Air Force football shows three-way battle at quarterback in initial depth chart for the 2023 season

LAS VEGAS • Air Force isn’t tipping its hand at the quarterback position, showing a three-way battle in the first depth chart of the 2023 season.
Zac Larrier, Jensen Jones and Ben Brittain are all listed in bold as potential starters on the list that reflects multiple offseason changes.
“They bring everything to the table,” senior defensive back Camby Goff said. “You look at Jensen Jones, who is a bigger quarterback, who you know is going to run the ball really hard. Then you’ve got Ben Brittain, who is kind of on the lighter side but has a really good arm, and he can move really good. Then you have Zac Larrier. If you give Zac a gap, he might be gone with his speed and vision.
“They’ve got different skill sets, but they’re all very qualified to play.”
Some additional notes from the list that was made available on Wednesday at Mountain West Media Days:
• Starting cornerbacks are listed as Trey Williams on one side and a two-way battle between Corey Collins and Jamari Bellamy on the other. A pair of starters from last year are not available, as Eian Castanguay suffered a knee injury in spring practice, and Michael Mack II left the team during the offseason.
• The other unexpected loss was Everett Smalley at left tackle. Adam Karas is slotted in his spot, while Kaleb Holcomb is at the other tackle. Wesley Ndago and Ethan Jackman are at the guards, and Thor Paglialong is at center.
Karas, Ndago and Paglialong are returning starters, while Holcomb (five starts) and Jackman (one) were also part of the mix last season.
“Looking back a couple years ago, our offensive line had no experience,” Paglialong said. “We had no starters, and we still did good. This year, we’ve got a bunch of guys. Everyone who will play this year has started a game. We’re looking forward to this year.”
• Defensive end PJ Ramsey is the lone projected starter among the front seven on defense without multiple starts in his career.
• John Lee Eldridge III continues to be listed as a tailback on the offense. An All-Mountain West preseason selection, Eldridge spent some time at fullback — now called “Superback” on occasion — in spring practice. Owen Burk and Jet Harris are listed as potential spot at fullback, which was vacated by the graduation of Brad Roberts, the nation’s leading rusher in 2022.
• Four Colorado natives appear on the list: Karas, from Arvada, and Caleb Rillos, a tight end from Golden, are projected starters. Inside linebacker Julian Williams and strong safety Jalen Mergerson, both from Aurora, are listed as backups.
Air Force preseason depth chart
Offense
Tackle
59 Adam Karas (6-4, 285, sr.) Arvada
73 Luke Vonderhaar (6-4, 270, so.) Bettendorf, Iowa
Guard
69 Wesley Ndago (6-2, 300, sr.) Waco, Texas
56 Mark Hiestand (6-5, 285, sr.) South Bend, Ind.
Center
68 Thor Paglialong (6-4, 300, sr.) Woodstock, Ill.
53 Steven Ilies (6-2, 285, sr.) Riverside, Calif.
Guard
75 Ethan Jackman (6-4, 310, sr.) Chaska, Minn.
54 Jackson Kohal (6-4, 305, jr.) Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Tackle
51 Kaleb Holcomb (6-4, 270, sr.) Dublin, Ohio
74 Mason Carlan (6-3, 290, sr.) North Little Rock, Ark.
Tight end
84 Caleb Rillos (6-5, 255, sr.) Golden
81 James Bryant (6-4, 230, sr.) Roswell, Ga.
Quarterback
9 Zac Larrier (6-0, 195, sr.) Youngstown, Ohio -or-
5 Jensen Jones (6-2, 215, sr.) Naples, Fla. -or-
15 Ben Brittain (6-1, 190, sr.) Hewitt, Texas
Fullback
26 Owen Burk (5-11, 220, sr.) Grand Rapids, Mich. -or-
33 Jet Harris (6-1, 215, sr.) Gray, Tenn.
Tailback
24 John Lee Eldridge III (5-9, 200, sr.) Lee’s Summit, Mo.
10 Jalen Johnson (5-10, 185, sr.) Decatur, Ga.
Slot receiver
23 Dane Kinamon (6-0, 205, sr.) Peachtree City, Ga.
3 Cameron Breier (6-2, 195, jr.) Pasco, Wash.
Wide receiver
Sign Up for Pikes Peak 5
Game analysis and insights from The Gazette sports staff including columns by Woody Paige and Paul Klee.
Email Address
View all of our newsletters.
2 Brandon Engel (6-2, 210, jr.) Dallas, Texas
11 Wyatt Wilson (6-3, 195, sr.) New Canaan, Conn.
Defense
Defensive end
13 PJ Ramsey (6-3, 260, sr.) Phenix City, Ala.
87 Caden Blum (6-5, 265, sr.) Baraboo, Wis.
Nose guard
96 Payton Zdroik (6-0, 275, jr.) Brentwood, Calif.
55 Kupono Blake (6-2, 270, sr.) Kalikhi, Hawaii
Defensive tackle
48 Jayden Thiergood (6-3, 250, sr.) Chicago, Ill.
62 James Tomasi (6-0, 310, jr.) Provo, Utah
Outside linebacker
8 Bo Richter (6-2, 250, sr.) Naperville, Ill.
18 Elijah Sanders (6-3, 240, jr.) Clayton, N.C.
Inside linebacker
44 Johnathan Youngblood (5-11, 225, sr.) Atlanta
32 Osaro Aihie (6-1, 225, jr.) San Leandro, Calif.
Inside linebacker
40 Alec Mock (6-3, 240, sr.) Weddington, N.C.
27 Julian Williams (6-2, 230, jr.) Aurora
Spur
11 Camby Goff (6-1, 215, sr.) Reynoldsburg, Ohio
16 Jayden Goodwin (6-1, 195, sr.) Houston
Cornerback
0 Trey Williams (5-10, 175, jr.) Atlanta
14 K.C. Beard (6-1, 200, jr.) Antioch, Tenn.
Strong safety
16 Jayden Goodwin (6-1, 195, sr.) Houston
10 Jalen Mergerson (5-11, 210, sr.) Aurora
Free safety
7 Trey Taylor (6-0, 210, sr.) Frisco, Texas
22 Jerome Gaillard Jr. (6-4, 200, jr.) Kempner, Texas
Cornerback
5 Corey Collins (5-11, 185, sr.) Suwanee, Ga. -or-
3 Jamari Bellamy (6-2, 185, jr.) Atlanta, Ga.
Special teams
Placekicker
43 Matthew Dapore (6-0, 190, jr.) Springboro, Ohio
96 Reagan Tubbs (5-10, 175, so.) Flower Mound, Texas
Punter
95 Carson Bay (5-11, 160, so.) Tampa, Fla. -or-
97 Luke Freer (6-4, 220, so.) Fairhope, Ala.
Longsnapper
49 Kurt Chesney (6-0, 195, so.) Aliso Viejo, Calif.
41 J. Frank Melgarejo III (6-0, 225, sr.) Plantation, Fla.