Old Dominion's quarterback competition is over before it really got loud. ESPN's Pete Thamel reported the Monarchs have named redshirt sophomore Quinn Henicle their starter heading into the Sept. 5 opener against Norfolk State, closing the book on a battle that opened up after Colton Joseph transferred to Wisconsin.
The résumé is small but it's spotless. Henicle has started exactly 2 games in 2 years of college football and he's 2-0, capped by an MVP turn in last year's Cure Bowl win over USF. According to Thamel, he ran for 107 yards and 2 touchdowns in that bowl game, adding to a 2024 win at Arkansas State where he ran for 206 yards and earned Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week.
Henicle is a dual-threat quarterback from Downington West in Pennsylvania. He ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns in the win over USF. He ran for 206 yards in the win over Arkansas State in 2024, earning Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week.
That Cure Bowl performance wasn't a fluke stat line either — Henicle went 11-of-25 passing for 127 yards to go with the ground production, and the coaching staff clearly liked what they saw enough to hand him the job outright rather than string out an open camp battle.
Henicle is a Downingtown West, Pennsylvania product, and the dual-threat profile is exactly the kind of quarterback that's become standard in the Sun Belt — someone who can extend plays with his legs when the pocket breaks down. Two career starts is a thin sample, but a perfect record with a bowl MVP attached is about as strong a pitch as a backup can make for himself.
Now the pressure shifts. Norfolk State on Sept. 5 is the easy part of the schedule — the real test is whether Henicle can hold the job across a full 12-game slate instead of just spot duty. Old Dominion is betting he's ready, and after going 2-for-2 as a starter, he's earned the benefit of the doubt.