PRAIRIE VIEW – Let Prairie View first-year head coach Tremaine Jackson tell it; competition is everywhere, and all positions are up for grabs.
That’s especially the case at quarterback, where senior Cameron Peters returns and Tevin Carter, a spring addition after transferring from Tennessee State, are involved in a too-close-to-call competition for the No.1 spot. Sophomore Tyler Nelson has been impressive enough to be in the conversation.
Jackson and his staff may already know who will run out with the first team in the Aug. 30 season-opening Labor Day Classic against rival Texas Southern, but it remains a closely guarded secret to outsiders.
“They’re all competing at a high level,” Jackson said recently to the Defender. “Here soon, we are going to name a quarterback internally. We won’t say anything until we come off this hill on Aug. 30, but we’ve got to give that guy, whoever it is, a chance to gel with the team and a week just ain’t enough. We’ve got to give him a chance to set his leadership in place within the program. I have a lot of faith in all of these guys.”
Peters, a product of Stafford High School and a holdover from Bubba McDowell’s staff, seems to have an advantage in the race based on playing experience alone. Peters initially went to UT-San Antonio and then Kilgore College before landing at Prairie View, where he stepped into the starting role for much of last season after Lucas Coley went down with a season-ending injury in the season-opener against TSU.
Peters only made a couple of starts but saw action in eight of the Panthers’ games, completing 68 of 132 passes for four touchdowns and four interceptions last season. Carter, meanwhile, began his college career at the University of Memphis before transferring to Tennessee State last year to play for former Oilers’ running back Eddie George.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Carter served as a backup in 2024, completing just 2 of 5 passes for 14 yards and one interception while gaining 127 yards and scoring five touchdowns on 30 rushing attempts. George left after last season to take over at Bowling Green State, and Carter made the decision to jump into the transfer portal in March.
First-year Prairie View offensive coordinator Christopher Buckner says he has been pleased with the effort of his entire quarterback room this fall camp, but admits that right now it’s a two-man race between Peters and Carter. Nelson still has a chance, and Timothy Barrington and Blake Murphy could factor in depending on how the season progresses.
“It’s neck and neck. Both of those guys go out there every day and do really good things,” Buckner said of Peters and Carter. “It’s up and down, it’s a push and pull. One guy has a really good day one day and the other guy goes out and has a better day the next day. They are fighting back and forth and that’s what makes it a good competition. That’s what makes it a battle.”
“He needs to conform to me. We need to be on the same page. That’s all I’m looking for, someone I trust. It’s not the arm talent, it’s not the leg talent. It’s somebody that I trust to protect the football and get us into the endzone, too.”
Christopher Buckner, Offensive coordinator on what the qualities of the quarterback are who wins the job
What was interesting this offseason is how dramatically Jackson changed over the roster pretty much across the board, but that wasn’t the case at quarterback during spring ball. Peters, Coley and Barrington remained as holdovers from the previous coaching staff and were battling for the top spot throughout the spring, with Nelson, one of Jackson’s original recruits, also in the mix.
But after spring, Coley decided to leave the program, leaving Peters as the only quarterback who had previously started at Prairie View.
“This ain’t (Peters’) first camp,” said Jackson, who isn’t allowing his players to talk to the media. “He’s been through it before at a couple of places. He knows how to play college football.
“What I’m really proud of about him is the way he has helped others. He has really helped the other guys, and that’s a maturity step for Cam. He wasn’t like that at first. Call a spade a spade. He’s come in and he made a decision to be one of us. I couldn’t be more proud of that decision. I look forward to watching him compete in the scrimmages, but he has to compete like everybody else. Ain’t nothing going to be given to him because he’s the elder statesman.”
While Jackson wouldn’t reveal who might have the edge, he did give a clue about what he is looking for in a starting quarterback.
“The quarterback for the Prairie View Panthers is the guy who takes care of the football and wins the team,” Jackson said. “I’m looking for that guy who is going to make the smart decision and a guy who ain’t soft. There are two people who go into every press conference around here after the game, and I ain’t going with nobody soft. I tell them all the time. I ain’t going with nobody who is weak-minded, can’t handle criticism or compliments.
“We are going to be made of what we are made of, and the guy who proves he can do that the best, takes care of the football and wins the team will be our quarterback.”
