Welcome to College Football's Quarterback Battle Saturday
You want quarterback storylines this spring? You got quarterback storylines this spring. And, perhaps, you'll also get some answers this weekend.
For some schools, like Ohio State, it's a good problem to have. The Buckeyes have three quarterbacks they can win with—and have won with. Other programs, like Texas, need to see improvement before they can feel good about what they have.
Even more, like Alabama, just don't know who to pick yet. Lo and behold, all three of those schools—plus many more—will be ending spring practices this weekend with their annual spring games. With quarterback battles of every variety on display, there's no shortage of drama.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
(On that subject, full previews of this weekend's major spring games can be found in this handy-dandy primer.)
You're the impatient type. We know this. While we can't pick a starting quarterback for you—that would be great, though, because then Bo Wallace would have infinite years of eligibility—we definitely can set the table for what to expect.
With that, here are the major quarterback battles taking place on Saturday. Included are rundowns on front-runners, dark horses and 50-50 battles. We also offer our best guess on the projected starters.
Alabama
Who's Gone: Blake Sims (3,487 passing yards, 28 TDs, 10 INTs)
Who's Up: Jake Coker (Sr.), Cooper Bateman (So.), Blake Barnett (Fr.), Alec Morris (Jr.), David Cornwell (Fr.)
The Front-Runner: It has to be Coker. The Florida State transfer was predicted by some to come in immediately last year and win the job over Sims. Graduate transfer quarterbacks are all the rage, after all, and Coker only lost the quarterback competition at Florida State to Jameis Winston. In hindsight, that's not the worst guy in the world to be No. 2 behind.
However, it took Coker some time to get adjusted to Alabama's offense. Now in his second year, Coker is more confident and comfortable, and he seems ready to take the next step.
"He's playing with more confidence," head coach Nick Saban said per Matt Zenitz of AL.com. "I just think that the system that we're playing now is better suited for him in terms of what we're putting on him to do."
The Tide coaching staff is designing an offense to suit Coker's strengths, and that speaks volumes.
The Dark Horse: Cornwell. He's been taking some snaps with the first-team offense, according to B/R's Marc Torrence:
"A source inside the scrimmage said that Cornwell took the first snaps at quarterback and was essentially a starter for one of the scrimmage teams. On an overall rough day for the quarterbacks, the source said, Cornwell continued to play meaningful snaps and made several nice throws.
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Cornwell battled injuries last year and in high school. However, the coaching staff obviously thinks highly of the redshirt freshman if he's getting the chance to run the first-team offense.
Projected Starter: Coker.
Auburn
Who's Gone: Nick Marshall (2,532 passing yards, 798 rushing yards, 31 total TDs, 7 INTs)
Who's Up: Jeremy Johnson (Jr.), Sean White (RFr.), Tyler Queen (Fr.)
The Front-Runner: Johnson. He didn't play much in 2014, attempting just 37 passes, but he did start the first half of the season opener against Arkansas while Marshall sat with a suspension. In that game, he completed 12 of 16 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns. In the immortal words of one Adam Sandler, "Not too shabby."
Johnson may be a more polished passer than Marshall, but he's also showing he has the wheels to make plays with his feet, per ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg:
And that's at a listed height and weight of 6'5" and 230 pounds. That's just not fair.
The Dark Horse: White. Take it for what it's worth, but offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee has been high on the redshirt freshman.
"Jeremy and Sean, really, I've been pretty balanced with the way I've rotated them, splitting the reps," Lashlee said in March, via Joel A. Erickson of AL.com. "Those two guys have both overall had pretty good days. I'm really pleased with them trying to lead and be leaders out there."
Head coach Gus Malzahn followed up that quote in April by saying the reps between Johnson and White were "still fairly close,” per Tom Green of the Opelika-Auburn News.
It's interesting to see Auburn's coaches publicly claim there's a competition. Whether it's in name only or not remains to be seen. But know this: The longer it takes for Auburn to name a starter, the more likely it's White who comes out on top.
Projected Starter: Johnson
Louisville
Who's Gone: N/A
Who's Up: Will Gardner (RJr.), Reggie Bonnafon (So.), Kyle Bolin (RSo.), Tyler Ferguson (Sr.)
The Front-Runner: This is a tough one because Gardner (QB1 last season) is recovering from a season-ending knee injury. As a result, he's been a spectator this spring. Bonnafon, last year's No. 2 quarterback, took the field first in a scrimmage last Saturday, according to Steve Jones of the The Louisville Courier-Journal.
"We're not in any hurry to make a decision," Petrino said via Jones. "If it just happens that (someone) separates themselves, that's fine, but they've all got to get better. They all need reps in practice and need it with the No. 1s."
That should bode well for Gardner's chances. If he heals up correctly in time for preseason camp, Gardner could resume his role as the No. 1 guy.
The Dark Horse: Bolin played alright in two end-of-season performances last year against Kentucky and then Georgia in the Belk Bowl. With Gardner out, he's been splitting first-team reps with Bonnafon.
However, Bonnafon is an intriguing option because of his ability to make plays with his feet. From many accounts over the past couple of weeks, Bonnafon has been standing out in scrimmages. If he looks as good in the spring game and carries that momentum through the summer months, he could push Gardner in August—especially if Gardner is rusty.
Projected Starter: Gardner
LSU
Who's Gone: N/A
Who's Up: Anthony Jennings (Jr.), Brandon Harris (So.)
The Skinny on Jennings: It wasn't pretty for Jennings last year, but he'll be the first to admit it. LSU ranked 116th nationally in passing yards per game and was extremely inefficient.
Jennings started 12 of the 13 games last season, which probably says more about Harris' development than his own. However, head coach Les Miles has been complimentary of Jennings this spring, giving the junior the edge over Harris in two of the three spring scrimmages.
According to The Daily Reveille, Miles said Jennings and Harris will continue to split first-team reps in the spring game. If a starter had to be picked today, it would probably be Jennings, but it doesn't sound like the competition will end any time soon.
The Skinny on Harris: Harris was a star in the spring game last year, but things just didn't click for him in the season as quickly as everyone expected. That's OK; he was just a freshman in 2014. It doesn't matter if you're a 5-star player or a walk-on, the adjustment to the college level is steep, and not everyone grasps the speed and concepts at the same time.
According to Harris, via Jack Chascin of The Daily Reveille, that responsibility was on him.
"I wasn’t doing enough as an overall quarterback, and that’s one thing I want to do in 2015 is handle myself more like a professional,” Harris said. “If I have a question, don’t be afraid to ask it. If I mess up, admit the mistake and improve, and that’s one thing I’ve done going into this spring in these two practices.”
Harris provides LSU's offense with another dimension because of his athleticism. Because of that, his ceiling is probably higher than Jennings'. But he has to develop as a passer. Though his completion percentage was technically higher than Jennings' last year, he attempted only 45 passes. In his lone start against Auburn, he went 3-of-14 for 58 yards.
Projected Starter: Jennings
Notre Dame
Who's Gone: N/A
Who's Up: Everett Golson (Sr.), Malik Zaire (Jr.)
The Skinny on Golson: I'll say this for Golson: When you look at him simply as a passer, the senior looked like one of the most improved players in the country in 2014. He threw for at least 226 yards in each of the first 11 games. However, Golson was racking up big passing yards in part because the defense fell apart in the second half of the season. Part of the reason that happened was because Golson was turning the ball over so much. It was a vicious cycle.
Golson's ball-security issues are a huge problem, and those types of tendencies aren't always easily fixed. It's been an up-and-down career for Golson, too. He led the Irish to a national championship appearance in 2012 before being suspended from the team for academics the following year and benched in favor Zaire at the end of last season.
Golson hasn't spoken to the media this spring because he's been concentrating on his game and academics. From the sound of it, he's doing everything he can to make the most of his final year of eligibility.
The Skinny on Zaire: Zaire's first major appearance of 2014, the regular-season finale against USC, was rough. Zaire went 9-of-20 passing and the game got out of hand quickly, as USC went on to win 49-14. However, he rebounded in his first start against LSU in the Music City Bowl, completing 12 of 15 passes, running for 96 yards and scoring two touchdowns (one passing, one running).
The difference between Zaire and Golson, however, is pure experience. as J.J. Stankevitz of CSNChicago.com notes, Golson has notched 23 starts over his career. Zaire has one. As a result, Zaire is a bit of a wild card on the field.
"There’s some things like today with Malik, sometimes he’ll check into things that we’re not quite certain as to what he was thinking,” head coach Brian Kelly said, via Stankevitz. “Everett, there’s no doubt about where his mind is relative to what he’s seeing and what he’s thinking, like, why did you go to that, Everett? It makes total sense."
Zaire is a talented player, but he has to show coaches between now and September that he can be on the same level as them in terms of reading defenses and making decisions. And he also has to demonstrate that he can take care of the ball.
Projected Starter: Golson
Ohio State
Who's Gone: N/A
Who's Up: Cardale Jones (RJr.), J.T. Barrett (RSo.), Braxton Miller (RSr.)
The Front-Runner: Jones. Not only is he the only healthy one available of the three, but he ended last season with tremendous momentum by winning the Big Ten championship, Sugar Bowl and national championship.
However, of the trio, he's the least experienced starter. It's easy to forget that he's still a work in progress, as head coach Urban Meyer told Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated:
"You know, he’s a steady work in progress. He’s a 22-year-old man that once in a while reverts back to a 16-, 17-year-old mentality. He’s a genuine, great kid that has been interesting. This is psychology 101. There should be a chapter on Cardale Jones. His support back home is phenomenal, Ted Ginn, Michelle Nash, his mom, and it’s every day. Imagine having this conversation a year ago, two years ago. You’re going to have a crystal ball on this table and you’re going to put it to Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon, and he’ll be your quarterback.
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But Jones has all the physical gifts in the world. He's 6'5" and 250 pounds with a cannon for an arm. If Ohio State can get the same production from Jones he had in that three-game stretch every day in practice, plus improvement, he could be tough to beat out.
The Dark Horse: This is a delicate situation, and one Meyer dreads to an extent. Two worthy quarterbacks are going to be disappointed with the decision he makes, no matter what. Miller hasn't played football in over a year, and he's behind Barrett in the injury recovery process. That's definitely noteworthy.
However, he is the most experienced quarterback and has won a ton of games. Players and coaches alike respect him. He's a perfect fit in Meyer's offense. If he's back to 100 percent by the time preseason camp rolls around, there's a good chance Miller could make a run at the No. 1 job. It will depend on how quickly he gets back up to speed moving the offense.
Projected Starter: Jones
Texas
Who's Gone: N/A
Who's Up: Tyrone Swoopes (Jr.), Jerrod Heard (RFr.)
The Skinny on Swoopes: The closer you examine Swoopes' career to date, the more you can understand its inconsistencies.
As a freshman, he had his redshirt burned in a game against TCU that was already decided…and then he was rarely used again. As a sophomore, he was introduced to a new coaching staff and new offense, then thrust into starting duty in the second game of the year, playing behind a thin, inexperienced offense line. If you count the new "wide open" offense Texas is installing this year, it'll be Swoopes' third offense in three years.
So yeah, things haven't exactly gone according to plan for him.
By many accounts, Swoopes looked like a new, improved player early on in the spring. Teammates have praised Swoopes' leadership as well, including running back Jonathan Gray while speaking to the media following the Longhorns' first spring practice. The question is whether that will translate onto the field going forward.
The Skinny on Heard: Unlike Swoopes, Heard had his redshirt status preserved in 2014. That extra year of game experience helps Swoopes, but he also might have been inserted into action too quickly. Now, it seems as though Heard is reaping the benefit of those decisions.
According to Jeff Howe of 247Sports, Heard is closing the gap on Swoopes.
“He's hitting the open receivers, he's finding open receivers and making the correct checks,” head coach Charlie Strong said, via Howe. “He's throwing the deep ball when we open it up and throw it deep some.”
Swoopes has natural athleticism and seems like the perfect fit for Texas' new offense. But the mental part of the game—reading defenses, understanding concepts and reacting—has been holding him back. That comes with time. If the light starts to come on for Heard, though, he could easily surpass Swoopes.
Projected Starter: Heard
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of cfbstats.com. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
