KICKOFF COUNTDOWN: Not a controversy but Trinity has choices at quarterback

Trinity coach Brian Seymore will choose between Patton Mitchell (left) and Land Sharpless for his starting quarterback. (File Photos)

By TIM GAYLE

Trinity coach Brian Seymore looks at film, studies tendencies and talks to the candidates.

After a summer full of workouts and three weeks of fall practice, he still can’t decide between Patton Mitchell and Land Sharpless as the Wildcats’ starting quarterback. 

“They’re both taking reps, 1A, 1B, however you want to look at it,” Seymore said. “I think they both can go out there. I think they both can help this team win. I’ve got to be creating ways to get them on the field together. I have no choice. They’re too good of an athlete not to have them out there. They're both winners, they're both competitors. It's a good problem to have.

“They both had their freshman year as a starter for this team and, knock on wood, we’ve got both back healthy right now. We’ve got to find creative ways to get them both involved on offense. They’ve both got different things that make them stand out. They’re both dual-threat kids, they can both throw it and run it. We have to look at the situation we have. It’s going to come down to coaching.”

Mitchell stepped into a starting role as a freshman in 2024, completing 80 of 169 passes (47 percent) for 1,424 yards with 17 touchdowns and six interceptions. As a running quarterback, Mitchell carried the ball 67 times for 396 yards (a 5.9-yard average) and four touchdowns. He suffered an injury late in preseason practice last year and was sidelined for his sophomore year.

Sharpless stepped into a starting role as a freshman in 2025, completing 110 of 204 passes (54 percent) for 1,732 yards with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. As a running quarterback, Sharpless carried the ball 78 times for 349 yards (a 4.5-yard average) and one touchdown.

Trinity opens the 2026 season at home on Aug. 20 against Bibb County and Seymore will be ready to play both Mitchell and Sharpless, regardless of which one takes the first snap.

“They both have strong suits that fit their game,” he said. “They're both can do positive things for us offensively. And they’re both good defenders, too. They both play safety, they're both aggressive kids, they're both physical kids, so that's not an issue. We’ve got to find ways to make sure we get them on the field on both sides of the ball for us.”

Having a two-quarterback system isn’t ideal for some coaches, but Seymore has studied the possibility.

“I did a lot of studying off-season, packages people use (with) multiple quarterbacks in their offense,” he said. “Montana State did it a little bit. There were folks that flirted with it a little bit, using two quarterbacks, because, obviously, you don't want your next best athlete sitting on the bench. You’ve got to find a place for them to play. They’re both unselfish, they’ll do whatever they can get the team. They’ll both have a direct impact on the offense for sure.”

There are actually three quarterbacks, but third teamer John Michael Cox -- also sidelined last season with a shoulder injury -- has been moved to tailback.

“I wouldn’t have a problem with John Michael playing quarterback, either,” Seymore said. “He still gets reps there, he still does a lot of the scout team work for us at quarterback. It’s good to have all three of them back. John Michael’s a good runner, he’s a good receiver. He’s obviously one of our top safeties, one of our best tacklers defensively.

“You've got three kids that need to be on the field. They’re going to all make an impact. If it’s in the return game, there’s a lot of aspects where they can get involved. We’re thankful to have all three of them.”

Cox seemed perfectly content to play running back this fall.

“I’ve always been a running quarterback and accepting the challenge of playing running back this year is nothing new,” Cox said. “I’m an athlete. Just go run the ball.”

All three could play safety on defense -- Cox will be a starter in the secondary and the other two will play out of necessity -- but one of the more intriguing aspects of their relationship is on the punting unit. Cox is the snapper, Sharpless is the punter and Mitchell is the backup punter.

Seymore believes both Mitchell and Sharpless will be in the game at the same time on offense. He’s just not sure where.

“I just think whoever's playing (quarterback) and whoever’s not playing, the other one has to be on the field for us,” he said. “It’s that simple. I think they both fit at the skill positions. They both can catch if they need to. It’s just going to come down to we have to find ways to incorporate both of them in office.”

Seymore said he is in no hurry to name a starter.

“I’m going to play it out,” he said. “There hasn’t been a lot of open fire on those guys. My job has been to keep them healthy. There hasn’t been a lot of hitting. Trust me, neither one of them is afraid of contact, that isn’t the issue. But I want to make sure we get them to the point where we can make a decision on who we think deserves the opportunity to start and go out there and lead the team to start with.

“But I'll be honest with you, that doesn’t say that two series in, I can’t go to the next guy. I’ve got to go with who’s got the hot hand, I’ve got to go with who I think is helping our offense be more productive. And the bottom line is scoring points. That’s what it’s going to come down to. 

The Wildcats will travel to Skipperville on Friday for a 6 p.m. jamboree with G.W. Long. The scrimmage with the Rebels may be the deciding factor on which player starts at quarterback. 

“I would think the jamboree has a lot to do with it,” Seymore said, “because they're going to get equal reps. And I’ve got film that I can go back and study. I want to put them both out there with frontline guys to see how they respond because I can’t evaluate one playing with the number two offense. I’ve got to give them an equal shot to lead the team.But that’s a good problem for the head coach to have.”

The players have the same level of confidence in either Mitchell or Sharpless.

“Patton, Land and John Michael are all good athletes,” said senior tackle Chapman Robertson. “I think any of them can go at quarterback. It’s nice to have more people who are able to play. I think we’re definitely stronger.”