Youngsters Burns, Chryst battle to be Stanford’s backup QB

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Ryan Burns and Keller Chryst have a lot of things going for them as they duel to be Stanford’s No. 2 quarterback behind Kevin Hogan.

“They’re both showing why we recruited them,” head coach David Shaw said after Saturday’s open practice. “Both have talent, ability, size, athleticism, arm strength, accuracy — all that you’re looking for.”

They have something else in common, according to quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard. Neither has completely mastered the Cardinal playbook.

He quickly added that the two 6-foot-5 quarterbacks are “in a good place” in their development. And each has excellent arm strength, he said: “They can make all the throws.”

Their competition is one of most important position battles on the team, even though the winner probably can expect no more than mop-up duty this season. It’s important because Hogan could get hurt and because the winner will be the favorite to replace him as the starter in 2016.

When Hogan struggled for much of last season, it looked very much as though there would be a new starter in 2015. Hogan, however, played superbly in the final three games and seemed to return to the form that made him so successful the previous two seasons.

He considered entering the NFL draft but decided against it, saying there were still things he wanted to accomplish on the Farm.

Sophomore Ryan Burns, battling to be Stanford’s No. 2 quarterback, takes a snap during Stanford’s practice Saturday. Sophomore Ryan Burns, battling to be Stanford’s No. 2 quarterback, takes a snap during Stanford’s practice Saturday. Photo: Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle Photo: Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Youngsters Burns, Chryst battle to be Stanford’s backup QB 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

“I knew he wanted to take advantage of another year,” Burns said. “He loves this team and this place. I wasn’t really surprised.”

Chryst said he “didn’t think too much about it — to be surprised or not.” Whether Hogan returned, he said, “I’m still going to do the same thing — play every day like I’m going to be the starting quarterback and continue to grow.”

Hogan got most of the snaps Saturday when the team conducted a 20-minute scrimmage. Burns completed a short pass to Dontonio Jordan and threw a couple of incompletions — one that was deflected at the line — before handing off to Barry Sanders, who broke off a 60-yard run.

Chryst scrambled for about a 6-yard gain before completing a short pass to Conner Crane.

“We’re overloading them right now, giving them a whole bunch of stuff,” Shaw said. “But what we’re really hammering down is technique — footwork, (pass) progression. … They’ll both get a lot of reps with the first offense.”

Chryst, who played across the street at Palo Alto High School before entering Stanford last year, said he “made some mental errors in terms of my footwork and progression that I’ve got to clean up. I also did some good things.”

Burns, who will be a redshirt sophomore in the fall, acknowledges that he still has problems occasionally in taking the center snap after operating strictly from the shotgun at Stone Bridge (Va.) High.

Chryst had a couple of rooters on the sideline Saturday, including his father, Geep, the 49ers’ offensive coordinator. Young Chryst said he didn’t expect to receive tips from his dad after practice: “He comes as a dad more than a coach.”

Briefly: Stanford will hold another open practice Saturday from 10 to 11:50 a.m. … With Aziz Shittu rehabbing from an injury and Solomon Thomas nursing a toe injury, the team was down to three defensive linemen — Harrison Phillips, Nate Lohn and Jordan Watkins — for the two-hour practice.

Tom FitzGerald is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @tomgfitzgerald