Top College Football QB Battles to Watch in 2015 Fall Camp
Fall camp marks the official return to the practice field for every player in college football regardless of position, but August always puts a special spotlight on the quarterbacks.
For the schools that must replace a starting signal-caller and didn't settle their battles in spring ball, fall camp will represent a chaotic final few weeks for one of the most important roles on the team.
Florida State and Oregon are both looking to replace a former Heisman Trophy winner with the winner of a competition between a high-profile transfer and an experienced backup. Others, such as LSU and Texas, want answers at quarterback after disappointing outputs in 2014.
And then you have the unique battle going on at defending national champion Ohio State.
Here are 12 of the top quarterback battles to watch when summer behind-the-scenes work gives way to more publicized competition over the next few weeks.
Alabama
1 of 12
Blake Barnett (TFr.)
Cooper Bateman (So.)
Jake Coker (Sr.)
David Cornwell (RFr.)
Alec Morris (Jr.)
For the second straight year, Alabama will enter fall camp without a returning starter at quarterback and with a number of worthy candidates. This year, the Crimson Tide have five to choose from, adding former 5-star Blake Barnett into the mix of returning signal-callers in Tuscaloosa.
Jake Coker and David Cornwell appear to have separated themselves from the pack, per Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee. Coker transferred to Alabama from Florida State last season with plenty of hype but couldn't beat out Blake Sims for the job. Cornwell's stock exploded this offseason when he performed well in his first consistent work after ankle surgery last year.
Right now, give the slight edge to Coker, who received some impressive praise from head coach Nick Saban at SEC media days.
"I think [Coker has] made a tremendous amount of improvement," Saban said, per Sallee. "I think that a better understanding, better knowledge of the system, better knowledge of what we expect, what's expected of him in our offense are all things that have contributed to his confidence and his performance level."
The winner of this battle will take charge of an Alabama offense that must replace its top three receivers and a trio of offensive linemen from last season. The outcome could play a major role in just how far the Crimson Tide go this postseason.
Florida State
2 of 12
Everett Golson (Sr.)
Sean Maguire (Jr.)
The race to replace Jameis Winston will heat up in a huge way this month as former Notre Dame star Everett Golson looks to take the starting job at Florida State from Winston's backup, Sean Maguire.
Although Golson brings two years of experience as a starter at Notre Dame—including one in 2012 in which the Irish went to the national title game—he is still going to face a tough test from Maguire. Golson, who arrived at FSU in June, was listed third on the Seminoles' depth chart in the team's new media guide (h/t the Tallahassee Democrat's Safid Deen).
Maguire went 21-of-39 through the air for a touchdown and two interceptions in place of a suspended Winston last season against Clemson. His presence will cause the turnover-prone Golson to work harder in practice and vice versa.
"Iron sharpens iron," Florida State cornerback Jalen Ramsey told Brendan Sonnone of the Orlando Sentinel. "You can literally tell the difference in everybody stepping up."
Replacing the talents of Winston will be no easy feat, especially on a team that returns only four starters on the offensive side of the ball. Golson has experience and dual-threat capabilities, while Maguire brings familiarity and an early advantage on the depth chart.
Georgia
3 of 12
Faton Bauta (Jr.)
Greyson Lambert (Jr.)
Brice Ramsey (So.)
Georgia's battle to replace Hutson Mason lost a competitor and gained another one since the last time the team took the field for official practices. Jacob Park decided to transfer from Georgia in June shortly after the arrival of Greyson Lambert from Virginia.
Former Georgia star quarterback Aaron Murray said he sees two types of talent from Brice Ramsey—the projected favorite—and Faton Bauta.
"Both great kids. I think a little different quarterback-wise," Murray told Seth Emerson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Brice is a very pure thrower. That’s probably one of the most beautiful releases you’ll ever see from a quarterback. ... Faton, he’s more athletic, can run, bigger kid, can do a lot with zone-option read, running, does things like when things break down being able to run."
Lambert brings starting experience from a power conference, as he scored 13 touchdowns and threw 13 interceptions as Virginia's top quarterback for most of the 2014 season. He might not have such a major disadvantage from the returning talent, as all three are working with a brand-new offensive coordinator in Brian Schottenheimer.
The future arrival of Georgia commitment Jacob Eason, the nation's No. 1 quarterback in the class of 2016, will play an interesting role in this year's race and the ones to come. Eason looks like a can't-miss prospect who will battle for playing time as an underclassman in Athens.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Louisville
4 of 12
Kyle Bolin (So.)
Reggie Bonnafon (So.)
Tyler Ferguson (Jr.)
Will Gardner (Jr.)
Lamar Jackson (TFr.)
Like Alabama, Louisville has more than enough contenders for its starting quarterback job this fall. The Cardinals boast three players who started at the position last season. But, as Mark Ennis of SB Nation's Card Chronicle noted, that isn't necessarily a good thing.
"Louisville didn't start the same quarterback for more than four consecutive games in 2014. Some of the shuffling was injury-driven, some of it was performance driven," Ennis wrote last week. "No matter the reason, the success of the 2015 season rides largely (but not entirely) on quarterback earning and keeping the job while staying healthy."
According to Ennis, head coach Bobby Petrino tipped his hand at ESPN's ACC "car wash" when he said Reggie Bonnafon would be the starter if the Cardinals were playing right now. Bonnafon started five games last season in place of the injured Will Gardner, showing mobility and decent arm strength.
But don't completely count out Gardner or Bolin, who led Louisville to a comeback win over rival Kentucky after an injury to Bonnafon and later started the bowl loss to Georgia.
Louisville could also use Tyler Ferguson, a transfer from Penn State who was also a top JUCO quarterback. The dual-threat ability of true freshman Lamar Jackson makes him a candidate to win some playing time too with a strong showing in fall camp.
LSU
5 of 12
Brandon Harris (So.)
Anthony Jennings (Jr.)
While the rest of these quarterback battles have the factor of the unknown with at least some of their candidates, LSU fans are already familiar with Brandon Harris and Anthony Jennings.
In 12 starts last season, Jennings completed only 48.9 percent of his passes while throwing for 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Harris started a road game against Auburn as a true freshman but went an abysmal 3-of-14 passing before getting pulled from the blowout loss.
Harris, a former 4-star dual-threat prospect, gained an advantage over the older Jennings this offseason. While Jennings was serving a suspension—one that coach Les Miles lifted last Friday, per Jim Kleinpeter of NOLA.com—Harris had the opportunity to work with his receivers and correct the mistakes from his freshman campaign.
"[Harris] wasn’t the savior everyone thought he was going to be," a former LSU player told Ross Dellenger of the Baton Rouge Advocate. "I think this year is going to be completely different."
With the amount of talent LSU has on its roster this fall, the winner of the quarterback battle—and how much he has improved from last season's 8-5 campaign—should be the difference between SEC contention and another underwhelming year in Baton Rouge.
Michigan
6 of 12
Shane Morris (Jr.)
Jake Rudock (Sr.)
New Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh will have several scholarship quarterbacks on his fall camp roster. But, according to Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com, Harbaugh only mentioned Shane Morris and Jake Rudock by name at Big Ten media days last week.
Morris came out of spring camp as the No. 1 player on the Wolverines' depth chart, per Baumgardner. But Rudock, a former starter at Iowa, transferred into the program and is now expected to claim the top job with his Big Ten experience.
"(Rudock's) got a lot he's trying to get done," Harbaugh said, per Baumgardner. "He's got goals, he's got ambitions and he's got a plan for making this a successful year for him and our team. He shares that with Shane Morris."
Rudock started the last two seasons at Iowa and brings a solid resume to Ann Arbor. Morris hasn't impressed during his two starts at Michigan—his career stats are 43-of-87 passing for 389 yards, zero touchdowns and five interceptions—but he should benefit from a change in scheme and coaching staff.
The lean, of course, is toward Rudock, a graduate transfer who has one season to finish his college career with a Big Blue bang. But don't expect Harbaugh to name a starter until the Wolverines get close to the season opener against Utah.
Ohio State
7 of 12
J.T. Barrett (So.)
Cardale Jones (Jr.)
The nation's most talked-about position battle now appears to be a two-man race after two-time Big Ten Player of the Year winner Braxton Miller announced his move to H-back for his senior season.
Now it's between Barrett and Jones, the two players who led Ohio State to a national championship last season after Miller suffered a preseason injury.
Barrett started all 12 regular-season games as a freshman and finished second nationally to Heisman winner Marcus Mariota in pass efficiency, per cfbstats.com. Jones used his powerful arm and running style to perfection in three straight postseason wins, which were his first three career starts.
One of the most interesting notes to come from head coach Urban Meyer at Big Ten media days last week was how Barrett had made tremendous progress in arm strength—the biggest difference between him and Jones as quarterbacks.
"I think their skill sets are very similar," Meyer said, per Tony Gerdeman of TheOZone.net. "There was a time maybe where I thought J.T., his arm strength wasn’t up to par. He’s worked very hard at that. From every indication that I’m hearing, because I haven’t seen it yet, his arm strength is on par now."
Per Gerdeman, Meyer won't name a starting quarterback until the Buckeyes' season opener at Virginia Tech. The battle between Barrett and Jones will last several more weeks.
Oklahoma
8 of 12
Trevor Knight (Jr.)
Baker Mayfield (So.)
Cody Thomas (So.)
Oklahoma changed offensive coordinators after last season's disappointing 8-5 campaign, and it could also change quarterbacks under the direction of former East Carolina assistant Lincoln Riley.
Baker Mayfield, who sat out last season after transferring from Texas Tech, is the media's pick to win the starting quarterback battle in Norman. But head coach Bob Stoops said at Big 12 media days there isn't a clear-cut favorite just yet.
"I know it's popular for everyone to act like a certain guy has already got the job," Stoops said, per Brandon Chatmon of ESPN.com. "That couldn't be further from the truth. Trevor Knight and Baker Mayfield are in a tight battle, and Cody Thomas is right on their heels."
Trevor Knight and Cody Thomas both had starting experience last season for the Sooners. Knight threw for 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 10 starts, while Thomas had two scores and four picks in the final three games of the regular season without the skills of star wide receiver Sterling Shepard.
But while Mayfield is new to the starting quarterback race at Oklahoma, he started seven games and was the Big 12's Offensive Freshman of the Year at Texas Tech in 2013. All three of these experienced players need to work on their ball security, though, as interceptions plagued the Sooners' spring game.
Ole Miss
9 of 12
Ryan Buchanan (So.)
Chad Kelly (Jr.)
DeVante Kincade (So.)
Like many other schools in the SEC, Ole Miss will also break in a new quarterback this fall. And while there is also an early favorite in this battle, head coach Hugh Freeze hasn't named the replacement for surgical signal-caller Bo Wallace.
Chad Kelly helped lead East Mississippi Community College to a national championship last season after leaving Clemson. A few days after committing to the Rebels, however, he was arrested for getting into an altercation with police back home in Buffalo, New York.
But Kelly has kept his record clean since arriving at Oxford. Freeze said Ryan Buchanan had the early edge for Ole Miss' starting job after spring practice, but Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee believes the job will ultimately fall to the talented Kelly.
"[Kelly] showed [during the spring game] that he has a big arm, is consistent on the timing routes underneath and has the dynamic running ability that Buchanan simply doesn't have," Sallee wrote in April. "Kelly can add an even bigger wrinkle off the read-option with Jordan Wilkins, Eugene Brazley or Akeem Judd providing the threat between the tackles."
Expect Buchanan to try to keep in front of Kelly during the Rebels' fall camp, with Kincade offering some added pressure to the JUCO star. A loss for Kelly in this battle would be a major surprise, but stranger things have happened in the world of college football.
Oregon
10 of 12
Vernon Adams (Sr.)
Jeff Lockie (Jr.)
Welcome to the quarterback battle that isn't even a battle yet—and it might not be one in the next few weeks.
Former Eastern Washington star quarterback Vernon Adams announced his intention to transfer to Oregon months ago, per Yahoo Sports' Sam Cooper, but he still hasn't arrived in Eugene because he hasn't earned his degree from EWU yet.
According to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports, Adams is expected to arrive on Aug. 13, three days after the Ducks start fall practice. Oregon players had no comment on Adams at Pac-12 media days last week.
"I can't speak for him," running back Royce Freeman told Dodd. "I just worry about the guys that are there practicing with us."
One of those guys who has been practicing with the Ducks is Jeff Lockie, per Dodd, who backed up Heisman-winner Marcus Mariota last season. He completed 21 of his 28 passes last season for 207 yards and a touchdown.
When—or if—Adams arrives, he's widely expected to become the new starting quarterback at Oregon. But the delay in his arrival keeps opening the door for Lockie, who knows the Ducks' high-powered offense and what is expected of the starting quarterback.
Texas
11 of 12
Jerrod Heard (RFr.)
Tyrone Swoopes (Jr.)
The eyes of Texas are upon the quarterback position this fall as the Longhorns look to take the next step in head coach Charlie Strong's second season.
That means some improvement from the quarterback position. Tyrone Swoopes, the starter in 2013, is expected to battle redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard after a rough campaign with the Longhorns.
"Swoopes struggled against top-tier opponents—Baylor, Kansas State and TCU—including a four-interception performance against the Horned Frogs," Nick Castillo of the Dallas Morning News wrote. "Swoopes also had a lackluster showing in the Texas Bowl against Arkansas, where he only threw for 57 yards, an interception and ran for negative 32 yards."
Texas' move to a new spread scheme this offseason could help Heard supplant Swoopes as the starting quarterback this season. According to Castillo, Heard ran for more yards than he had through the air in his two state championship game victories in high school.
Strong said Swoopes was still the No. 1 quarterback after spring practice, per Castillo, but Heard has plenty of potential to make a move up the depth chart before the Longhorns open the season against Notre Dame. While he's young and inexperienced, Heard could prove to be the spark Texas needs to make a big leap forward.
Washington
12 of 12
Jake Browning (TFr.)
K.J. Carta-Samuels (RFr.)
Jeff Lindquist (Jr.)
When starting quarterback Cyler Miles left Washington this offseason, a three-way battle opened up at quarterback between veteran backup Jeff Lindquist, redshirt freshman K.J. Carta-Samuels and early enrollee Jake Browning.
Washington didn't have any answers to the battle by the end of spring practice, and head coach Chris Petersen insisted none have developed in the summer.
"It always seems like the media kind of thinks we play our cards close to the vest and kind of know," Petersen told Christian Caple of the News Tribune last week. "We don’t know. We really don’t. I wish we did. I think your starting quarterback needs every rep he can get, let alone three guys that water it down, but that’s just where we are."
According to Caple, Lindquist's experience made him a more consistent option under center than the two freshmen during spring practices. If one were to handicap this wide-open race, the junior looks like the slight favorite.
But Browning, a 4-star recruit who set a national high school record for touchdown passes in a career with 229, has Huskies fans buzzing about the future. With UCLA already looking to hand the reins to a true freshman quarterback, per the Los Angeles Times' Chris Foster, Washington might join the small club during fall camp.
Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
