Summer To-Do List for Top Contenders in Biggest Remaining Quarterback Battles
Summer is a time for relaxation. Contemplation. Maybe even a well-earned vacation.
Unless you’re a college football player, of course. With summer classes and “voluntary” workouts that are anything but, the hottest time of the year is just another way for players to hone their games and work on their academics.
This year, a number of high-profile programs have openings at quarterback, with a number of talented candidates vying to fill them. Spring gave them an opportunity to show their skills with hopes of impressing coaching staffs, but many programs wrapped up spring practice without resolution under center.
While coaches cannot instruct their players during summer, this is nevertheless an important time for these contenders as they improve their games in hopes of winning the role in fall.
Here’s a look at the to-do list for top contenders in key quarterback battles.
Alabama QB Cooper Bateman
1 of 10
Quarterback competitions are nothing new in Tuscaloosa. Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin prize experience in their offensive leaders, which meant that each of the last two seasons featured a one-year starter in seniors Blake Sims and Jake Coker.
The plan worked well. Sims led the Crimson Tide to an SEC title and College Football Playoff appearance, while Coker did him one better, winning SEC and national titles.
With Coker gone, Alabama spent spring looking at four scholarship quarterbacks: fourth-year junior Cooper Bateman, sophomore David Cornwell, redshirt freshman Blake Barnett and early-enrollee freshman Jalen Hurts.
Bateman—the most experienced player in the group—emerged as the leader this spring, with Saban telling ESPN.com’s Chris Low that if Alabama started the season now, he’d be the starter.
He served as Coker’s backup last fall, completing 37 of 52 passes for 291 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Bateman did start against Ole Miss, completing 11 of 14 passes for 87 yards and an interception before being pulled for Coker, who started the rest of the season.
He has solid speed and could be used as a running option in the Tide offense. He does not have the strongest arm of the contenders but has the knowledge of the system that Saban and Kiffin desire.
This summer will be crucial for Bateman to build chemistry with his receivers, including star Calvin Ridley, and prove that he can lead on a consistent basis.
Saban told AL.com's John Talty that Bateman still has work to do to prove that:
"I think there's things that he needs to work on and we need to work on with him so that he can go out there and play with the kind of confidence and be the kind of leader and be the kind of decision maker that we need at that position to play winning football. And that's what we'll continue to focus on.
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Southern California QB Max Browne
2 of 10
Clay Helton has a solid core to begin his first full season as Southern California head coach, but he faces a big question mark at quarterback.
Cody Kessler was a third-round pick of the Cleveland Browns after throwing for 3,536 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions last fall, leading the Trojans to a Pac-12 South title.
Helton doesn’t have time to break the new starter in slowly. The Trojans open 2016 in a huge neutral-site game against Alabama at AT&T Stadium. This spring, junior Max Browne and freshman Sam Darnold competed for the job.
Becoming the starter would be a natural progression for Browne, who backed up Kessler last fall and completed eight of 12 passes for 113 yards.
Zach Helfand of the Los Angeles Times reported that he was the leader leaving spring practice, but to cement the role this summer, he must prove to Helton and his teammates that he is a player they can trust in critical, difficult situations.
Texas QB Shane Buechele
3 of 10
With new offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert on board, Texas hopes to jump-start a slow, flagging scheme and give Charlie Strong’s job security a boost following an 11-14 record in his first two seasons leading the Longhorns.
Doing so means finding a competent quarterback. Holdovers Tyrone Swoopes and Jerrod Heard didn’t fit that mold last fall, combining for nine touchdowns and six interceptions.
With a new system, though, there’s room for new blood in the offense, and an incoming freshman capitalized.
True freshman Shane Buechele stood out this spring. Heard missed the spring game with a shoulder injury and Swoopes was unimpressive, completing just four of 16 passes for 71 yards and two interceptions. Buechele stole the show, completing 22 of 41 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
He’s the clear leader exiting spring. Per Jeff Caplan of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Strong was very enthusiastic about Buechele in an interview with Ricky Williams on the Longhorn Network.
“Buechele? Oh God yes. Yes, oh, he will play in the fall," he said. "Yes, he will play. Yes.”
Strong continued, saying the son of former MLB player Steve Buechele had made an immediate impression:
"He’s like a gym rat. He really studies the game, and it’s amazing. If you walked down that hall right now, he might be somewhere hanging out in the office.
He is a competitor and that comes from his dad, with his dad (Rangers bench coach Steve Buechele) playing professional baseball, so he understands. And the players know it. The good thing about it, and we can say what we want to say, but the players see it. Players, they know who’s the good players, they know who the bad players are. And they’ll tell you, "He’s a baller, coach."
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Being a good leader for older teammates this summer could cement his status. Expect Buechele to study Gilbert’s offense and work to show Strong and Gilbert that he’s ready to be counted upon early on.
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Stanford QB Keller Chryst
4 of 10
Stanford has won three of the last four Pac-12 Championships, and while Christian McCaffrey captured the nation’s attention last fall, Kevin Hogan was an underrated piece of the Cardinal’s success. He was a four-year starter, and he threw for 2,867 yards with 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions as a senior.
Hogan was a key leader and veteran presence in the offense, and he will be missed in Palo Alto, California. Junior Keller Chryst and senior Ryan Burns battled through spring practice, but Stanford coach David Shaw didn’t name a starter.
Chryst served as Hogan’s backup last fall and has the experience advantage, however slight.
How can he prove that he’s ready for the limelight? Spend the summer handing off to McCaffrey, throwing to McCaffrey and generally finding more ways to get him involved in the offense. That’s one way to earn his coaches’ love.
Georgia QB Jacob Eason
5 of 10
Becoming a starting quarterback in the SEC as a true freshman is a daunting task, but Jacob Eason hopes to prove that it’s not as hard as it appears.
The son of former NFL quarterback Tony Eason, Jacob was the nation’s No. 5 overall recruit, per 247Sports, and ensuring his signing following Mark Richt’s departure was the first big win of new coach Kirby Smart’s tenure.
This spring, Eason competed with senior Greyson Lambert and junior Brice Ramsey. Lambert was good, not great in 2015, throwing for 1,959 yards with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Eason clearly has the most potential of the three, with a perfect pocket passer’s build at 6’5”, 211 pounds. He stood out in the spring game, completing 19 of 29 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown.
How does he prove he’s the guy? Smart wants his passers to prove they can run as well. Eason must show that he has a complete command of the offense to give Georgia the best chance to win, starting with a tough opener against North Carolina.
Auburn QB John Franklin III
6 of 10
Remember last summer? When Jeremy Johnson was the next Cam Newton and a Heisman Trophy contender, the next great Auburn quarterback? Boy, those predictions turned out well, didn’t they?
Johnson was terrible as Auburn’s starter last fall, throwing for 1,054 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and losing his job to Sean White (1,166 yards with a touchdown and four interceptions).
Auburn must improve from 2015’s 7-6 record to satisfy its rabid fanbase. Doing so means securing a competent quarterback.
Gus Malzahn’s biggest successes have come with mobile quarterbacks, and junior college transfer John Franklin III could be the answer. He went through spring practice alongside Johnson and White, but AL.com's James Crepea wrote that he didn’t really separate himself as the leader.
How does he do so? Spend the summer working on the read-option. Doing so helped Nick Marshall excel in Auburn’s run to the 2013 national title game, and it can do the same for Franklin and help the Tigers return to SEC West prominence.
TCU QB Kenny Hill
7 of 10
The Air Raid offense revitalized TCU’s program. With the wide-open system in place, the Horned Frogs have gone 23-3 over the last two seasons, just missed the 2014 College Football Playoff and had one of the nation’s best offenses. A year ago, they averaged 42.1 points per game, No. 7 in the FBS. This fall will mean reloading, however. Dual-threat quarterback Trevone Boykin is gone, and the Frogs must find the next leader for their high-powered system.
Kenny Hill hopes he can be that guy. Hill got off to a flashy start at Texas A&M in 2014, throwing for 511 yards in his first career start at South Carolina. He briefly earned attention as a Heisman Trophy candidate, but lost his job to Kyle Allen by midseason and then transferred despite throwing for 2,649 yards with 23 touchdowns against eight interceptions.
He’s battling with Foster Sawyer to become the new starter, but no decision has been made yet. TCU’s receiver corps is also undergoing a makeover, with top threats Josh Doctson and Kolby Listenbee replaced by a group including KaVontae Turpin, Jaelan Austin and junior college transfers Ryan Parker and Taj Williams.
With so many new faces, developing chemistry will be paramount. If Hill can do so in summer throwing sessions, he’ll have a leg up on Sawyer when the competition continues anew in August.
Oregon QB Dakota Prukop
8 of 10
An idea so nice, they tried it twice. Oregon excelled last fall with graduate transfer Vernon Adams, who moved up from FCS Eastern Washington, running the offense. The Ducks shook off a slow start to finish the regular season 9-3, and Adams looked comfortable in the scheme, throwing 26 touchdowns against six interceptions.
Now, head coach Mark Helfrich hopes that he can strike gold twice with Dakota Prukop. The California native was a star at FCS Montana State, but decided to transfer up for his final season of eligibility. He has a solid arm and excellent mobility, and unlike Adams, he was able to go through spring practice with his new teammates.
Athletic redshirt freshman Travis Jonsen pushed strongly for the role in spring, and Prukop has by no means secured the job. How can Prukop make hay this summer? Dive into the new playbook. Live in the film room. Immerse himself in Oregon’s football culture. He needs to be as comfortable as possible to win the job in August.
Michigan QB Wilton Speight
9 of 10
One of the most underrated parts of Michigan’s excellent debut season under Jim Harbaugh was the play of Jake Rudock. Pushed out in favor of C.J. Beathard at Iowa, Rudock was excellent as a graduate transfer, throwing for 3,017 yards with 20 touchdowns against nine interceptions. Harbaugh would surely love to have another season of Rudock, but he has graduated and was drafted by the local Detroit Lions.
Instead, Harbaugh needs to find a steady leader for his offense. Sophomore Wilton Speight emerged as the leader following spring practice ahead of transfer John O’Korn and Shane Morris. He excelled in the spring game, completing five of six passes for 46 yards and accounting for two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing). Speight served as Rudock’s backup last fall, leading a comeback win at Minnesota after Rudock was forced to leave with an injury.
Per Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press, Speight impressed reporters and teammates with confidence and leadership that was similar to what Rudock displayed in his only year on campus. This summer will be about showing his teammates that he can be a leader, running “voluntary” workouts and establishing a rapport with top returning receiver Jehu Chesson, who had 50 receptions for 764 yards and nine touchdowns but missed spring practice with a leg injury.
If Speight can cement his standing in the locker room, he’ll prove that Harbaugh can trust him with the reins of the offense.
Notre Dame QB Malik Zaire
10 of 10
It’s hard not to feel bad for Malik Zaire. After spending much of 2014 battling for Notre Dame’s starting quarterback role with Everett Golson, he finally won the job when Golson transferred to Florida State following 2015 spring practice. In the season opener against Texas, Zaire showed why he was the man, completing 19 of 22 passes for 313 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 38-3 rout.
But his season came to an end the following week at Virginia when he suffered a broken ankle. In his stead, backup DeShone Kizer was good, throwing for 2,884 yards with 21 touchdowns against 10 interceptions and flashing mobility while rushing for 520 yards and 10 touchdowns.
He spent the spring battling with Kizer for the starting role. Neither emerged as a clear leader, meaning the role will be decided during preseason practice. Zaire has good touch on deep balls and has shown he can lead the program.
This summer, he needs to prove that he is truly 100 percent healthy, although a nice 13-yard touchdown run in Notre Dame’s spring game gave evidence that Zaire is able to move well. If the wheels are ready, that might make all the difference in grabbing the starting role again.
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