10 College Football QBs Who Will Break Out in 2015
Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick is living proof that you don’t have to win the Heisman or play for a national championship to have a successful career as a quarterback.
Kaepernick finished his senior season in 2010 ranked a lowly No. 47 in the FBS in yards per game (215.9) and didn’t play for a Power Five program. He did complete 64.9 percent of his passes (No. 21) and tacked on 1,206 yards and 20 scores as a rusher. That made him the No. 3 rushing quarterback in the nation in yards and No. 2 in touchdowns.
He also led his team to a 13-1 finish and a No. 11 rank in the final AP poll.
Though you may or may not have heard of the 10 guys highlighted here, each has a golden opportunity in 2015. All are scenarios where individual skill meets up with good fortune, equaling the potential for an under-the-radar player to rise to the top.
Paxton Lynch, Memphis
1 of 10
Paxton Lynch completed 62.7 percent of his passes as a sophomore last season (No. 35 in the FBS), leading Memphis to its first conference crown in 43 years.
In 2015, Lynch is one of eight returning starters on offense, including four to the offensive line and four of the top five receivers.
What may hurt the Tigers is the return of only three starters to a defense that finished ranked No. 11 in scoring last year.
Lynch came to Memphis in 2013 as a 3-star prospect from Deltona, Florida. He will be a third-year starter this season.
Matt Davis, SMU
2 of 10
Matt Davis originally signed with Texas A&M as a 4-star dual-threat prospect from Klein Forest High School in Houston, Texas, in 2012. He redshirted his freshman season, transferred to Tyler Junior College (Tyler, Texas) in 2013 and moved to SMU last spring.
In 2014, Davis was used sparingly in the first half of the season and then started four of the last five games, including the Mustangs’ only win, a 27-20 victory at UConn in the finale.
If Davis can retain the starting job in 2015, he’ll be joined by seven other starters on offense including the entire O-line and three of the top five receivers.
What really makes Davis, a guy with tons of potential, a breakout candidate is new head coach Chad Morris. Morris comes to SMU after four seasons as the offensive coordinator at Clemson, where he led an attack that finished in the top 10 in scoring in 2012 and 2013.
Chad Voytik, Pitt
3 of 10
Another guy with a new head coach, Chad Voytik is set to be Pat Narduzzi’s first starting quarterback at Pitt.
Voytik became the starter last year as a sophomore, completing 61.3 percent of his passes. Though he threw an interception in six of his first seven starts, he made only one such mistake in his final six appearances. He also completed 66.4 percent of his throws down the stretch.
In 2015, Voytik joins eight other offensive starters from last year. The number includes four members of the offensive line, two of the top three receivers and running back James Conner, who racked up 1,765 yards as a sophomore.
Though Narduzzi is a defensive guy, coming off eight successful seasons as the defensive coordinator at Michigan State, a solid D will make the entire team look better.
Voytik was a 4-star pro-style prospect in 2012. Rivals.com had him as the No. 4 guy in the nation.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Christian Hackenberg, Penn State
4 of 10
Though you could argue that as a third-year starter, Christian Hackenberg has already “broken out,” stats tell a different story.
Despite his 5-star pedigree, Hackenberg has yet to break into the FBS top 50 in passer rating. He finished 2013 at No. 60 (133.99) and regressed out of the top 100 (109.44) last season.
Why will 2015 be different?
First, it’s Hackenberg and Penn State head coach James Franklin’s second season together. Remember that in Franklin’s second year at Vanderbilt in 2012, he took a team that hadn’t won more than seven games since 1982 to a 9-4 finish.
Next, the Nittany Lions return nine starters on offense in 2015, four to the offensive line, the top four receivers and the No. 1 rusher.
What may decide Hackenberg’s fate is the O-line, a unit that gave up 44 sacks last season. Only two teams allowed more, SMU (47) and Wake Forest (48).
Zach Terrell, Western Michigan
5 of 10
As a sophomore in 2014, Western Michigan’s Zach Terrell finished No. 6 in the FBS in passer rating (164.41), No. 6 in completion percentage (67.9) and No. 24 in yards per game (264.8).
Though that has “breakout” written all over it, Terrell is completely off the national radar. Google his name under the News tab and the first thing that comes up is female pro wrestler Taryn Terrell.
In 2015, Terrell the football player returns, along with eight fellow offensive starters and seven on defense, all from a squad that finished 8-5 last year.
Included in the haul is most of the offensive line, the entire receiving corps and running back Jarvion Franklin, who rushed for 1,551 yards and 24 touchdowns last season.
Terrell came to Western Michigan as a 2-star pro-style prospect in 2012.
Joe Gray, San Jose State
6 of 10
San Jose State’s Joe Gray waited until he was a junior to get the starting job. As a senior, he’ll have the opportunity for some national attention.
Gray got the nod in Week 4 last season, leading the Spartans to two of their three wins in 2014, picking up back-to-back victories versus UNLV and at Wyoming. He went 53-of-75 (71 percent) for 587 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions in the two-game stretch.
His most impressive stat was a completion rate of 63.6 percent, No. 24 in the FBS and just a fraction shy of Alabama’s Blake Sims (64.5) and Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett (64.6).
What bodes well for Gray in 2015 is the return of nine offensive starters—four from the O-line and all three of the top receiving targets.
Though the Spartans weren’t necessarily Baylor, they finished No. 4 in the Mountain West in passing offense last season. Ahead of them were Colorado State and Boise State, both top 25 teams nationally through the air.
Gray was a 2-star dual-threat prospect from Dorsey High School in Los Angeles, California, back in 2011.
Luke Falk, Washington State
7 of 10
Though Luke Falk still needs to win the starting job over redshirt freshman Peyton Bender, he is the man with 243 collegiate attempts to Bender’s zero.
Falk started the final four games of 2014 in relief of an injured Connor Halliday. Though three of his appearances resulted in losses, two were to USC and Arizona State, both ranked at the time.
In the sole win at Oregon State, Falk completed 72.1 percent of his 61 passes for 471 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Overall, he completed 64.2 percent of his passes last year, his first as a collegian.
In 2015, Falk returns, along with the Cougars’ entire offensive line and River Cracraft, who, as the team’s No. 2 receiving option, had enough yards per game for a No. 21 finish in the FBS ranks (85.7).
Falk came to Washington State as a 2-star pro-style prospect from Logan, Utah. He received an offer from Florida State, committed to Cornell and then landed with the Cougars in 2013.
Chad Kelly, Ole Miss
8 of 10
Another guy who has to win the starting job before breaking out, Chad Kelly is locked in a tight quarterback battle with redshirt sophomore Ryan Buchanan.
Kelly, the nephew of former Buffalo Bills great Jim Kelly, signed on with Clemson as a 4-star dual-threat prospect in 2012. He was dismissed in April 2014 for “conduct detrimental to the team” and spent last season at East Mississippi Community College, where he led the team to a national title.
He committed to Ole Miss at the end of the season but was arrested on Dec. 21, 2014, for fighting with bouncers outside a Buffalo, New York, nightclub. He’s since met the terms of a plea agreement and has been cleared to play for the Rebels.
His only FBS stats come from 2013, at Clemson, when he was used sparingly in five games, completing 10 of 17 passes for 58 yards.
If Kelly gets the nod, he’ll join the third-most experienced team in the SEC, fresh off a 9-4 campaign. Nine are due back on offense, including the entire O-line and four of the top five receivers.
Taylor Lamb, Appalachian State
9 of 10
Hiding out down in the Sun Belt Conference, sophomore quarterback Taylor Lamb will lead the most experienced team in the entire FBS in 2015.
Appalachian State returns a whopping 20 starters, 10 on each side of the ball. And this is a team that managed a 7-5 finish last season, its first campaign since moving up from the FCS.
Back on offense are four from the O-line; Marcus Cox, who rushed for 1,415 yards and 19 scores last year; and the entire receiving corps. It’s an attack that finished No. 26 in the nation in scoring.
As for Lamb, he finished No. 37 in passer rating (142.08) and No. 42 in completion percentage (61.4). Not all-world, but remember he was a true freshman playing for a first-year FBS squad.
Lamb came to the Mountaineers as a 2-star dual-threat from Calhoun, Georgia.
Nick Stevens, Colorado State
10 of 10
Like Falk and Kelly, Nick Stevens still needs to win the starting job before hitting the national stage. If he does, he’ll be head coach Mike Bobo’s first starting quarterback at Colorado State.
Bobo comes straight off an eight-year run as the offensive coordinator at Georgia, where his last three products finished among the top 25 in the nation in scoring.
At his disposal in 2015 will be six starters from a passing attack that finished No. 8 in the FBS. Three from an offensive line and three of the top four targets, including the No. 1 receiver in college football last season, Rashard Higgins.
Stevens was a 2-star pro-style prospect in 2013 and appeared briefly in five games last season, backing up starter Garrett Grayson. His career numbers are 15-of-25 for 136 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions.
Whether it’s Stevens, junior Craig Leonard or redshirt freshman Coleman Key, the next quarterback at Colorado State has an opportunity to shine.
Statistics courtesy of CFBStats. Returning starter data courtesy of Phil Steele. Star ratings courtesy of Rivals.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
