Quarterbacks Who Could Be Transfer Candidates If They Don't Win Jobs This Fall
Of all the positions on the field, quarterback is easily the most exclusive and the most scrutinized.
As the old saying goes, “If you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have any quarterbacks.” No matter how coaches try to spin it, any quarterback situation that features a pair of quarterbacks must eventually be pared down to a clear starter (or at least a clear starter with a situational backup), or dissent and surrounding tumult will swallow the team whole.
Some teams have already done so: SI.com's Zac Elllis has a good look at quarterback battles that have already been settled entering preseason practice.
Barring injury, only one quarterback can start, which means every other quarterback on the roster is reduced to clipboard and headset duty, outside of poor performance or mop-up duty with the game well out of hand.
This summer, a number of high-profile quarterback competitions are being contested across the nation. Some will end quietly, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see a number of transfers when the battles fail to shake out to the satisfaction of a particular quarterback. Here’s a look at potential quarterback transfers that could unfold this summer and fall once quarterback battles are decided.
Georgia QB Faton Bauta
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Georgia will begin 2015 as the team to beat in the SEC East after returning 12 starters from a 10-3 team, led by standout sophomore tailback and Heisman Trophy candidate Nick Chubb. But quarterback remains an issue. Hutson Mason was solid if unspectacular as a senior stand-in following Aaron Murray’s graduation, but he’s gone now too.
Sophomore Brice Ramsey and junior Faton Bauta battled for the job through spring, but neither gained a clear edge. Ramsey served as Mason’s backup last season, completing 24 of 39 passes for 333 yards with three touchdowns against two interceptions. Bauta, a more mobile quarterback, completed four of five passes for 48 yards in a mop-up role.
However, that process was complicated by the graduate transfer arrival of Greyson Lambert. He was capable as Virginia’s starting quarterback last year, throwing for 1,632 yards with 10 touchdowns against 11 interceptions while completing 59 percent of his passes. Arriving as a graduate transfer is never easy, but Lambert is on relatively equal footing in new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer’s system.
If Lambert or Ramsey wins the job, it would be no shock to see Bauta transfer and restart his career in another locale, as it would be a sign that his UGA career would likely be that of a backup.
LSU QB Brandon Harris
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LSU was one of the nation’s most talented teams in 2014, but the Tigers’ 8-5 record didn’t match the star power that coach Les Miles and his staff had stockpiled. There was one major reason: quarterback play or lack thereof.
Neither Anthony Jennings nor Brandon Harris really grabbed the job and made it his own in 2014. Jennings was expected to take a step forward as a sophomore, but he was unimpressive, throwing for 1,611 yards with 11 touchdowns against seven interceptions while completing just 48.9 percent of his passes.
Harris, a freshman, was just as inconsistent. He threw for 452 yards with six touchdowns against two interceptions, completing 55.6 percent of his passes. He earned a start against Auburn but was awful, completing three of 14 passes for 58 yards in a 41-7 loss.
The two competed throughout spring practice with no resolution, and their battle will carry into the fall. However, there are questions about Jennings, given his June arrest and suspension following a felony charge of unauthorized entrance of a dwelling.
But if Jennings locks down the job and performs well with LSU’s talented offense, it might signal the end of Harris’ time in Baton Rouge.
Florida QB Treon Harris
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Will Muschamp’s last stand was an unwinnable situation for any Florida offensive player, but Treon Harris made the most of a difficult scenario. Pressed into action following the struggles of starter Jeff Driskel, the freshman did about as well as anyone would expect behind a shaky offensive line.
Harris threw for 1,019 yards with nine touchdowns against four interceptions and helped Florida into a bowl game, although he completed only 49.6 percent of his passes. He did show promise as a dual-threat quarterback, rushing for 111 yards on 20 carries in an overtime loss to South Carolina. However, with Jim McElwain’s staff in town, Harris’ Florida future is uncertain.
He spent the spring locked in a battle with redshirt freshman Will Grier, who is a more natural pocket passer and a better fit for McElwain’s pro-style offense. If Grier claims the job in preseason practice, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see Harris try his fortunes elsewhere, much as Driskel will this fall at Louisiana Tech.
Michigan QB Shane Morris
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As he enters his first season at Michigan, Jim Harbaugh has huge expectations for his tenure, not to mention 2015. But first, he has to find a quarterback. He’ll choose from a crowded field that includes Iowa graduate transfer Jake Rudock (who threw for 2,436 yards with 16 touchdowns against five interceptions last fall) as well as a trio of freshmen in Alex Malzone, Zach Gentry and Wilton Speight.
But one of the most intriguing figures will be Shane Morris. He was expected to push Devin Gardner for the starting role in 2014, but it never really happened. He completed 14 of 40 passes for 128 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions. He threw only one pass in the final seven games after suffering a concussion against Minnesota and drawing national attention after then-coach Brady Hoke re-inserted him into the game.
Morris was named the leader for the job following spring practice, but it isn't his yet. He's working hard to change that, according to Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press.
"Every day I go in there, I'm competing for the job, even though I was named No. 1," said Morris. "I'm still working. It's my job to lose. I'm still going in there to compete, whether it's a footwork drill...trying to do the best I can do."
If Morris doesn’t win the job, the writing would be on the wall with a new coaching staff that he’d need a fresh start elsewhere.
Oklahoma QB Trevor Knight
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Last fall, Trevor Knight was the toast of Norman. Following a Sugar Bowl MVP performance against Alabama, the Oklahoma quarterback was expected to take the next step into full-time stardom as a sophomore.
It didn’t happen.
Knight threw for 2,300 yards with 14 touchdowns against 12 interceptions and missed multiple games with a scary-looking neck injury. Oklahoma, a preseason College Football Playoff pick, struggled to an 8-5 record capped by a 40-6 Russell Athletic Bowl loss to Clemson. As a result, Bob Stoops overhauled OU’s offense and brought in a new offensive coordinator in East Carolina’s Lincoln Riley.
Riley runs a pass-happy Air Raid offensive system, and it just so happens that Texas Tech transfer Baker Mayfield was a pupil of the same system before transferring to OU. The two battled through spring practice with no resolution, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Stoops and Riley settle on Mayfield this fall.
If that happens, Knight could bag his two remaining seasons of eligibility and take a fresh start elsewhere.
Texas QB Tyrone Swoopes
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Tyrone Swoopes was thrown into the fire earlier than expected last fall when David Ash’s career ended following multiple concussions. Texas got about what you might expect from the freshman, who threw for 2,409 yards and 13 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. The Longhorns finished Charlie Strong’s first season 6-7, and fans surely hope for more from the offense in 2015.
Swoopes was pushed hard in spring by redshirt freshman Jarrod Heard, who finished the spring as a strong No. 2 but with the ability to continue the momentum into preseason practice. While Swoopes is a mobile passer, Heard also has mobility with a better passing touch.
Starting the 2015 season at Notre Dame would be no easy task for Heard, but if he can pass Swoopes, Texas will also have talented true freshman Kai Locksley in the mix. It might be smart for Swoopes to move on if he won’t be the man under center in Austin.
Ole Miss QB Ryan Buchanan
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Ole Miss has an excellent core returning from 2014’s nine-win Peach Bowl team. The Rebels boast 16 returning starters, but one of the biggest questions is at quarterback, where up-and-down Bo Wallace’s graduation leaves a hole.
Coach Hugh Freeze spent spring overseeing a three-way battle between troubled former Clemson quarterback Chad Kelly and sophomores Ryan Buchanan and DeVante Kincade. That competition will carry over into fall practice, but Kelly has the edge with game experience as well as solid mobility and passing ability, assuming he can keep his nose clean off the field.
That leaves either Buchanan or Kincade to back him up. But if they will be sitting behind him for two seasons, it wouldn’t be stunning to see one of them head for the exit. Buchanan seems like the most likely candidate.
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