Matt Hamilton/Daily Citizen-NewsFormer Northwest Whitfield High School quarterback Luke Shiflett will try to win the starting quarterback position at Furman University after transferring from Middle Tennessee State University earlier this spring.

DALTON, Ga. — A former Northwest Whitfield High School football standout is on the move.

Luke Shiflett, a 2018 graduate of Northwest and a former Daily Citizen-News All-Area quarterback, has decided to transfer from Middle Tennessee State University to Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. A former three-star recruit, Shiflett said the opportunity to play quarterback was the primary factor in his decision.

“I went up to Middle Tennessee as a quarterback and a couple weeks into fall camp they moved me to wide receiver because we had a need there due to some injuries,” Shiflett said. “I did pretty well at receiver, but I was under the impression I would be in the mix at quarterback this spring and that never happened.”

Shiflett said Furman offered him a scholarship out of high school and he visited the campus twice during his recruitment. The 6-foot-2-inch, 195-pound athlete will join a Furman roster that has five quarterbacks, four of whom are freshmen or redshirt freshmen.

Shiflett said his previous relationship with Furman head coach Clay Hendrix and Furman’s stated need for a quarterback with college experience helped shape his decision.

“They said they wanted someone who played a little bit of college football already,” Shiflett said. “I did pretty well at a higher level playing wide receiver so hopefully I can earn the quarterback position.”

Shiflett appeared in all 14 games for MTSU last season in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, finishing with seven receptions for 47 yards. Furman competes in the Southern Conference in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision, and Shiflett said he hopes to take what he learned at college football’s highest level to help him with the transition.

Beyond football, Shiflett said he was impressed coming out of high school with the academics at Furman, and hopes the move will prove beneficial in the classroom as well. The Furman football team is not mandated to report to campus until June 8, but Shiflett will be in Greenville this week to begin a three-week Maymester class to help acclimate himself to both the football program and school.

While playing a schedule that included the likes of the University of Georgia and other top-level college football teams was exciting, Shiflett said he couldn’t shake the need to be behind center. He said his friends and family are already looking forward to Nov. 2 when Furman visits the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and he can’t wait to get to Greenville to learn the new system.

“I’m pretty excited, and so are my friends and family,” Shiflett said. “I just think I can make a bigger impact playing quarterback than playing receiver.”