Returning College Football Starters in Danger of Losing Their Jobs in 2015
College football is a very competitive game. With coaching staffs consistently looking to upgrade talent via recruiting and transfers, no player should consider his starting role a given. There’s always the next incoming player looking to take a spot and push a veteran to the bench.
As college football programs across the nation prepare for preseason practice, that’s certainly the case again. There are multiple position battles which will unfold during August and perhaps into the regular season. The following 10 returning college football starters are particularly in danger of losing their jobs this fall.
These players were chosen because they face difficult position battles, are coming off less-than-stellar 2014 seasons and/or must ward off younger incoming talent to maintain their starting roles. In some cases, they also must learn new offensive schemes.
Texas A&M QB Kyle Allen
1 of 10
Kyle Allen had a very solid first season with Texas A&M last fall. After stepping into the starting quarterback role in November, Allen made five starts, throwing for 1,322 yards with 16 touchdowns against seven interceptions while completing 61.5 percent of his passes.
The Aggies went 3-2 in those games, including a Liberty Bowl win over West Virginia. That performance would earn him a starting role in many programs, but A&M signed 5-star recruit Kyler Murray, an enticing dual-threat quarterback who had his pick of destinations. Murray didn’t come to College Station to sit for long, and he’ll surely put pressure on Allen this fall.
He is confident in his abilities, as he told SB Nation's Yaron Weitzman.
"Right now [Allen's] the starter, obviously," Murray said. "Right now my job is just to come in, learn the offense, get better every day and try to help the team any possible way. I just have to sit there and wait my turn. I think I will get reps in games, so they will see me, so when that time comes... that's what it's all about."
Allen can’t afford to struggle, as head coach Kevin Sumlin has set precedent for quarterback changes recently. Remember Kenny Hill? He went from Heisman Trophy candidate to transferring to TCU after Allen supplanted him as starting quarterback last fall. It could happen again.
Florida State S Nate Andrews
2 of 10
Nate Andrews has been a valuable part of Florida State’s defense for the past two seasons. The junior safety had a strong year in 2014, starting 13 games and piling up 93 tackles. His 66 solo stops were most on the Seminoles defense, as were his three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
In most programs, he’d be a no-doubt starter. However, Florida State doesn’t recruit like most programs. FSU signed 5-star safety Derwin James, the nation's No. 5 overall prospect, per 247Sports. James actually started the spring game after Andrews was sidelined with an ankle injury.
Andrews will begin the season as the starter, but James is too good to stay out of the starting lineup for long. Expect him to eat into Andrews’ playing time in short order.
Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett
3 of 10
This time a year ago, few outside Columbus knew who J.T. Barrett was. That certainly isn’t the case this summer. Braxton Miller’s shoulder surgery pushed Barrett into Ohio State’s starting quarterback role, and following a slow start, he quickly made the job his own.
Barrett was an excellent dual-threat passer, throwing for 2,834 yards with 34 touchdowns against 10 interceptions and adding 938 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. But his season ended when he suffered a broken ankle in the regular-season finale against Michigan. That, in turn, opened the door for Cardale Jones.
Jones was very impressive in leading the Buckeyes through the College Football Playoff and to a national title. What was expected to be a three-way quarterback battle narrowed when Miller announced that he’ll move to an H-back/receiver spot, per SI.com's Pete Thamel. Still, Barrett and Jones’ fight will be intensely scrutinized. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Jones claim the starting role as his own this fall.
Florida QB Treon Harris
4 of 10
Last fall, Treon Harris made the most of a bad situation. With Florida’s offense struggling with quarterback Jeff Driskel, the freshman was pushed into a starting role by lame-duck coach Will Muschamp, who was fired in mid-November. Harris threw nine touchdowns against four interceptions but completed just 49.6 percent of his passes.
New head coach Jim McElwain prefers a pro-style offense, and former 4-star recruit Will Grier battled with Harris throughout spring practice. They’ll continue that fight this fall. Grier is more of a pocket passer than Harris, which could prove problematic for his hopes of keeping the starting job through 2015.
LSU QB Anthony Jennings
5 of 10
Anthony Jennings has had multiple opportunities to make LSU’s starting quarterback job his own. As a freshman, he was handed the role when Zach Mettenberger suffered a torn ACL in the regular-season finale, and then he beat Iowa in the Outback Bowl.
Many expected him to progress last fall, but it never really happened. He threw for 1,611 yards with 11 touchdowns against seven interceptions, completing just 48.9 percent of his passes. He was pushed all season by freshman Brandon Harris, who 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 through spring practice and are expected to resume their battle this fall. Jennings is currently suspended following a June arrest for unauthorized entry of a dwelling but is expected to return to the roster. LSU head coach Les Miles told reporters, including ESPN.com's Greg Ostendorf, that he's "confident" Jennings will be back this fall.
Harris will surely push Jennings hard again upon his return. LSU has a talented offense, but it needs a consistent quarterback. Jennings has shown multiple times that he isn’t that guy yet.
Oklahoma QB Trevor Knight
6 of 10
2014 was supposed to be the year of Trevor Knight in Oklahoma’s offense. After earning MVP honors in a Sugar Bowl romp over Alabama to kick off the year, the OU quarterback was expected to take the next step this past fall. That never happened, however.
Knight threw for 2,300 yards with 14 touchdowns against 12 interceptions and completed just 56.6 percent of his passes, missing three games with a frightening neck injury. He returned for the Russell Athletic Bowl against Clemson, but completed just 17 of 37 passes for 103 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions in an ugly 40-6 defeat.
Following the season, OU head coach Bob Stoops retooled the offensive staff, hiring East Carolina offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, a proponent of the Air Raid offense. Knight’s biggest competitor in spring? Texas Tech transfer Baker Mayfield, who was recruited to that very system at Tech.
The two will continue their battle in preseason, but it makes sense that Mayfield, the more experienced Air Raid passer, could claim the job as his own early on this fall.
Tennessee DT Danny O'Brien
7 of 10
As a sophomore, Danny O’Brien emerged as a starter on Tennessee’s defensive line, starting 12 games at defensive tackle, making 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He was a key part of the Volunteers’ improved defense, but as Tennessee has improved its recruiting, players like O’Brien could see their playing time decrease.
O’Brien is particularly in danger since the Vols signed Kahlil McKenzie, the nation’s No. 6 overall prospect, per 247Sports. McKenzie stands 6’3”, 327 pounds with a great motor and moves well for his size. It’d be a surprise if he didn’t quickly establish himself as a starter, pushing O’Brien into a lesser role.
Texas QB Tyrone Swoopes
8 of 10
2014 wasn’t really Tyrone Swoopes’ fault. The sophomore wasn’t expected to start, but when repeated concussions ended starter David Ash’s career, Texas’ starting quarterback role was his. He was uneven at best.
Swoopes threw for 2,409 yards with 13 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, completing 58.3 percent of his passes, and Texas finished 6-7. A poor offensive line didn’t help his transition, either. He had three games with 300-plus passing yards but had his worst game in a Texas Bowl loss to Arkansas, completing 13 of 25 passes for 57 yards with an interception.
Redshirt freshman Jarrod Heard pushed Swoopes big-time in spring practice, and while Swoopes should begin the season as the starter, Heard isn’t letting up. Texas opens at Notre Dame, but it wouldn’t be stunning to see Heard claim the role by the time the Longhorns begin Big 12 play Sept. 26 vs. Oklahoma State.
Texas Tech QB Davis Webb
9 of 10
Davis Webb didn’t really do much wrong last fall. In his first season as Texas Tech’s starter, Webb threw for 2,539 yards with 24 touchdowns against 13 interceptions, completing 61.2 percent of his passes. But a shoulder injury ended his season after eight games, which gave Tech a chance to look at backup Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes performed well, throwing for 1,547 yards with 16 touchdowns against four interceptions. He saved the best for last, throwing for 598 yards with six touchdowns and one interception in a 48-46 loss to Baylor to close the season. Tech was 1-3 in his starts, but that was more on the Red Raiders’ awful defense than Mahomes.
Mahomes and Webb enter preseason practice locked in a battle for the starting role, and it’d be hard to go wrong with either. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury told Tommy Magelssen of the Dallas Morning News that he wants to name a starter quickly to establish chemistry. That means we’ll know soon if Webb can hang on to his job.
Stanford RB Remound Wright
10 of 10
2014 was Remound Wright’s best year in a Stanford uniform, as he rushed for 601 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. However, he was hardly dynamic. He never rushed for 100 yards in a game, with his high of 98 yards coming against Washington State. In fact, he only cracked the 65-yard threshold twice.
Rght behind him? A talented sophomore in Christian McCaffrey, who rushed for 300 yards on 42 carries last year, averaging 7.1 yards per carry. The son of former NFL receiver Ed McCaffrey, McCaffrey has plenty of athleticism, speed and burst. It would be very surprising if he didn’t receive a much larger role at Wright’s expense in 2015.
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