Every time Gary Goff is asked about his starting quarterback he is quick to mention Nate Glantz and Tre Simmons.

It is as if the two transfers are linked at the hip.

It is similar to the response the McNeese State head coach gave the year before, only the names have changed.

Just like in the summer of 2022, the Cowboys will head to camp without a decided starter.

“We have a great battle going on back there,” Goff said. “We have two very talented young men who are working hard. Competition is a good thing.”

Asked when a decision was coming, Goff responded: “It may take all camp.”

There a pair of transfer portal juniors battling for the top job. There are also two young freshmen, Kamden Sixkiller and Davion Wilson, in the room to learn and grow.

“I like the two young guys they have some talent and are working really hard,” Goff said.

Add a pair of veterans in Ryan Roberts and Cam McCalister and you have a look that resembles last season. Goff, in his second year at McNeese, said he hopes the similarities to last season end there.

“We have to be better at the quarterback position,” he said.

It can’t be much worse.

Injuries and mistakes turned last year’s quarterback room into a disaster. A poor offensive line and no dependable go-to receiver didn’t help matters.

“We made too many turnovers and not enough big plays,” Goff said. “We need to get better in those areas.

“We want one guy to step up and take control. We have seen some of that.”

Glantz is the likely leader in the clubhouse after recently earning his TAD (Tough. Attitude. Discipline) tag for leadership, but the deal is far from closed. The former national junior college player of the year is a bit of a gunslinger, Goff said, but that’s not always bad.

“He has that swagger and leadership you need in that position,” Goff said of Glantz, who started his college career at Iowa State. “He can make all the throws and he has fit in great with the team.”

In two seasons at Iowa Western, Glantz led the Reivers to an 18-2 record. He threw for 2,147 yards in 2021, completing 159 of 301 passes with 18 going for TDs.

As a freshman, Glantz was even better, completing 63.3 percent of his passes (131-of-207) with 23 touchdowns to four interceptions.

Goff described Simmons as a dual-threat quarterback. He threw for 2,384 yards last season, good for 28th in the nation in Division II. That included 21 touchdown passes, throwing for a score in 10 of 11 games.

He accounted for 234.5 yards of total offense a game last season.

“Tre can do a lot of things and he can make big plays with his legs and arm,” Goff said. “He is electric. He can score from anywhere on the field.”

Roberts played in five games last year and led the Cowboys to three wins down the stretch. He finished 26 of 54 for 276 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions as McNeese turned to the running game.

Roberts proved to be a capable fill-in who Goff has said is greatly improved from last season.

The other three, McCalister, Sixkiller and Wilson, are in the developmental stage, Goff said.

Glantz and Simmons had solid spring camps but both also made their share of mistakes, Goff said. Roberts also showed improved play during the spring.

One thing McNeese learned from last year, you can never have enough quarterbacks. Also, using four is not a recipe for success.

If McNeese is going to make a run at the playoffs this fall and unleash Goff’s air show as promised, one of these guys is going to have to lead the way. What can’t happen is a repeat of last season, when there were more mistakes than big plays.

The surrounding cast appears to have been improved. Now it will be up to the quarterback to make sure things go according to Goff’s plan.

While Goff said he hopes the two quarterbacks make his decision a tough one, he also knows he needs somebody to step up and win the job.