5 College Football QBs Poised to Become Stars in 2015

Did you know that five of the last six national champions have had a first-year starting quarterback under center? To say that you need an experienced quarterback to win the whole thing is a bit of a false narrative. 

That's good news for the five quarterbacks on this list, who should enter 2015 either as the presumed starter for their respective teams or with a great chance to grab the starting job. 

Of course, not all of the following teams are in a position to compete for a national championship, but at the very least, each of the following quarterbacks has the skill set and surrounding cast to break out in his first full year as a starter. 

Which signal-callers are primed for a breakout next season? The answers are in the following slides. 

Jarrett Stidham

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Let's start with a guy who still has some work to do before he's officially the No. 1 guy: Baylor freshman Jarrett Stidham. 

The 4-star dual-threat quarterback was originally set to join Texas Tech, but a last-minute change of heart led to Stidham decommitting from the Red Raiders and joining Baylor as an early enrollee. 

Already, Bears head coach Art Briles is singing Stidham's praises (via Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News): 

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It goes hand-in-hand with the nature of the game. If you’ve got a guy who’s dependable, accurate, intelligent and competitive at the quarterback position, you have the chance to have a really good football team, a championship football team. When we land a guy of Stidham’s caliber, it gives us the chance to continue at a championship level.

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Seth Russell is the most experienced quarterback capable of replacing Bryce Petty. In limited time, Russell has been solid. In 2014, he threw for 804 yards, eight touchdowns and one pick. 

If Stidham was joining the program in the summer, Russell would have a huge leg up, without a doubt. But because Stidham gets to participate in spring practices, it's almost like he's arriving a season early. Both quarterbacks are athletic enough to make plays with their feet. If Stidham can make the transition to the college game quickly as a passer, he'll be a legitimate threat to win the job come August. 

With so much uncertainty at the quarterback spot in the Big 12 heading into next season, Stidham could emerge as a star if he earns the starting job. The Bears simply have too many playmakers to help. 

Mike Bercovici

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There was a time when Arizona State quarterback Mike Bercovici, not Taylor Kelly, was the favorite to be the starting quarterback in 2014. 

Now that Kelly has graduated, it's Bercovici's show next season. 

The redshirt senior doesn't have the same mobility that Kelly brought to the Sun Devils offense, but he's a polished passer who threw for 1,445 yards, 12 touchdowns and just four picks as a backup. Bercovici tossed nine of those touchdowns in three starts while Kelly nursed a foot injury. 

There are no shortage of weapons for Bercovici to throw to, so putting up big stats shouldn't be an issue. However, it will be interesting to see which receiver becomes his favorite target. Jaelen Strong, the Sun Devils' best downfield weapon, is off to the NFL. 

While USC quarterback Cody Kessler will likely be the preseason Pac-12 darling, keep an eye out for Bercovici. From a production standpoint, he may match, if not surpass, everyone else in the conference. 

Jeremy Johnson

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Similar to Bercovici, Auburn quarterback Jeremy Johnson has spent the past two seasons as a backup to another star, Nick Marshall.

However, in limited time, Johnson has looked solid. Starting the first half of last year's season opener against Arkansas (Marshall was suspended for the first half), Johnson threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns. 

With Marshall gone, though, it should be Johnson's time to shine. Expect the Tigers to look more toward a pass-friendly offense that caters to Johnson's skill set, too. 

"We're definitely going to emphasize the pass game more," Auburn co-offensive coordinator Dameyune Craig told Brandon Marcello of AL.com. "That means the ball will be spread out a little bit more than it has in the past. I think the receivers will prosper from Jeremy Johnson's emergence as quarterback next year. I'm excited about it, the receivers are excited about it and I think the fans are excited about this new era in Auburn football." 

With Roc Thomas (or Jovon Robinson) at running back and Duke Williams at receiver, Johnson will have plenty of weapons around him. 

Joshua Dobbs

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Joshua Dobbs made his first appearance last season in an October 25 loss to Alabama. Even in defeat, Dobbs threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns while leading the team with 75 rushing yards. 

After that, Tennessee didn't look back. The following week, Dobbs led the Vols to a come-from-behind overtime victory over South Carolina. Dobbs started the final five games of the season, including the TaxSlayer Bowl win over Iowa, and should be the favorite to win the starting job for 2015. 

As Greg Ostendorf of ESPN.com notes, Tennessee's future as a young team looks bright because it has found an answer at quarterback: 

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But bowl game or no bowl game, it’s hard not to look ahead at how good this Tennessee team will be next year and the year after that and even the year after that. With Dobbs under center, they now have 13 freshmen or sophomores in the starting lineup, and a total of 23 true freshmen that have played this season, the most of any FBS program. 

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Dobbs has a lot of talent around him, from a deep receiving unit to running back Jalen Hurd. The X-factor will be new offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, who worked with head coach Butch Jones at Central Michigan and twice served as the offensive coordinator at Michigan. 

Deshaun Watson

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Yeah, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson is already well-known in some respect. As a freshman, Watson started five games and threw for 1,466 yards and 14 touchdowns. As a 4-star prospect according to 247Sports, Watson was the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the 2014 class. 

However, multiple injuries, including a season-ending ACL tear, kept Watson from putting together a full season, even though it was evident he was the preferred guy to Cole Stoudt. 

The point being, Watson hasn't had that one full breakout year. Provided he recovers from his knee injury and stays healthy, Watson is expected to take that next step in 2015. 

"He is not your normal player," head coach Dabo Swinney said about Watson's recovery during a national signing day interview on ESPNU (h/t Scott Keepfer of USA Today). "He is a month or two ahead of where anyone else would be."

Watson could be the catalyst that keeps Clemson alive in the ACC title race. The Tigers' defensive front four is gone, as are three senior starters along the offensive line. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes obtained firsthand unless cited.