BOCA RATON, Fla. _ Florida Atlantic coach Lane Kiffin is all too familiar with the situation.
For a sixth straight season, dating to his years at Alabama and USC, he is entering fall camp with a quarterback competition. It isn't the best of circumstances, so Kiffin will be patient before making a decision between De'Andre Johnson and Chris Robison.
"It's the same as always," Kiffin said. "It's one of those things _ the sooner, the better but never a set date. We don't want to force a decision and make the wrong decision."
Last year Kiffin did not name a starter until the final week of training camp. Even after taking his time, he ended up replacing Daniel Parr with Jason Driskel after three games. Driskel had another year of eligibility but announced in December he was quitting football to focus on academics.
"I wish Jason would have come back," Kiffin said. "... It gets old getting a new guy every year. Fortunately, they have a similar skill set. That kind of helps. It's good to have two guys that are really talented but at the same time (Driskel) stopped playing because he thought he wasn't going to go to the NFL."
Under Driskel, the Owls finished 11-3 and ended the season with 10 straight wins. They open the season Sept. 1 at Oklahoma, which was No. 5 in the USA Today/Coaches preseason rankings and participated in last year's College Football Playoff.
Although they will miss Driskel's experience, the Owls are in position for a potential upgrade at the position. Robison and Johnson were highly ranked recruits coming out of high school. Johnson initially signed with Florida State before being dismissed after his first season.
After one year at East Mississippi Community College, also known as "Last Chance U" in the Netflix television series, he arrived at FAU last spring.
A junior, Johnson was expected to compete for the starting job in 2017 before being diagnosed with blood clots after the second game that caused him to miss the season. He rejoined the Owls in the spring and is completely healthy. His only medication is a daily dose of aspirin.
"I remember the doctor saying, 'If you would have got on that airplane going to Wisconsin, you probably would have died,' " Johnson said. "At the end of the day, I'm thankful. I'm thankful for being back on the field."
Johnson said he is experiencing no issues with the arm and has developed a solid relationship with Robison, a redshirt freshman, during the competition. Like Johnson, he signed with a major school (Texas) after high school before being kicked off the team.
Robison spent most of last year on the scout team, sitting out because of NCAA transfer rules. FAU doesn't let freshmen speak with the media.
Kiffin said extending the competition so long won't affect the offensive strategy because the players are so similar. Both possess strong arms while also have the ability to beat opponents with their athletic ability.
Neither player created much separation during the spring.
"I don't think that I saw a big jump," Kiffin said. "We need to try to figure it out"
