10 College Football QBs with Most to Prove in 2015 Season
College football is a team game, but the quarterback position holds more importance than any other on the field. Because of this, the pressure on these players is often far greater than it is on any of their teammates. Quarterbacks are expected to do whatever it takes to lead their teams to success.
That's one of the many things that college quarterbacks have to prove each year, though the individual expectations differ for each player. They all have something to prove, some more than others.
Here's a look at the 10 quarterbacks who head into the 2015 season with the most to prove, detailing what they need to be able to show they can do and why this matters to them and their teams this fall.
C.J. Beathard, Iowa
1 of 10
What to prove: That Jake Rudock was smart to transfer
C.J. Beathard spent most of last season as Jake Rudock's backup at Iowa, though he did earn a start against Purdue after leading the Hawkeyes to a comeback road win over Pittsburgh the week before. Yet not long after the TaxSlayer Bowl loss to Tennessee in January, coach Kirk Ferentz announced Beathard would be his starting quarterback heading into spring ball.
Rudock saw the writing on the wall, and the graduating senior opted to transfer elsewhere for his final year of eligibility. That move was made official Thursday when Michigan announced it was adding Rudock for the fall.
Now what seemed like a potentially healthy quarterback competition at Iowa has instead become all about Beathard, a 6'2", 209-pound junior with long, flowing blond locks, a beard and a lot of weight on his shoulders.
"In my mind, I felt like I was the better athlete and could do more things," Beathard told Chad Leistikow of The Des Moines Register. "I knew my time was coming. I had faith in God. That worked out for the best. Hopefully from here on out, we can win Big Ten championships."
Beathard has attempted 119 passes over the past two seasons, completing 61, for six touchdowns and four interceptions. He also ran for 156 yards on 28 carries in 2014, but now it's his show, and he'll need to prove Rudock was wise to go elsewhere for playing time.
Trevone Boykin, TCU
2 of 10
What to prove: He's not a product of the system
There's no official award given each year to college football's breakout player of the year. Otherwise, Trevone Boykin would have some extra hardware to go along with his Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honor and various All-American Team nods from 2014. Boykin's emergence at quarterback last year was the most important development that enabled TCU to go from 4-8 the year before to co-conference champions and a playoff contender.
But did Boykin's rise in production—he was fourth nationally in total offense, at 354.5 yards per game, along with 42 total touchdowns—come as a result of his own improvement or because he took advantage of the Horned Frogs' new uptempo system that coordinators Sonny Cumbie and Doug Meacham had installed?
And if the latter was the case, how can the 6'2", 205-pound senior show this season that any improvement he makes (such as with accuracy) isn't just more a product of the offense and not his own skills?
The label "system quarterback" is one of the biggest backhanded compliments in college football, and Boykin will be out to prove it doesn't apply to him while continuing to guide TCU toward a potential playoff bid.
Jake Coker, Alabama
3 of 10
What to prove: He's worth all the attention
This time a year ago, Jake Coker was one of the hottest names in college football, even though he'd seen very little action on the field during his career. That's because he was in the process of transferring from Florida State, where he was beaten out for the starting job in 2013 by Jameis Winston, to Alabama in hopes of succeeding A.J. McCarron.
The 6'5", 232-pound Coker was the most high-profile transfer of last offseason, a player so highly regarded he had been anointed by many as the starting quarterback for the Crimson Tide in 2014. Then senior Blake Sims won the job out of training camp and went on to set school passing records and lead Alabama into the national semifinals.
Coker is back in another competition for the starting job, this time against a slew of unproven underclassmen, and figures to be the favorite as the only quarterback on Alabama's roster who has thrown a pass in a game. His top competition might be true freshman Blake Barnett, but since Nick Saban has yet to allow a true freshman to see action during his tenure, it's Coker's job to lose.
More importantly, it's his job to prove he's worth having been the subject of so much attention despite being a career backup. Now a senior, his time is now or never.
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Connor Cook, Michigan State
4 of 10
What to prove: He didn't squander strong draft stock
Even before leading Michigan State to an improbable comeback win over Baylor in January's Cotton Bowl, Connor Cook knew it wasn't going to be his final college game. That's because Cook had already announced a few weeks earlier that he was returning for his senior year, despite some projections that he could have been a first-round draft pick.
"I looked at it the same way as graduating high school early to come to school," Cook told Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press. "You only have one prom, you only go to high school once, you only go to college once is how I look at it."
Still rated by NFLDraftScout.com as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2016 class (which doesn't include potential early entrants), the 6'4", 220-pound Cook now has to avoid making his decision to return look like a bad one. He believes he can raise his stock to that of being a top-10 pick, but a poor season or any potential injuries could have a negative effect on his future.
He'll also be at the helm of a team breaking in a new running back and a new set of receivers, after much of last year's offense graduated.
Christian Hackenberg, Penn State
5 of 10
What to prove: He can live up to the hype
As one of the highest-rated quarterbacks of the 2013 recruiting class, Christian Hackenberg came to Penn State with a lot of hype. That got amplified when then-coach Bill O'Brien named him his starter as a true freshman, and then Hackenberg had a solid first year with 2,955 passing yards and 20 touchdowns.
The prospect of him teaming up with new coach James Franklin for 2014 had his stock soaring, and projections surfaced that he'd go No. 1 overall in the NFL draft once he became eligible in 2016.
But the 6'4", 236-pound Hackenberg had a major sophomore letdown, though it might have been better described as a knockdown, since Penn State's porous offensive line allowed him to be sacked 44 times. That contributed to a season with only 22 more yards (and eight fewer touchdowns, along with 15 interceptions) despite playing one more game.
There were signs of stellar play, such as when he set the school single-game passing record with 454 yards in the opener against UCF or when he capped off the year with 371 yards and four touchdowns in the Pinstripe Bowl victory over Boston College. But in between was a lot of inconsistency.
Hackenberg is still rated high for 2016, assuming he turns pro after this season, but he has to prove that he can be the quarterback he was projected to be.
Cardale Jones, Ohio State
6 of 10
What to prove: He can be more than just an injury fill-in
Cardale Jones was very close to becoming the first three-games-and-done college football player, as he found himself rocketing up draft boards after stepping in for Ohio State last winter and leading it to the national championship.
A third-stringer as recently as August, who had previously been most famous for an ill-conceived tweet about the importance of classes, the 6'5", 250-pound Jones showed off his cannon of an arm and hard-to-tackle frame in wins over Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game, Alabama in the Sugar Bowl semifinals and then Oregon in the national championship game. And that short burst of action, combined with being draft-eligible as a redshirt sophomore, had him contemplating a jump to the NFL to maximize his momentum.
Jones ultimately decided to return to the Buckeyes, despite knowing that he had no guarantee of playing time this season. That's because J.T. Barrett, the redshirt freshman who was rising into the Heisman race before breaking his ankle in November, and three-year starter Braxton Miller (whose shoulder injury in the preseason enabled Barrett to get his shot) were also both coming back.
Spring ball was supposed to be when Jones would separate himself from the pack, since Barrett and Miller were both recovering from injuries, but Barrett has healed faster than expected and has challenged Jones during practice. Coach Urban Meyer has intimated that he'd consider using two quarterbacks this fall but is more likely to stick with one set starter.
After the short stretch that Jones had last December and January, he showed he has the skills to be a star. He still has to prove this over the long term, however.
Chad Kelly, Ole Miss
7 of 10
What to prove: He is worth the baggage
Junior college transfers tend not to draw that much attention on a national scale unless they have some sort of a history that, in most cases, isn't of the good variety. Chad Kelly falls into that category, as his arrival at Ole Miss coincided with a run-in with the law that made his troubled past come back into play.
Kelly began his collegiate career at Clemson, signing with the Tigers in 2012 and redshirting that year. He served as Tajh Boyd's backup in 2013, appearing in five games, and figured to be a strong contender to succeed Boyd last year but was dismissed from the program in the spring. ESPN.com's Andrea Adelson reported that he got into an argument with coaches during the spring game and ended up playing at East Mississippi Junior College, where Kelly threw for more than 3,900 yards with 51 total touchdowns in 2014.
The 6'3", 220-pound Kelly signed with the Rebels in December, but a week later, he was arrested in his hometown of Buffalo in connection with an altercation outside a restaurant. Kelly, the nephew of NFL great Jim Kelly, entered into a plea agreement that called for him to do community service, which he completed in March.
Kelly is competing with sophomores Ryan Buchanan and DeVante Kincade for Ole Miss' starting job, and the winner will replace three-year starter Bo Wallace. While his abilities give him a leg up over those challengers, Kelly still has to show he is capable of behaving and not making Rebels coach Hugh Freeze look bad for taking a chance on him.
Trevor Knight, Oklahoma
8 of 10
What to prove: He can fit into a new offense
A huge performance against Alabama frequently leads to raised expectations—just ask Ohio State's Cardale Jones—and after Trevor Knight threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns against 'Bama in the 2014 Sugar Bowl, it seemed like the sky was the limit for him. This didn't materialize the following season, though, as Knight struggled with accuracy and efficiency as a sophomore, and he also missed three games because of a neck injury.
Not surprisingly, Oklahoma similarly stumbled and finished with five losses after beginning the season ranked fourth in The Associated Press preseason poll.
The Sooners are undergoing an offensive overhaul, with coach Bob Stoops bringing in Lincoln Riley to be his coordinator and changing back to the Air Raid attack that was so successful for the program in the past. Knight is competing with sophomores Cody Thomas and Baker Mayfield, a Texas Tech transfer who started eight games in a similar offense in 2013, for the starting job.
The 6'1", 206-pound Knight has spent his time at Oklahoma running some of the least prolific passing offenses in Stoops' tenure and now is trying to win a gig that will require him to be far more productive.
Maty Mauk, Missouri
9 of 10
What to prove: He can hold on to his job
Maty Mauk has made 18 starts over the past two seasons and sits atop Missouri's depth chart at quarterback during spring practice. Whether that remains the same when the 2015 season begins—and stays that way throughout—depends on whether Mauk can get much better and avoid getting beaten out by a player who still isn't on campus.
The 6'0", 200-pound Mauk completed only 53.4 percent of his passes last year, throwing for 25 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. During a three-game stretch in September and October, he threw for just 249 yards with no TDs and five picks. Because the Tigers had two effective running backs and a strong defense, Mauk's issues didn't prevent the team from winning the SEC East title for a second year in a row, and he was never in serious jeopardy of losing his job.
But now Mauk enters his junior year with hot prospect Drew Lock waiting in the wings for him to fall. 247Sports rated the 4-star in-state prospect as the No. 5 pro-style passer in the 2015 recruiting class.
Missouri coach Gary Pinkel is a proponent of being loyal to his veterans, which is why James Franklin earned his job back after returning from injury in 2013 despite Mauk looking strong in his absence. But if Mauk can't prove he's worth hanging on to, then Pinkel could opt to skew younger.
Tyrone Swoopes, Texas
10 of 10
What to prove: He can develop into a valuable asset
If Tyrone Swoopes' time isn't now, it may be never. And if that's the case, the promising quarterback might end up being a casualty of bad timing during his Texas career.
Thrust into action as a true freshman by Mack Brown in 2013, but not until late October, Swoopes looked ill-prepared for the college game. He was again thrown into the fire last year after David Ash suffered a concussion and had to give up football, but the 6'4", 248-pound Swoopes failed to complete 60 percent of his passes in seven of his 12 starts and ended up with 13 touchdowns against 11 interceptions.
Now Texas coach Charlie Strong has switched to a spread offense, which seems to fit more with the skill set of redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard. Swoopes has handled most of the first-team snaps during spring practice, but Heard ran for more than 5,000 yards in a spread attack in high school, so it could be just a matter of time before Heard surpasses Swoopes for the starting job.
It also doesn't help Swoopes' prospects for the future that Strong couldn't remember his first name during a deposition this week for a civil trial between Oklahoma State and Texas assistant Joe Wickline.
While Heard is looked at as the future, Swoopes has to prove he can still make something of the present.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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