One traveled miles for his chance to play quarterback for the Cowboys.

The other moved a matter of yards.

Knox Kadum and Walker Wood took completely different paths to arrive at the same spot. The two are part of a six-player battle for starting quarterback this fall at McNeese State.

New head coach football Gary Goff said he doesn’t expect to name a starter until at least some time in fall camp at the earliest.

“It’s not about getting it fast, it’s about getting it right,” Goff said. “We may not even name one until well after camp.”

Goff has said all along that learning the offense is a process.

“We have good days and we have bad days,” Goff said. “One day one of the guys looks really good and then struggles the next and another guy steps up.

“There’s no clear front-runner right now. We have four guys that are very capable. The guy in spring practice who will get an edge on the others will be the one who learns the offense and starts going out there and pulling the trigger with a lot of confidence.”

While there are six wearing the red quarterback jerseys at practice, Kadum and Wood seem to be off to the best starts after two weeks.

“They have the most experience and each have shown some good things, but I have been impressed with the overall talent in the room,” Goff said. “We just need to see who understands the offense best.”

When Kadum transferred in from Virginia Tech, it was presumed he came to town to start. He had been recruited by Goff out of high school and it was easy to connect the dots. But nothing was promised.

“I was told I would only be given a chance to compete for the job,” Kadum said. “That’s all you can ask for. I know I have to go out there and work and earn everything I get.

“I enjoy the competition, it makes you better. We all just got to improve everyday.”

Kadum played sparingly at Tech, going 16 of 30 for 217 yards in five games over two seasons. He came to McNeese hitting the ground running.

“Since I got here things have gone by fast,” Kadum said. “Settling in, learning the campus and town, finding a place to live and where everything is took up a lot of time.”

Kadum said he’s most comfortable on the field for now. He has been quick to learn the pace of the offense and impress his coach.

“Knox is a very hard worker who has come in here and fitted right in,” Goff said. “He has a big arm and can make the throws.”

For now Kadum is fitting in best on the field.

“It’s great to be practicing,” Kadum said. “There is a lot of talent here and at quarterback. Everybody is pulling for the other guy and these guys just want to win.”

Nobody has done more for the team over the last year that Wood. He came from Kentucky as a quarterback but moved to wide receiver last year. Now he is back competing for the job as quarterback.

“Once a quarterback always a quarterback,” Wood said. “I went to coach and asked if I could compete for the quarterback job and he said fine. It’s what I came here for.”

After throwing one pass during last spring’s season and scoring a pair of touchdowns by running, Wood moved to wide receiver. He caught 16 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown in the fall.

“I just wanted to be on the field and help the team,” Wood said. “I will do whatever is best for the team. If that means moving back to receiver I will. I just want to help us win.”

Wood has impressed his coach.

“Walker has done a really good job,” Goff said. “Being a senior he is very confident in himself and what he is doing. He is very competitive and is one of our leaders.”

Wood said he used his time at receiver to improve his knowledge at quarterback.

“I learned the game from a different perspective,” Wood said. “I saw defenses differently. I think it helps me be a better quarterback.

“I just have to come in and win the job. I love this offense.”

Goff said the chase for the starting quarterback job is far from over, or even far from being down to a final two.

“Those two guys have had a good week,” he said. “What we are looking for is guys who correct their mistakes and pick up what we are trying to do.

“I don’t expect anybody to master this after 15 workouts, but we do need a trigger man, someone who will lead the offense, lead the team and be extremely confident in what he’s doing.”