Kansas City, Mo. ? A quarterback during his playing days in the late 1980s at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Mike Grossner knows a quality signal caller could lead teams to success in NAIA football.

Now, the 38-year-old Grossner — who was hired as Baker University’s coach in January to replace John Frangoulis — said he needed to find a QB if the Wildcats were going to return to the kind of prominence that earned 10 top-10 national rankings from 1980 to 1993.

“Our quarterback is the key to our season,” Grossner said, addressing media members and fellow Heart of America Athletic Conference coaches during Wednesday’s HAAC media day at Kauffman Stadium Club.

While Grossner’s solution to a successful season seems easy enough, finding that perfect passer is a problem for the Wildcats. Baker’s depth chart is five-deep at the position.

“I can’t tell you who’s going to take it,” said the 38-year-old Grossner, who, for the past three years, was offensive coordinator at Western State College in Gunnison, Colo. “But it’s going to be a quick battle and a quick decision.”

Of the two quarterbacks who took the most snaps for the 4-6 Wildcats last season, one (Martin Updike) graduated, and the other (Blake Pearson) is a senior captain on the defense as a strong safety.

Grossner said two of the replacement candidates — junior Brian Sheppard and freshman Kendall Bradley — had distanced themselves from the pack.

The 5-foot-11, 172-pound Sheppard seems to have the pedigree. He is the son of Mike Sheppard, a quarterbacks coach of the New Orleans Saints — who, two decades ago, spent a season on Mike Gottfried’s Kansas University football staff.

The 6-5, 220-pound Bradley might have the most potential. Grossner was pleased when he watched the suburban Springfield, Mo., product perform in an all-star game.

Grossner said each could pass the ball proficiently — the reason for their top-notch status nearly three weeks before the team’s season-opener Sept. 4 against Evangel.

“They bring to the table the ability to throw the football, which the other three have to step up and prove,” he said. “They might still show that though, but they haven’t done it consistently yet.”

Grossner needs no proof from starting running back John Reeves.

The 5-11, 220-pound senior from Palestine, Texas, was a second-team All-American after rushing for 1,550 yards and 17 touchdowns last year.

“He’s going to get the football,” Grossner said. “John is going to have a good year, but we have some other targets we expect a lot out of.”

Senior fullback Gerrad Speer likely will continue to pave the way for Reeves, but Baldwin High grad Micah Mason could factor on offense or defense.

“In my mind I’m going to give that choice to Micah,” said Grossner of Mason, who rushed for 2,011 yards and 27 scores for the hometown Bulldogs last season while also being a standout linebacker.

“He’s in the top four running backs, then at linebacker he could possibly start for us.”

With only one returner back on defense, Grossner said his team’s seventh-place prediction in the preseason coaches poll could be accurate.

“I knew what I stepped into when I joined this conference,” Grossner said. “Sometimes as coaches you know that you can come away with a win and not have played your best, but not in this conference.”