The Most Intriguing Quarterbacks This Upcoming College Season
From Texas to Arizona State, here are some of the quarterback battles going on in college football.
True Freshmen:
There is nothing more intriguingly scandalous than a coach electing to start a true freshman quarterback over a veteran player. Here are some of the most interesting young gunslingers in college football.
Sam Ehlinger
The early enrollee for the Texas Longhorns seems to be the most poised among the true freshmen group.
Out of Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, and rated the number one quarterback in the state of Texas, the Longhorns were always Ehlinger’s dream school.
Since enrolling at the University of Texas in January, Ehlinger with his born-leader, burnt orange aura, has impressed the coaching staff. Though it’s not just his personality that has people talking, it’s his stat sheet as well.
During his junior year of high school in 2015, Ehlinger accumulated 50 passing touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns, all while leading his team to the 6A championship game. He was also a Gatorade National Player of the Year, and was named to the prestigious Elite 11 fraternity of quarterbacks in 2016.
High school stats however aren’t enough to win a starting job in college, but Ehlinger is quickly backing his accolades up. During spring practice for the Longhorns, Ehlinger has had a poised performance, his passes accurate and powerful. Head coach Tom Herman has also stated that there will not be a starter named until after summer.
Herman must have faith and see promise in Ehlinger to allow for such a lengthy quarterback competition that. Competing with Ehlinger is Shane Buechele, the sophomore who shared playing time in 2016 with Tyrone Swoopes, leading the Longhorns to a 5–7 season.
Though his first year saw a losing season, Buechele holds the title of most passing yards by a freshman, after passing up famed Longhorn Colt McCoy, and will not be easy for Ehlinger to pass up.
Tate Martell
If you followed high school football these past couple of years, its undoubted that you heard the name Tate Martell more than once.
Ranked the number two quarterback in the 2017 class, Martell led the Bishop Gorman Gaels to three undefeated national championship seasons. He was also a Gatorade Player of the year twice, and a member of the 2016 Elite 11.
Labeled a dual-threat, Martell is able to keep plays alive by running circles around the defense. During his senior season with the Gaels, Martell racked up 1,257 rush yards with 21 touchdowns gained with his feet as well.
While Martell enrolled at Ohio State this January to get a head start on his college training, it is unlikely that he will unseat starting senior quarterback J.T. Barrett. Martell will be competing for the back-up job.
After one week of college practice however, Martell is fourth on the Buckeyes’ depth chart.
Jake Fromm
An early enrollee for the University of Georgie Bulldogs, Jake Fromm rounds out our true freshman with historic high school feats of his own.
Hailing from Warner Robbins, GA, Fromm finished his high school career as the number 2 ranked pro-style quarterback in the nation.
As a senior, Fromm passed for 3,910 yards and 41 touchdowns. With 12,745 total passing yards, Fromm fell just short of overtaking Deshaun Watson for the state of Georgia’s all-time high school passing record.
Fromm will be battling sophomore incumbent Jacob Eason, who had a solid freshman season leading the Bulldogs to an 8–5 record, and a bowl game victory.
While it will be tough for Fromm to overtake Eason, simply on an experience level, it is not impossible. Fromm has already been making his voice heard at practice, not shy about showing he is an energetic leader.
Last season, Eason had trouble in the accuracy department, so if Fromm wants to be the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs, he will have to show he can run their style of offense with maturity and accuracy.
Transfers:
Is there a better feel-good football story than a transfer quarterback getting an opportunity at a storybook season? Here’s four signal callers that have the chance to make the best of their remaining eligibility.
Blake Barnett
A five-star quarterback coming out of high school, Blake Barnett spent a little over a season as a back-up with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Barnett was named the starter for the 2016 opener against the USC Trojans, but was pulled early in favor of freshman Jalen Hurts. Barnett never regained the starting position.
Barnett transferred to Arizona State, and is eligible to play for the Sun Devils’ season opener. While we didn’t get to see much of Barnett in action, the hype is all there.
Out of high school, Barnett was the number two ranked pro-style quarterback in the 2015 class. As a senior for Santiago High School, Barnett threw for 3,404 yards and 23 touchdowns. He was also named MVP of the Elite 11 in 2014.
Last season, the Sun Devils had atrocious performances from quarterbacks Manny Wilkins, Dillon Sterling-Cole, and Brady White, who could not get the Sun Devils past a 5–7 record.
With Barnett, comes experience in high profile games, but also an accuracy problem. He has a tendency to under throw receivers, even on short routes. However it is entirely possible that Barnett will win the starting job if Wilkins doesn’t dazzle at spring camp.
Max Browne
Max Browne just may be the most patient man in college football.
After waiting three long years for his shot at the starting position at USC, he finally got his chance in 2016, after Cody Kessler left for the NFL.
Browne started for the Trojans in their first three games, unfortunately leading the high profile program to a 1–2 start. Hoping to get the Trojans out of their funk, Head coach Clay Helton elected to start redshirt freshman Sam Darnold, for their fourth game against the Utah Utes.
Darnold retained the starting position after jump starting the Trojans’ offense. Browne became the backup once again, and transferred to the University of Pittsburg as a graduate student in January, to compete for the Panthers’ starting position left open by graduating senior Nathan Peterman.
What Browne has heavily in his favor is college experience and maturity. Three years learning at USC was not for nothing. Competing with Ben DiNucci, Kenny Pickett, and Thomas MacVittie, all freshmen and sophomores, Browne has the maturity and ability to handle the pressures of being a starting college quarterback on his side.
Will Grier
One of the transfer quarterbacks with the most promise, is junior Will Grier.
During the 2015 season at the University of Florida, Grier showed spectacular promise, especially after leading the Gators to a comeback win against the Tennessee Volunteers. He would be suspended that season however after mistakingly taking a supplement that contained a PED.
Grier transferred to West Virginia University after his starting position with the Gators could not be guaranteed after his suspension.
By NCAA rule, Grier was forced to sit out the 2016 season, and may still have to sit out the first six games of 2017, but that is still to be determined. If eligible however, Grier’s starting chances are high with the Mountaineers, as senior Skylar Howard is graduating.
Grier has hype on his side after his single season, six game performance of 1,204 yards and 10 touchdowns during 2015 at Florida.
My predictions for the 2017 season are as follows:
- Sam Ehlinger: Will be named the backup after summer but will take over for Buechele after the Longhorns lose a couple regular season games.
- Tate Martell: Needs a season or two to mature, while J.T. Barrett has a strong hold on the starting position.
- Jake Fromm: Will outshine Eason in spring camp and be named the starter.
- Blake Barnett: Will be named the starter with Manny Wilkins as his backup.
- Will Grier: Will be named the starter and eligible to play game one of 2017.
- Max Browne: Will be named the starter but will have a losing season.
Dina Colunga is a writer whose words can be found at The Unprofessionals, The Coffeelicious, and Reign of Troy. Connect with her on Twitter @alwayscompete, and Instagram @dinatrojan.
