Offseasons tend to be filled with bad news because in many cases the good news is not news. When a defensive back doesn’t get injured, that’s not newsworthy, but it is good news. If a fullback’s name doesn’t show up in the police blotter, then it doesn’t show up in the newspaper.

Quarterback Kerry Meier hasn’t made any news during spring practice, which resumes Monday after a week off for spring break.

That’s good news because the whispers from those who saw the quarterback from Pittsburg conduct himself throughout his red-shirt season suggest he could be something special as a four-year starter for the Jayhawks.

At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Meier has ideal size. He has quick enough feet to be a running threat and a strong enough arm to stretch the defense. Throwing accuracy is said to be his greatest asset. The velocity on his ball and quickness of his release draw raves. He arrived at a strong high school program already armed with great knowledge from growing up in a football family, so his football IQ is high.

Mark him in ink as KU’s starter for the next four seasons, right?

Not so fast.

The position he plays, in at least one respect, is the most difficult to project in all of sports. Here’s why: In basketball, you can come close to simulating game action because players can go all out in practice without fearing injury. In baseball, once a pitcher’s arm is in shape, he can let it fly, making it easy to evaluate him and the hitters he faces.

Talented quarterbacks are such precious commodities, it’s too risky to expose them to full-blown defenses in practice. They won’t face defensive ends and linebackers seeking to decapitate them until games. In Meier’s case, that will come in his collegiate debut Sept. 2 against Division I-AA Northwestern State.

Will he be one of those quarterbacks who stays focused amid the heat to finish the play, or will he be distracted by that self-preservation instinct before he releases the ball? No way of knowing for sure until he does it.

If Meier passes that test, will he have open receivers to hit? The Jayhawks have lost reliable Mark Simmons, a reality overshadowed by Charles Gordon’s ill-advised jump to the pros, but every bit as important a loss.

Brian Murph, coming off his big night in the Fort Worth Bowl rout of Houston, stands above a pack of question marks at the position. Can Marcus Herford, big and fast, learn to stop his body to adjust to the thrown ball the way Simmons did, or is that more an instinct an athlete either has or doesn’t? Marcus Henry makes spectacular catches, but can he avoid the drops? Ditto for Dominic Roux. Does Dexton Fields have too long a stride to make the quick cuts necessary to become a great route runner?

Summer workouts that used to be banned are now allowed, giving incoming freshmen Tertavian Ingram from Tampa and Xavier Rambo of Dallas a chance to develop chemistry with Meier. Wide receiver is among the easiest positions to make the adjustment to college, so don’t rule them out.

It will be interesting to see who Meier’s favorite target is in the spring game April 14, but there will be no teeing off on the quarterback, so evaluation of him will be limited.