2015 QB Recruits Most Likely to See Field as True Freshmen

Eight true freshman quarterbacks threw more than 120 passes last season: Brad Kaaya (Miami), John Wolford (Wake Forest), Alex McGough (Florida International), Kyle Allen (Texas A&M), Patrick Mahomes (Texas Tech), A.J. Long (Syracuse), Deshaun Watson (Clemson) and Zander Diamont (Indiana).

Allen and Watson were top-50 recruits—easy to project as freshman contributors. Others such as Long and Diamont were not. Injuries to Terrel Hunt and Nate Sudfeld, respectively, forced them onto the field.

The predictions that follow do not take injuries into account, unless they have already happened. Players were projected based on how the depth chart at each school currently stands.

They also defined "quarterbacks who will play next season" as "quarterbacks who will play meaningful snaps next season." We are not projecting who will burn their redshirts in garbage time.

The best candidates for this list combined talent with opportunity. Recruiting pedigree was compared with the state of each team's QB depth chart, whether the freshman has enrolled early, etc.

Sound off below, and let us know whom you think will play.

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Here are 10 freshman quarterbacks who just missed the cut, but whose names you should remember in fall camp.

• Christian Alexander, Florida International 
• Billy Bahl, Miami (Ohio) 
• Deondre Francois, Florida State
• Zach Gentry, Michigan
• Jaylon Henderson, UTSA
• Austin Kafentzis, Wisconsin
• Drew Lock, Missouri
• Dion Ray, Louisiana-Lafayette
• Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt
• Travis Waller, Oregon

10. Lorenzo Nunez, South Carolina

Credit: 247Sports

Overall Rank: 323       QB Rank: 24      In For Spring? No

Primary Competition

• Connor Mitch (So.)
• Perry Orth (Jr.)
• Michael Scarnecchia (RS-Fr.)

Lorenzo Nunez is a gifted athlete who will see the field in some capacity as a freshman. "He definitely can play quarterback," high school coach Matt Dickmann told Josh Kendall of GoGamecocks.com. "He’s just that talented." South Carolina returns fewer than 10 career passes at quarterback, so there's an opening for Nunez to play. And head coach Steve Spurrier, who admitted having thoughts about retirement, is in no mood to save a redshirt.

9. Kyler Murray, Texas A&M

LM Otero/Associated Press

Overall Rank: 33       QB Rank: 3       In For Spring? No

Primary Competition

• Kyle Allen (So.)

Kyler Murray never lost a game in high school and comes to A&M with a distinctly Johnny Manziel vibe (on the field, that is). He is as college-ready as any freshman quarterback, but his competition, Kyle Allen, was the No. 1 QB in the 2014 class and ended last season strong. Still, Murray is too good not to make things interesting in fall camp or if Allen struggles early in the season.

8. Blake Barnett, Alabama

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Overall Rank: 21       QB Rank: 2       In For Spring? Yes

Primary Competition

• Jake Coker (Sr.)
• David Cornwell (RS-Fr.)
• Cooper Bateman (So.)
• Alec Morris (Jr.)

Realistically, Nick Saban would rather start a quarterback with experience than a true freshman. But Blake Barnett is the most talented QB he's ever recruited, which may supersede his preferences. Barnett is 6'4", finished the cycle as a 5-star recruit and won the Elite 11 MVP award in July. He enrolled early and has the benefit of being the only dual-threat quarterback on the roster. After the success of Blake Sims in 2014, Saban will consider that factor.

7. Jarrett Stidham, Baylor

Credit: 247Sports

Overall Rank: 38       QB Rank: 4       In For Spring? Yes

Primary Competition

• Seth Russell (Jr.)
• Chris Johnson (So.)

Jarrett Stidham is the biggest quarterback recruit in Baylor history. He has the talent—the raw, inexperienced talent—to beat Seth Russell for the job. Based on Art Briles' track record, he would prefer to start a seasoned former backup over a freshman, which is why Stidham lands on the bottom half of this list, but there's a chance Stidham makes him an offer he can't refuse. His ceiling is higher than that of Russell.

6. Chason Virgil, Fresno State

Credit: 247Sports

Overall Rank: 500       QB Rank: 35       In For Spring? Yes

Primary Competition

• Brian Burrell (Sr.)
• Zack Greenlee (So.)

Mississippi State pulled the rug out from under Chason Virgil, but the Mesquite, Texas, quarterback has landed on his feet. Fresno State has a historically great passing offense, but Brian Burrell and Zack Greenlee struggled to replace Derek Carr last season, especially in the 30-6 Hawaii Bowl loss to Rice, which has opened the door for Virgil to play in 2015. One Bulldog's trash is another Bulldog's treasure.

5. Dwayne Lawson, Virginia Tech

Credit: 247Sports

Overall Rank: 214       QB Rank: 15       In For Spring? No

Primary Competition

• Michael Brewer (Sr.)
• Brenden Motley (Jr.)

Dwayne Lawson is a 6'6" quarterback with a strong arm and great athleticism. Sure, that sounds a lot like Logan Thomas, but even Thomas 2.0 would be an upgrade over Michael Brewer. Lawson flipped to Virginia Tech from Miami, presumably because he didn't want to sit behind Brad Kaaya. Blacksburg was his best chance to play. And even though he isn't in for spring, it won't be long before he does.

4. Jake Browning, Washington

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

Overall Rank: 71       QB Rank: 8       In For Spring? Yes

Primary Competition

• Cyler Miles (Jr.)
• K.J. Carta-Samuels (RS-Fr.)
• Jeff Lindquist (Jr.)

Jake Browning threw 229 touchdowns in high school—the most by any quarterback ever. His high school coach, Troy Taylor, has compared him with former Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore, per Christian Caple of The News Tribune. Moore went 50-3 as a starter under head coach Chris Petersen, who now works at Washington. Cyler Miles and K.J. Carta-Samuels are favorites to start ahead of him, but Browning will force his way into the lineup at some point.

3. Elijah Robinson, Boston College

Overall Rank: 867       QB Rank: 56       In For Spring? Yes

Primary Competition

• Darius Wade (So.)
• Troy Flutie (RS-Fr.)

Boston College papered over quarterback issues with a graduate transfer (Tyler Murphy) last season. But it hasn't landed a new one in 2015, which means it will have to go to war with what it has. Fortunately, Elijah Robinson enrolled early and will compete to start as a freshman—a sentiment echoed by team blog BC Interruption. Robinson was last year's New Jersey High School Player of the Year and has the speed to run the option a la Murphy.

2. Brett Rypien, Boise State

Credit: 247Sports

Overall Rank: 254       QB Rank: 17       In For Spring: Yes

Primary Competition

• Ryan Finley (So.)

Brett Rypien enrolled for spring camp and only has to beat Ryan Finley, last year's backup, to start. He was twice named Washington's High School Player of the Year by The Seattle Times, and he comes to Boise State with a golden pedigree: not only is he a top-20 quarterback prospect, he's also the nephew of former Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien. Boise State has the pieces in place to support a true freshman signal-caller, so if Rypien takes to the system, he'll play.

1. Josh Rosen, UCLA

Credit: 247Sports

Overall Rank: 12       QB Rank: 1       In For Spring? Yes

Primary Competition

• Jerry Neuheisel (So.)
• Asantii Woulard (So.)

Josh Rosen is the No. 1 quarterback in the country, and he walks into a perfect situation. Jerry Neuheisel is more of a backup than a starter, and Asantii Woulard, a gifted athlete, does not inspire confidence with his arm. Rosen is 6'4", mature beyond his years and joins an offense with 10 returning starters (everyone but QB Brett Hundley). There is no better scenario for a true freshman to inherit—especially one of Rosen's caliber. Talent meets opportunity.