College Football QBs Who Could Shock by Starting Week 1
Part of the intrigue of the 2015 college football season is that there are so many unanswered quarterback competitions heading into preseason camp. On top of that, many of those ongoing battles are taking place at high-profile programs, many of which have College Football Playoff aspirations.
Having an experienced quarterback isn't a prerequisite for winning a national championship, but having a settled quarterback competition is.
But what if the offseason front-runner or favorite doesn't end up winning the job? Given how wide-open some of these quarterback races are, we could be in for some surprises in the next few weeks. That's the inspiration behind this list: the quarterbacks who would shock the college football world by starting in Week 1.
Because there are a variety of quarterback races, few are the same. Some are wide-open, while others are down to two or three players. In any case, the following races should have clear—or at least perceived clear—front-runners. In other words, in a dead heat between two quarterbacks, it wouldn't be surprising to see either player earn the starting nod.
Instead, we'll spotlight the dark horses who may have a chance to leapfrog the front-runners in preseason camp.
David Cornwell, Alabama
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Alabama's quarterback race was the textbook definition of wide-open in the spring. Any one of five players had the chance to exit spring drills with a firm grasp on the starting job.
Former Florida State transfer Jake Coker did end up heading into the summer months with a slight lead on the competition, but his grasp on the job was hardly firm. The biggest surprise during the spring was redshirt freshman David Cornwell, who, along with Coker, separated himself from the pack.
As B/R colleague Barrett Sallee wrote last month, Cornwell has the chance to provide Alabama with stability at the position for years to come.
Head coach Nick Saban has been mum on declaring anyone a starter. However, the team brought Coker in from FSU last season with high expectations. To date, he's yet to emerge from the rest of the quarterbacks. The longer the competition between Coker and Cornwell rages on, the more one has to think Cornwell has a legitimate chance to win.
Coker's the front-runner, without a doubt, but Cornwell is making a case for himself.
Jerrod Heard, Texas
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The backup quarterback may be the most popular player on the team, but it's not clear yet if he's the best. Such is the case with Texas' Jerrod Heard.
The quarterback race between Heard and Tyrone Swoopes is close, but Swoopes is still the No. 1 guy with fall camp underway. Will that change in the next few weeks? Heard doesn't lack confidence, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's the right guy.
Both quarterbacks will play in the season opener against Notre Dame, so who takes the field first is less important than who finishes the game. Still, the vibe at Big 12 media days from head coach Charlie Strong and running back Johnathan Gray was that Swoopes is the clear No. 1.
It's possible that Heard will leapfrog Swoopes in the next few weeks, but it's more likely (and more important) that Texas will get its quarterback answer mid-game against the Irish.
Cody Thomas, Oklahoma
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Oklahoma's three-man quarterback race between Baker Mayfield, Trevor Knight and Cody Thomas is still wide-open if you're to believe head coach Bob Stoops. The rumblings, corroborated by columns from Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman, have been that Mayfield, a Texas Tech transfer, will win the job.
But even Tramel has reversed field four months later to include Knight as a legitimate candidate to keep his starting job. That leaves Thomas, who started three games last year, as the dark horse. Still, Stoops insisted that the redshirt sophomore is in the conversation at Big 12 media days.
"I know it's popular for everyone to act like a certain guy has already got the job," Stoops said. "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.
"He really made significant improvement in the spring. He's a big guy with a great arm."
With so many people fixated on Mayfield (and Knight, to a lesser extent), fans view Thomas as the long shot to win the job. But, again, if Stoops is to be believed, Thomas may not be that far behind.
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Wilton Speight, Michigan
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With head coach Jim Harbaugh's first preseason camp at Michigan starting Friday, the quarterback competition once again takes center stage. Junior Shane Morris exited spring as the front-runner, per Harbaugh, but the addition of Iowa transfer Jake Rudock has made things interesting.
That leaves redshirt freshman Wilton Speight as the dark horse to take hold of the starting job. Speight was held out of the spring game because of a leg injury, so fans weren't able to see what he offered the competition. Now fully healthy, he could make a push before the start of the season.
Rudock and Morris are perceived as the front-runners, but Morris said that no one "has an edge right now," per Austin Ward of ESPN.com. That could be a good thing for Speight.
Jerry Neuheisel, UCLA
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UCLA's quarterback competition is technically a three-man race between Josh Rosen, Jerry Neuheisel and Mike Fafaul. Head coach Jim Mora isn't going to tip anyone off, either, as to which way he's leaning before Week 1.
Still, the overwhelming feeling is that Rosen, a true freshman early enrollee who came in as a 5-star prospect, according to 247Sports, will be the starter and future face of the program.
That means Neuheisel, who famously filled in for Brett Hundley to beat Texas last year, is probably on the outside looking in.
Or is he?
Neuheisel has playing experience at the college level, and while he's not as purely gifted as Rosen, he's shown that he can win a game against a top defense. With so many players returning for the Bruins, Neuheisel has an edge in overall team chemistry as well.
The future looks bright for Rosen, which means we'll probably see him starting right away. As such, it would be surprising to see Neuheisel start, but that doesn't mean he can't.
J.J. Cosentino, Florida State
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It's no secret that the addition of Notre Dame transfer Everett Golson brings new life to Florida State's quarterback competition. The general belief is that Golson will be the one to challenge current front-runner Sean Maguire for the starting job.
Interestingly, though, the recent depth chart shows that J.J. Cosentino, not Golson, is No. 2. That depth chart is bound to change, of course, and Cosentino could just as easily move down the list as he could move up.
“Depth charts right now mean nothing," head coach Jimbo Fisher said, per Brendan Sonnone of the Orlando Sentinel. "Everybody will get the same amount of reps.”
Maguire didn't look particularly solid in Florida State's spring game, but he was better than the rest of the competition. With Golson's starting experience with the Irish, it's easy to see why many highlighted those two as the front-runners to start for the Seminoles in 2015.
Cosentino may be in the race, but he has a lot of work to do to start in Week 1.
Will Gardner, Louisville
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It's amazing to think that Louisville quarterback Will Gardner, the Week 1 starter a year ago, could be the dark horse to start the 2015 season. But that's what a season-ending ACL tear will do to you, unfortunately.
Gardner's injury paved the way for Reggie Bonnafon and Kyle Bolin to battle it out during the spring, with Bonnafon being the early front-runner. However, Gardner's recovery has been quicker than expected, leading to a possible dark-horse comeback, as Gary Graves of The Associated Press noted (via the News and Observer):
"Petrino didn't expect Gardner would part of the discussion so soon after a third surgery last fall to repair a torn left anterior cruciate ligament. The most experienced quarterback of the three after starting seven of eight games and passing for 1,669 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2014, Gardner was recently still working on some of his movement.
Now he's back on the coaches' radar after being cleared to practice.
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The fact that Bonnafon and Bolin have received so many reps this offseason makes the case harder for Gardner. However, being cleared to practice doesn't hurt his case, either.
Treon Harris, Florida
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There are a couple of reasons that redshirt freshman quarterback Will Grier is more likely to start for Florida than sophomore Treon Harris. The offensive scheme fit is one reason, though first-year coach Jim McElwain downplayed that part during SEC media days. Harris also missed some practices during the spring to tend to a family issue.
Both quarterbacks have a lot of potential, but Grier's potential lies in the traditional pocket-passer sense. Harris is an accomplished athlete who could see the field in packaged plays. But if there's a guy who's the front-runner in preseason camp, it has to be Grier.
Therefore, it would be more surprising to see Harris start in Week 1 for the Gators. That doesn't mean, though, that he won't see the field at all.
Kyler Murray, Texas A&M
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As one of two true freshmen on this list, Texas A&M quarterback Kyler Murray stands out. Murray is an accomplished high school quarterback, having gone 42-0 for Allen High School and being named the Gatorade Male Athlete of the Year.
However, Murray enters preseason camp with the Aggies as a clear backup to sophomore Kyle Allen. Since Murray wasn't an early enrollee, he has a lot of ground to make up in a short amount of time. Allen has the benefit of having a year under his belt with starting experience. He knows the playbook better and has pre-existing chemistry with his teammates.
Murray is just getting his feet wet at the college level. He's a talented player, to be sure, but never underestimate the adjustment to college, especially at the quarterback spot.
"Neither one of those guys are intimidated," head coach Kevin Sumlin said of his quarterbacks, per Greg Ostendorf of ESPN.com. "I think the makeup of those two guys suggests that they really don't care who it is, they think they're pretty good. That's really what you're looking for across the board as a football team, and we'll sort it out."
It's a good attitude to have—and he'll have a shot—but Murray has a lot of work to do to become the Week 1 starter.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
