Cincinnati's Tuberville: QB job not necessarily Kiel's to lose

Gunner Kiel is heading into his fifth collegiate season and has been the starting quarterback at Cincinnati for two of them, but that doesn't guarantee him this year's job.

After injuries plagued Kiel throughout 2015 and into the offseason, head coach Tommy Tuberville told Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer the starting quarterback job is wide open.

"Gunner didn't practice but about three or four days and hurt his shoulder (in spring)," Tuberville said. "Coming out of camp, I'd say Hayden (Moore) is No. 1, Ross (Trail) is No. 2, and Gunner is No. 3, but that's just because he didn’t practice. They'll all basically start out even-up, as we always do. We'll pick somebody and go with them."

Despite injuries, Kiel still managed to throw for 2,777 yards with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in parts of 10 contests.

Moore saw plenty of snaps as a freshman while filling in for the oft-hurt Kiel, though he wasn't particularly effective. In parts of eight games, he threw for 1,885 yards along with nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

But Kiel, a former Notre Dame transfer, won't walk into fall camp with the edge in the position battle.

"I think we have three guys that can get the job done," Tuberville said. "We have a new quarterback coach and offensive coordinator (Zac Taylor). With a little bit of a new offense, I think that makes it an equalizer."

On top of the beating he took last season, Kiel left the team briefly to tend to a personal matter and missed Cincinnati's bowl game, leading to general speculation the 22-year-old may have been considering a transfer. Evidently, such concerns were unfounded, as Kiel still resides in Cincy.

Regardless of who's wearing the wristband, Kiel and the Bearcats will kick off their regular season against UT Martin on Sept. 1.