Some very serious evaluation is going on at the quarterback position this spring for Portland State. PSU is trying to replace Alex Kuresa, who amassed 5,725 yards of total offense and 46 total touchdowns over the past two seasons for the Vikings. That's a tall order.

The top contenders for the quarterback job, Josh Kraght and Davis Alexander, are taking the majority of the snaps in the spring, with Scott Hitner also getting a look. You need a program to tell Kraght and Alexander apart on the field as they are of virtually the same stature, have similar throwing strength and running ability. 

"They are very similar in a number of ways," said offensive coordinator Steve Cooper. "(Former quarterback) Alex Kuresa was pretty good with his feet and making plays outside of the playbook. These guys are also pretty athletic, but they are better pocket passers than Alex was. On the other hand, their adaptability is yet to be seen. Alex was so good at that. These guys haven't had those game situations. 

Kraght will be a senior this fall. The 6-foot, 200-pounder played quarterback as a freshman, and started the final three games of the 2014 season. He moved to wide receiver in 2015 when Kuresa arrived on the scene and was productive, catching 52 passes as well as returning punts for the Vikings. Kraght is 53-104 passing for 646 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in his PSU career.

Alexander is a redshirt freshman who watched from the sidelines in 2016. At 5-11, 195, he too is very athletic with a great arm. As a senior at Gig Harbor (WA) High School, Alexander passed for 2,825 yards and 34 touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,091 yards and 12 TDs.

"Josh has a lot of experience playing football, not as much at the quarterback position, but he has a lot more moxie on the field than Davis right now. Davis is making some freshman mistakes, but he doesn't make the same mistake twice which is really nice to see, and he has a huge arm.

"Kraght is probably a little faster in reading the defense, but Davis showed he could make the defense pay on the read option play," said Cooper, referencing Alexander's breakaway run in last Friday's first spring scrimmage.

So, what is Cooper looking for to separate the two in his evaluation? The answer to that is two-fold, one having to do with the athletic, the other having to do with the intangibles.

"What we really need to see first is which one of these guys, when he pulls the football down and takes off, is the most elusive? And the second thing is, when it is third down and we have to put the ball in the air, who is going to be the most accurate and consistent with his reads and put the ball on the money?" said Cooper.

That is all well and good, and certainly expected from anyone who coaches quarterbacks. But there is a lot more to the position than on-field production. 

"Not to get too philosophical but we are look for someone who is "the guy," said Cooper (who coincidentally has a degree in Philosophy from Portland State). "We are looking for someone to be the leader in the locker room, the leader on and off the field. 

"Leaders come in different forms and different styles. We are lucky in that both guys are strong in that respect. But neither one of them have touched adversity yet because it is spring. At some point we will give them a little adversity training and see how they react to it."

At the beginning of any camp, be it spring or fall, the passing game is usually the last part of the team to come together. So stats from the first scrimmage of the spring should be taken with a grain of salt (Kraght 6-8-0, 139 yards, 2TDs; Alexander 5-14, 39 yards, TD).

"Our guys are working through that. Right now, we look exactly like we know what we are doing on one particular play. And on the next play against the same coverage it's almost like we have never done it before," said Cooper. "Those guys are learning what it is like to read a defense. It is coming together. When we have had success this spring it has been taking shots down the field, but I want to see them get to the second and third read."

Both quarterbacks will have a chance to show their abilities again this Friday when the team scrimmages during morning practice. Then, of course, at the spring game on April 29.

Meanwhile, Cooper has an optimistic feel for his top two quarterback candidates. "Whoever it is going to be will be able to get the job done. It is going to be a positive for us."

QUARTERBACK DEPTH: In addition to Hitner (JR, 6-5, 225), the Vikings signed two freshman to its 2017 National Letter of Intent class: Jalani Eason (5-11, 185, Gardena, CA) and Davis Koetter (6-2, 195, Tampa, FL).

Portland State Football Spring Practice Schedule 
Tues, April 18           8-9:30 a.m.
Thurs, April 20          8-9:30 a.m.
Fri, April 21                8-9:30 a.m. (scrimmage)

Mon, April 24             8-9:30 a.m.
Tues, April 25           8-9:30 a.m.
Thurs, April 27          8-9:30 a.m.
Sat, April 29              Spring Game, 1 p.m.