Quarterback is always one of the most pressure-packed positions in sports. It is all the more stressful when stepping into the position on a successful team looking to replace a number of key contributors.

That is what faces Cincinnati junior signal-caller Munchie Legaux who was named the starter this week by head coach Butch Jones. Legaux won a camp battle with senior Brendon Kay for the starting job.

“We looked at every throw that Brendon has made and that Munchie has made and right now we made the decision that Munchie Legaux will be our starting quarterback for Pittsburgh,” Jones said, “but we don’t want that competition to end.”

The Bearcats lose 2011 BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year Isaiah Pead, Defensive Player of the Year Derek Wolfe, leading tackler J.K. Schaeffer and starting quarterback Zach Collaros.

Legaux served as the primary backup last year and saw action in six games last year including three starts when Collaros went down to injury.  He went 2-1 as a starter and compiled 749 yards and five and touchdowns through the air. He also added 185 yards rushing with two more scores.

In addition to winning shares of three of the last four BIG EAST Championships, Bearcat QBs have led the conference in passing two of the past three years (Tony Pike in 2009 and Collaros in 2010).

“I want to keep that going,” Legaux told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “The tradition of the quarterbacks, the Tony Pikes and Zach Collaroses. I don’t want to have a drop-off. I don’t want there to be questioning about what they’re going to do with the quarterback position.”

The Bearcats open their season with a Thursday night matchup with Pittsburgh on September 6 (8:00 PM ET, ESPN).