarterback situation. “Not for us, though.”

Several scenarios have been batted around. Could IU go to a two QB system? Will all three see playing time?

I don’t know. And IU Coach Kevin Wilson isn’t ruling out anything. So, just like your mom told you when you were growing up, “anything is possible.”

If I’m picking the starter, I’m giving the job to Sudfeld.

Sudfeld physically looks like a quarterback. He’s 6-foot-5, 216 pounds. He towers over both Roberson and Coffman, who stand 6-foot and 6-foot-2 respectively.

Last year he made things happen when he came into the game. The offense responded to him.

He completed 51 of 82 passes, throwing seven touchdowns and one interception.

More so than the other two guys, he can make plays happen with his arm.

That’s the quarterback’s job.

This isn’t taking anything away from the other two. Like everyone around the program says, they’re all capable quarterbacks who will, I believe, lead IU to a bowl game. But that’s for another column.

Previously, I thought Roberson should be the quarterback, just because it seemed like it should be his job to lose. After all, this wouldn’t be a discussion if he hadn’t broken his leg.

But seeing Sudfeld up-close, he’s too tough to pass up.

He appears to be the type of quarterback who can lead a Big Ten team. He’s comfortable in the pocket, and he has the arm to deliver a 50-yard ball on the money to a streaking Shane Wynn on a fly route.

No one is questioning this offense. It’s not an area of concern. The offense should be stellar, regardless of who Wilson eventually chooses to start.

“I think they’re all going to play, so I’m not really worried about it,” Hughes said.

Is that the plan for Thursday night?

He shrugged his shoulders and grinned.

Like it has all summer, my question remains unanswered.

­— robhowar@indiana.edu
Follow columnist Robby Howard on Twitter @robbyhoward1