7:02 am | August 17, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:
Earlier this month, we detailed several high-profile quarterback competitions heading into the 2018 season. Alabama’s decision between Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa isn’t the only starting job still undecided. Here’s an update with everything you need to know as the season approaches.
The competitors: Junior Jalen Hurts and sophomore Tua Tagovailoa
Fall camp developments: Reports out of Tuscaloosa don’t look good for Hurts. After starting off camp by getting a few things off his chest with the media, he apparently did not do well in the first scrimmage, while Tagovailoa shined. Tagovailoa, the hero of last season’s national title game as a freshman, has secured front-runner status, but no decision has been made.
What we expect for Week 1: Don’t be surprised if the competition goes into the season and Hurts, a junior, takes the first snap as a matter of seniority. Coaches need to see how Tagovailoa does under pressure before handing him the reins.
They said it: “Look, we’re going to evaluate the quarterback situation. We’re going to keep looking at the guys. What somebody did today or didn’t do today isn’t going to win or lose them the job. It’s going to be the cumulative effect and the consistency that they practice with and play with over time. That’s in fairness to both players, who are really good competitors and really working hard, really doing a good job. We don’t have much more to say than that about that situation,” coach Nick Saban said following Alabama’s first scrimmage. – Alex Scarborough
The competitors: Senior Kelly Bryant and freshman Trevor Lawrence
Fall camp developments: Bryant opened camp as the de facto No. 1 on the depth chart, but that’s far from etched in stone. Bryant and Lawrence have both spent time working with the first-team offense, and while the veteran has continued to earn praise for his experience and leadership, it’s clear the staff has been wowed by Lawrence’s ability to pick up the subtleties of the playbook quickly.
What we expect for Week 1: With an opening game against FCS foe Furman, there’s no doubt both QBs will play — and likely play a lot of snaps. The question is about who takes the first reps and, perhaps more important, what that means for a Week 2 road game against Texas A&M. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney has said again and again that the best QB in practice will be his starter, and if that’s Lawrence, it probably makes sense to go ahead and give him the nod for Week 1. Any experience is good experience for a freshman.
They said it: “What you did last year doesn’t determine where you’ll be at this year. It’s a starting point. But every day, you’ve got to make sure you earn the position you’re in.” — offensive coordinator Tony Elliott on the QB battle. — David M. Hale
The competitors: Sophomore Feleipe Franks, freshman Emory Jones and sophomore Kyle Trask
Fall camp developments: It’s looking more and more like Jones will need some time. And that’s no surprise given the fact that the former four-star is just a freshman. Rather, the race appears to be down to Trask and Franks, with Franks having the slight edge. He has the biggest arm of the bunch and the most experience after appearing in every game last season.
What we expect for Week 1: Coach Dan Mullen doesn’t want the competition to even go into game week, so expect Franks to be named the starter before the Charleston Southern game.
They said it: “I’d love to figure it out and say, ‘This guy is going to be our starter’ and we go with it. And as soon as we feel comfortable that that’s the route, I want to do it. And it’s not just as much as naming the starter, it’s if I’m the backup or if I’m not the starter, I want to make sure … the other guys are in the right frame of mind because they’re a play away from being the starter,” Mullen said. — Scarborough
The competitors: Junior Deondre Francois and sophomore James Blackman
Fall camp developments: The biggest camp questions surrounded Francois, who was coming off a knee injury that ended his 2017 campaign in Week 1 and an offseason muddled with off-field worries. Francois had done little to endear himself to his teammates during last season’s tumult, but new head coach Willie Taggart has been complimentary of how the veteran QB has handled himself in recent months. Meanwhile, Francois said the knee has felt good and is improving with each practice.
What we expect for Week 1: If Francois is at or near 100 percent health, and he’s stayed out of the doghouse, this seems like his job to lose. His athleticism makes him a better fit for Taggart’s scheme, and while Blackman made clear strides last season, he remains well behind Francois in terms of experience.
They said it: Francois downplayed the QB competition but said he’s clearly got room to improve. “I need to get better at all aspects: accuracy throwing the ball, all cylinders of the offense,” Francois said, “but I feel like being a good leader, putting in good effort with the guys, and doing everything I can control.” — Hale
The competitors: Sophomore Jake Fromm and freshman Justin Fields
Fall camp developments: It’s not a matter of Fromm fighting for dear life to keep the starting role. He’s all but assured of that. Rather, camp is about determining what roles Fields will be capable of playing as a true freshman. He certainly has the talent and played well in the spring game, but how he competes in the live action of scrimmages will go a long way in telling coaches how much they can put on his plate right away.
What we expect for Week 1: Fromm will start. He’s done nothing to lose the job. But coaches don’t plan to redshirt Fields, so watch out for him to come on the field in certain packages or situations.
They said it: “Both quarterbacks played well. They did some things in the passing game that can help us win. … Both guys did a good job of the command of the huddle. Both guys had great presence and command of the offense,” coach Kirby Smart said following the team’s first camp scrimmage. — Scarborough
The competitors: Junior Joe Burrow and sophomore Myles Brennan
Fall camp developments: There are not as many competitors as at the start of camp, which isn’t completely unexpected, given that the Tigers entered camp with four scholarship quarterbacks. In a span of 24 hours, fourth-year junior Justin McMillan and redshirt freshman Lowell Narcisse departed the program. Coach Ed Orgeron said no decisions had been made before their transfers, but grades had been given out to all quarterbacks and a “pecking order” had been established. That means Burrow and Brennan were likely in more favorable positions on the depth chart. LSU will begin streamlining its playbook in preparation for its season opener, but Orgeron indicated both Burrow and Brennan will continue to compete.
What we expect for Week 1: Burrow, the graduate transfer from Ohio State, is still the favorite to start versus Miami. He’s the most experienced of the remaining quarterbacks and the fact that LSU brought him in this summer despite already having three scholarship guys on the roster was an indication that — in addition to guarding against inevitable attrition — the Tigers weren’t completely comfortable with all their options.
They said it: “We feel good about the two quarterbacks we have,” Orgeron said. “We’re still going to let it play out until there’s a clear winner.” — Sam Khan Jr.
The competitors: Junior Shea Patterson, junior Brandon Peters, sophomore Dylan McCaffrey, freshman Joe Milton and senior Jeff George Jr.
Fall camp developments: Coach Jim Harbaugh says he’d like to figure out his starter “sooner rather than later,” but the QB position has seen the team’s most competitive battle for playing time during Michigan’s first couple weeks of practice. He and others have praised Patterson’s athleticism and growing mastery of the offense when asked directly about the Ole Miss transfer, but they’ve all been quick to add that the rest of scholarship quarterbacks are also impressing during fall camp. No one in Ann Arbor, where practices all occur behind closed doors, has been willing to tip their hand on the preseason pecking order for a wide-open competition.
What we expect for Week 1: The safest bet is still Patterson because of his experience and his high ceiling. Michigan opens on the road against a talented Notre Dame secondary, so the offense likely won’t have the luxury of experimenting with different options beyond what the Wolverines feel is their best chance to beat the Irish.
They said it: “Great leader, like all the other quarterbacks. Great arm, great awareness, playcalling, blah, blah, blah, just like all the other quarterbacks.” — Michigan running back Chris Evans on Patterson and expressing the team’s excitement level fielding questions about the QB battle. — Dan Murphy
The competitors: Redshirt freshman Tristan Gebbia, freshman Adrian Martinez and sophomore Andrew Bunch
Fall camp developments: The redshirt freshman Gebbia and true freshman Martinez emerged as co-leaders in the race to start the opener after the Cornhuskers’ initial major scrimmage last weekend. Another big workout was set for Friday, with first-year coach Scott Frost likely to settle on a leader over the coming days in an advance of game-week preparations. Martinez, the spring-game standout and bigger of the two quarterbacks, who’s viewed as a better running threat, improved his throwing motion over the offseason; Gebbia was already strong in that area. This week in practice, according to Nebraska’s offensive coaches, Gebbia and Martinez were expected to alternate days taking the majority of reps with the top offense.
What we expect for Week 1: A tight battle that’s only temporarily settled as Akron visits Memorial Stadium on Sept. 1. We’re giving the edge to Gebbia early in the season because he might give the Huskers a better chance to achieve their ultimate objective on the offensive side: to go fast and deliver the ball well among a diverse group of receivers and running backs, the clear strength of this unit, if not the entire team. Martinez is more of a playmaker, but until one of these quarterbacks has gained experience, look for Nebraska to ask its signal-callers primarily to manage the game and distribute touches.
They said it: “I’d like to see them be further ahead right now than what they are. I think at the end of spring, they were doing a really good job and it seemed like they got it. We didn’t quite pick up [in August] where we left off.” — Frost on the quarterbacks’ progress before the first major scrimmage of camp this week. — Mitch Sherman
The competitors: Junior Kyler Murray and sophomore Austin Kendall
Fall camp developments: Murray hasn’t run away with the competition this preseason, as many expected him to. In fact, Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said this week he’s yet to “see a ton of separation” between the two. This weekend, the Sooners will conduct their final preseason scrimmage before classes begin next week. With the season opener against Florida Atlantic only two weeks away, expect Riley to make an announcement on a starter by early next week.
What we expect for Week 1: Even though Kendall has kept pace, Murray is still the overwhelming favorite to be named the starter for Week 1. Wearing a blue jersey in practice, Murray hasn’t really been able to show what he can do running the ball, which is his greatest attribute. The Sooners know that once the games begin, Murray can be a game-changing player with his wheels.
They said it: “I do feel like we have two guys that will help us win games. Is it possible [to play two quarterbacks]? Sure, it’s possible. But is it likely or are we more likely to settle in on one guy? I would say that’s probably more likely.” — Riley, on the idea of rotating two quarterbacks. — Jake Trotter
The competitors: Sophomore Sam Ehlinger and junior Shane Buechele
Fall camp developments: Texas coach Tom Herman noted this week that Ehlinger will play better one day in practice, then Buechele will do the same the next. As a result, Herman said he’s waiting for one of the two to play better than the other for consecutive days to name a starter. Though ideally Texas would like to do that sooner rather than later, Herman waited all the way until the opener before naming Buechele the starter last season. So the competition continues.
What we expect for Week 1: Given that Ehlinger began fall camp with the first team, all signs are pointing to him getting the first snap when Texas travels to Maryland. Because of injuries, Ehlinger never developed a rhythm last season. But in between as a true freshman, he had some special moments. The Longhorns need to see what they have in him. And whether he can be their long-sought quarterback of the future.
They said it: “I 100 percent know. Experience. Year 2, We know what we’re doing. Now it’s fine-tuning the parts of the offense to excel even more.” — Ehlinger, on the offense being better in Year 2 under Herman. — Trotter
The competitors: Sophomores Nick Starkel and Kellen Mond
Fall camp developments: It’s still virtually a neck-and-neck battle. Starkel and Mond continue to rotate first-team repetitions and each has had his ups and downs during camp. Coach Jimbo Fisher indicated recently that neither has made significant separation from the other and they’ll continue competing.
What we expect for Week 1: Since the Aggies are playing an FCS foe in Northwestern State, it’s possible both could get extensive looks to keep Week 2 opponent Clemson on its toes. Our best guess to who is the first one to jog onto Kyle Field with the first-team offense? Starkel.
They said it: “I think both have [raised] each other’s game. The competition has forced them to be consistent. Their decision-making has been very good, their accuracy is getting much better as we’re learning the receivers and the backs and getting used to them,” Fisher said. “I feel comfortable with both guys, I really do.” — Khan
The competitors: Sophomore Devon Modster, grad transfer Wilton Speight and freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Fall camp developments: The one to watch here is Thompson-Robinson, the four-star recruit with the athleticism and fluidity to someday become one of the nation’s best collegiate quarterbacks. He could be a perfect fit for Chip Kelly’s offense. But Thompson-Robinson is a true freshman who did not start at quarterback until his senior year of high school. Speight, a grad transfer from Michigan, has 16 collegiate starts under his belt and is a traditional pocket passer, which might actually be a disadvantage in this instance. Modster, a redshirt sophomore, is a dual-threat quarterback. But he doesn’t have Speight’s experience or, it seems, Thompson-Robinson’s upside.
What we expect for Week 1: Kelly closes his practices to the media and has not divulged much of anything about how the quarterback competition is taking shape, so this one is tough to gauge. The Bruins have only eight seniors on their roster and will be reconfiguring their offensive line. Conventional wisdom says they will go with Speight initially to let Thompson-Robinson gain some valuable experience. But Kelly doesn’t follow convention.
They said it: “We don’t have a set number of days or anything. Everywhere I’ve been, it’s happened organically. Someone keeps rising to the top. It’s a meritocracy.” — Kelly, when asked if he needs to decide on his starting quarterback a certain number of days before the Sept. 1 opener against Cincinnati. — Alden Gonzalez
The competitors: Freshman JT Daniels, sophomore Matt Fink and redshirt freshman Jack Sears
Fall camp developments: Fink has the most experience, as the only returning quarterback to have even attempted a collegiate pass. Sears has the familiar pedigree, having followed Sam Darnold‘s path from San Clemente High School to USC. But Daniels, the 18-year-old true freshman, has the most upside. And judging by his performance in USC’s first scrimmage — one coach Clay Helton said is treated “like a preseason game” — he might already be the best option. Daniels unofficially went 10-of-12 with four touchdowns, noticeably outperforming the others in the most important workout yet.
What we expect for Week 1: Daniels has displayed arm strength, accuracy, poise, anticipation and a grasp of the offense throughout camp, not just in one scrimmage. At this point, it’s hard to envision Daniels not being the Trojans’ starting quarterback from the start. Matt Barkley is still the only true freshman in Trojans history to start the opener, but Helton has said age and experience would not factor into this decision. Daniels looks ready. But USC will hold another scrimmage on Saturday, and Helton has vowed to take his time naming a starter.
They said it: “Obviously he’s a very mature kid, both physically and mentally. The investment that he’s made early — in the spring of getting the playbook and studying it, the approach that he took in the summer of just shutting up and working and going through our player-run practices and learning from Matt and learning from Jack — you can see the investment that he’s made. Our goal with all our freshmen is to come in and not learn, but compete when they come into camp. And obviously he’s doing a nice job of competing.” — Helton on Daniels after Saturday’s scrimmage. — Gonzalez
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