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NORFOLK — Old Dominion’s quarterback battle got simultaneously clearer and murkier Tuesday.
Incumbent starter Hayden Wolff, who was in a three-man race for the starting job next season, announced he has entered the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining.
Wolff, who started 22 games in three seasons for the Monarchs, made the announcement on Twitter.
“Looking forward to the future,” Wolff wrote.
A 6-foot-5, 235-pound native of Venice, Florida, Wolff passed for 5,578 yards, 30 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in his ODU career. Last season, he amassed 2,908 yards, 18 touchdowns and six picks, starting all 12 games for a team that finished 3-9.
Asked why Wolff chose to leave, Monarchs coach Ricky Rahne cited the quarterback’s off-the-field priorities.
“I think that it became time in his mind that he’d done everything that he could here, and he wanted to move on,” Rahne said. “If there was a possibility that he could do that closer to home, then he was going to do that. I’ve always respected how open he’s been about how close he is to his family and how much he loves the state of Florida.
“I do not think he has a destination in mind, no. But I do think he’d like to be closer to home, if at all possible.”
In recent weeks, Rahne had said that Wolff, Fordham junior transfer Grant Wilson and redshirt sophomore Jack Shields were in a nearly even battle for the starting job.
Rahne had also allowed for the possibility that the team might explore the transfer portal for additional help at quarterback. After Wolff’s departure, it seems nearly inevitable.
“We probably will bring somebody in to help solidify that position,” Rahne said. “Obviously, we’re not just going to take anybody. We want to get somebody who we think can help us win championships.
“We know that that’s a position that we can’t be short at, and so we’re going to continue to look in the transfer portal and see what’s available.”
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ODU’s spring game is scheduled for Saturday at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
Wolff won the starting job midway through the 2021 season and led the Monarchs to five straight wins and an appearance in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Wolff’s name was removed from the team’s 2023 roster.
Rahne said he had no ill will toward his former starter.
“Obviously, I wish him and his family the best,” Rahne said. “And like I’ve told him, I’m going to help him any way that I can.
“Every interaction I’ve had with that young man has been a positive one. My last one was no different.”
David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com. Twitter @DavidHallVP.