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October 28, 2010
According to the Nicholls State University athletic website, starting quarterback LaQuintin Caston stands 5-feet-8-inches tall.
But according to Caston, one shouldn’t always believe what they read on the Internet.
“I don’t know where they got that,” he said with a laugh. “I’m probably closer to 5’10.”
Regardless of Caston’s height – or lack thereof – the Colonels’ second-year starting quarterback is currently standing tall in Charlie Stubbs’ rebuilt offense.
“LaQuintin is progressing really well,” Stubbs said. “He’s trying to learn a totally new offense and a totally new philosophy than we’ve had in the past. But LaQuintin’s very athletic, and I’m trying to make him into a more complete and rounded quarterback … and he’s catching on.”
Caston landed at Nicholls State following a decorated high school career at Scotlandville High School in Baton Rouge, where he was an All-District performer in 2007 as a senior. The quarterback threw for 1,200 yards and rushed for 600 more in his senior season to seal his spot at the next level.
Caston redshirted his first season in Thibodaux in 2008, before starting seven games last season. In 10 total games seeing playing time, Caston wowed opponents, completing 45-of-100 passes for eight touchdowns and just three interceptions, while also rushing for six touchdowns.
Despite Caston’s proven ability to play the game at a high level, one feature has always drawn his share of critics – height.
Caston said he’s been told his entire life that he’s not big enough to play the position – a criticism that he works every day to overcome.
“Coach Stubbs tells me all of the time that as a quarterback, you don’t have to be the biggest guy or the smartest guy, you just have to have heart and to be able to lead your teammates,” Caston said. “That’s my job – to make the other 10 guys on my team better. Being a quarterback isn’t about standing 6-foot-5 and throwing rockets out there – it’s about making my team better.”
And that he has. Caston already has a Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week award under his belt this season – an honor he earned following a four-touchdown game in Nicholls’ four overtime win against Texas State.
For the season, Caston has already put himself on track to up his numbers from a year ago, as he has 10 total touchdowns (six passing, four rushing) through six games.
“A lot of people, they see LaQuintin’s size back there, then they take him lightly,” Nicholls junior defensive back Bobby Felder said. “But he has a big heart. He’s a little guy with a huge heart. Forget his height, he plays like he’s 6-foot-5. He does the best with what he’s got. There’s no one who does more with their God-given talents than him.”
But despite the toughness and the heart, there are times on the football field when Caston is limited by his height.
That’s where Stubbs has to come in and monitor Nicholls’ game plan to keep his quarterback protected and doing the things he’s capable of doing.
“When he sits in the pocket sometimes, I can see some things open, but he can’t see because his size,” Stubbs said. “So sometimes things back there get a little bit cloudy for him, but I can do some things with him.”
Most of those “things,” Stubbs is talking about revolve around the quarterback’s feet, as Caston is one of the Colonels’ best runners, as well.
“He makes defenses play us honest because of his running ability,” Stubbs said. “There are some quarterback runs that I’m able to have within the offense that help us as well. LaQuintin makes up for anything he lacks in terms of size with great athletic ability.”
Just making progress – that’s all the coach asks, because after all, Caston was recruited as an option quarterback.
Now, he’s in a total 180 from an option offense.
So when one puts it in that light, it makes Caston’s success look even better, according to Stubbs.
“He’s got a ways to go, and he realizes that, but he’s very coachable, and he’s very willing,” Stubbs said. “Given time, he’ll get there. He’s making good headway.”
Where the future will lead for Caston in the remainder of his Nicholls career, no one knows. But one thing Caston and everyone around him knows for certain – if he hits a bump in the road, it won’t be because of his height.
If that hasn’t held him back by now, it probably never will.
“People who say I can’t do it – that’s a big source of motivation for me,” Caston said. “But it’s not about what other people say or other people think about me playing the position. This is all about my teammates. I don’t play for other people, I play for my teammates, and I know I have their support. That’s all that matters to me.”
That little guy on the field may not have the physical height, but he stands tall to his teammates – that’s good enough for the Nicholls community.
Nicholls State sophomore quarterback LaQuintin Caston drops back during a recent practice. Caston has wowed coaches, teammates and opponents this season despite a 5-foot-8-inch frame. CASEY GISCLAIR
