Top College Football QB Battles to Watch in Fall Camp
Quarterback is the most important player on the field, and several conference favorites—and even College Football Playoff contenders—must find an answer to the position battle during fall camp.
Of the 12 major competitions in spring practice, only one found a resolution: Baylor. Seth Russell is fully cleared for action, and Jarrett Stidham is pursuing a transfer.
The remainder of the battles will take center stage in August.
Most coaches will identify and announce the starter with a week or two remaining, but others may keep quiet about the quarterback until game day—perhaps even the opening drive.
Alabama
1 of 11
Somebody is trading 2015's headset for a helmet in 2016.
Redshirt junior Cooper Bateman has the most experience, even starting against Ole Miss. But he struggled in that contest and owns just 52 career pass attempts.
Blake Barnett—a 5-star recruit two cycles ago—took a redshirt last season. The 6'5" gunslinger is considered Bateman's top competition ahead of David Cornwell and Jalen Hurts.
Jim Kleinpeter of NOLA.com notes head coach Nick Saban said: "Somebody's got to win that job. Somebody's got to win the team. You know, that has not necessarily happened yet."
Auburn
2 of 11
The quarterback situation at Auburn last season seemed so promising. Jeremy Johnson had impressed in limited but significant action behind Nick Marshall and was the clear-cut starter.
However, he didn't meet the lofty—and, with the benefit of hindsight, unfair—expectations. Sean White wasn't great, either, tossing one touchdown and four interceptions in 143 attempts.
Johnson and White will attempt to redeem themselves in 2016, but they'll need to best JUCO transfer John Franklin III. He grabbed Gus Malzahn's attention during spring practice and should be considered the favorite heading into fall camp.
No matter who secures the starting nod will be tested immediately when Clemson travels to Auburn.
Florida
3 of 11
Arguably the most decided undecided competition, Florida will choose between four options. The likely selection is Luke Del Rio.
Highlighted by a stellar performance in the spring game, the two-time transfer appears to have created a sizable gap between himself and Austin Appleby, Kyle Trask and Feleipe Franks.
"Del Rio seems to the be the starter," recently hired Florida ambassador Steve Spurrier said, per Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel. "He is the starter now. We'll see how it all works out."
The Gators ease into the regular season, opening at home against Massachusetts. Del Rio will likely lead the offense.
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Florida State
4 of 11
Florida State doesn't have time to waste in picking its quarterback. After opening the season against Ole Miss, the next five games include Louisville, North Carolina and Miami.
But as fall camp approaches, the Seminoles don't have a clear leader in the competition.
"Both [Deondre Francois] and [Sean Maguire] have gotten rave reviews," head coach Jimbo Fisher said, according to Curt Weiler of the Orlando Sentinel. "At times they'll say, 'Well, [Maguire] may be a little better, coach, and then they'll say, 'Well, Francois is throwing back.'"
Maguire enters August as the No. 1, per Weiler, but there's absolutely no guarantee the senior exits that way.
Georgia
5 of 11
Kirby Smart has wisely slow-played the quarterback situation, likely in hopes of controlling external pressure on 5-star signee Jacob Eason. When it's time to name the starter, however, Smart may be hard-pressed to not select the true freshman.
Eason will battle incumbent No. 1 Greyson Lambert—who threw two interceptions in 256 passes last year—as well as Brice Ramsey.
Per Seth Emerson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Smart said Lambert and Ramsey will take most of the first-team reps at the beginning of camp.
But it's not where they start that matters; rather, it's where they finish.
Michigan
6 of 11
Hype fuels expectations, and few—if any—programs have received more praise this offseason than Jim Harbaugh's team. Yet Michigan still needs a quarterback.
Wilton Speight and John O'Korn emerged as the favorites during the spring, though Harbaugh hasn't limited the competition.
According to Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press, Harbaugh said "the slate's back clean and open" for fall camp. Shane Morris and 4-star prospect Brandon Peters will try to ascend the depth chart.
But when the Wolverines host Hawaii to open the campaign, expect either Speight or O'Korn under center.
Michigan State
7 of 11
The competition in East Lansing is basically similar to the battle in Gainesville: We think we know the answer.
What's different is both players are returning contributors. Tyler O'Connor filled in for Connor Cook twice due to injury, and Damion Terry held a small role as a package-specific player.
Nevertheless, the starting job is O'Connor's to lose. Head coach Mark Dantonio has consistently given the senior the edge.
If O'Connor falters in fall camp—or early in September against Notre Dame—Terry or redshirt freshman Brian Lewerke may have the opportunity to claim the position.
Notre Dame
8 of 11
Throughout the offseason, the most fascinating battle has been between DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire at Notre Dame.
In 2015, Kizer assembled a tremendous season as the unexpected fill-in starter with 31 total touchdowns. But there's still plenty of optimism surrounding Zaire, a redshirt junior.
Per JJ Stankevitz of CSN Chicago, head coach Brian Kelly said the pair enter August even in the competition.
Although Kizer should be considered the favorite, Zaire is no stranger to rising the depth chart at any point. He surpassed Everett Golson during the 2014 season and initially won the job in 2015.
Stanford
9 of 11
The expectation at Stanford was Keller Chryst would replace Kevin Hogan, who exhausted his collegiate eligibility. Ryan Burns made things interesting in the spring.
Fortunately for the Cardinal, whichever player wins the competition has a simple job in 2016: Get the ball to Christian McCaffrey.
"We've got to evaluate these quarterbacks and determine what they're ready for," head coach David Shaw said, per Glenn Reeves of Palo Alto Online. "How do we get the ball in [McCaffrey's] hands? The quarterback's job will be just to deal the cards, just get the ball out of your hands into the playmaker's hands."
Since Chryst and Burns have minimal game experience, the answer is truly unknown. Efficiency will likely win the battle.
TCU
10 of 11
Trevone Boykin was an electric, dynamic quarterback. TCU will have a different skill set behind center in 2016.
Both Kenny Hill and Foster Sawyer are willing runs, but they'll rely more on arm strength than foot speed. Head coach Gary Patterson said he's looking forward to seeing the pair square off.
"I think it's going to be a healthy [competition]," Patterson said, per Bill Nichols of the Dallas Morning News. "I thought they improved this spring, and I thought they had a great summer. So I'm like everyone else, I'm kind of excited about this season."
USC
11 of 11
Although Max Browne has steadily remained atop USC's quarterback conversation, Sam Darnold isn't far behind.
Darnold impressed in spring practice, forcing head coach Clay Helton to keep the competition active for fall camp. Helton said he's never seen a quarterback progress so quickly, per Scott Wolf of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Browne—a 5-star prospect in 2013—served as the seldom-used backup during each of the past two seasons. He's thrown just 19 passes throughout nine career appearances.
According to Zach Helfand of the Los Angeles Times, Helton said he'll name a starter after 18 practices—two weeks before USC challenges Alabama in the season opener.
All recruiting information via 247Sports. Stats from cfbstats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.
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