An engine control system includes an inertia phase detection module, a feed-forward (FF) engine speed module, a FF APC module, a FF phaser position module, and a phaser control module. The inertia phase detection module determines when an inertia phase of a gear shift is occurring within a transmission. The FF engine speed module predicts an engine speed for a future time when the inertia phase ends. The FF APC module predicts an air-per-cylinder (APC) for the future time based on the engine speed. The FF phaser position module determines a FF phaser position based on the engine speed and the APC. The phaser control module controls a camshaft phaser position based on the FF phaser position during the inertia phase of the gear shift.