Projecting CFB's Top 10 Quarterback Superstars in 2019
Quarterbacks were king in college football in 2018, and with so many talented signal-callers returning to their respective schools, there will be a ton of superstar-caliber talent to watch next season.
Three of the four starting quarterbacks who played in the College Football Playoff will be coming back to make a run for a national title once again. At Oregon, a first-round talent decided to spend one more year in his hometown instead of declaring for the NFL draft.
Another handful of quarterbacks may not be household names just yet, but they're expected to take the next step in their college careers based on the situations in front of them.
The projections for quarterbacks featured here are based off their individual contributions to their respective teams. For the players who are transferring, we're assuming they will be immediately eligible to play in 2019.
More than 10 college quarterbacks will make names for themselves in 2019, but the following 10 will be the biggest superstars.
10. Keytaon Thompson, Mississippi State
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Mississippi State's Keytaon Thompson has a real chance at taking the SEC by storm in 2019.
Thompson made his first career start against Louisville in the TaxSlayer Bowl as a true freshman. While he threw for only 127 yards and an interception, his production on the ground (147 yards and three touchdowns) helped lead the Bulldogs to a 31-27 victory.
The 6'4", 225-pound quarterback made his second career start this past season in place of a suspended Nick Fitzgerald in the season opener. Thompson went off in that 63-6 blowout, throwing for 364 yards and five touchdowns while adding another 109 yards and two scores as a runner.
Mississippi State's read-option system is perfect for a dual-threat quarterback like Thompson, which should make him the clear favorite to be the starter in 2019. Incoming freshman Garrett Shrader will try to unseat Thompson, but it's unlikely given the soon-to-be junior's familiarity with the system.
Thompson has played well whenever he's been given the opportunity to do so. As a full-time starter, he'll have the chance to put up huge numbers.
9. Jordan Love, Utah State
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The Utah State Aggies wound up being one of the biggest surprises in college football last season. One year after going 6-7, the Aggies rallied to an 11-2 record that included a dominant 52-13 victory over North Texas in the New Mexico Bowl.
Quarterback Jordan Love was a big reason for that success.
As a redshirt sophomore, Love threw for at least four touchdowns in five separate games. He finished the year with 3,567 yards, 32 passing TDs and six interceptions to go with seven scores on the ground.
Utah State head coach Matt Wells left in November to take over at Texas Tech, which could lead to more volatility in 2019. However, the Aggies are getting a familiar face in Gary Andersen, who previously coached them from 2009 through 2012.
If Love picks up where he left off, the Aggies should be in great shape to make another run at a conference title in the Mountain West.
8. Ian Book, Notre Dame
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Prior to the 2018 season, most casual college football fans likely didn't know who Ian Book was.
Now, he looks like the Fighting Irish's best quarterback in a few years.
Book burst onto the scene after replacing Brandon Wimbush as the starting quarterback, completing 68.2 percent of his passes with 23 total touchdowns and seven interceptions. Although he's only 6'0" and 203 pounds, Book is still more than capable of running an offense and taking care of the football.
With a full offseason to prepare for the 2019 season, Book will have a good chance to post even more impressive numbers as a senior. He'll have some tough tests, however, as next season's schedule includes road games against Georgia and Michigan.
If the Fighting Irish can pull off a few upsets and keep winning games, Book will go down as one of the best Notre Dame quarterbacks in recent memory.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Jake Fromm, Georgia
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The Georgia Bulldogs have been one of the best teams in college football since Jake Fromm took over as the starting quarterback. Although they came up just short of a national title in 2017, the Bulldogs have still gone 24-5 over the past two seasons.
A talented backfield with players like Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and D'Andre Swift has helped out the Georgia offense the past few seasons. However, Fromm has been reliable in the passing game to give Georgia a balanced attack.
Fromm's numbers improved almost across the board in 2018, as he completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 2,749 yards, 30 touchdowns and just six interceptions. During losses in the SEC title game and the Sugar Bowl, Fromm threw for 513 yards, six touchdowns and only one interception.
Big games don't seem to faze Fromm, which is great news as the Bulldogs try to make another run at the College Football Playoff in 2019. They'll be losing a lot of offensive talent with Riley Ridley, Isaac Nauta and Elijah Holyfield heading to the NFL, so it'll be up to Fromm to make sure the offense doesn't skip a beat.
6. Justin Fields, Ohio State
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The departures of head coach Urban Meyer and quarterback Dwayne Haskins leave Ohio State with a few glaring questions heading into 2019. However, with Justin Fields transferring from Georgia, the Buckeyes may already have one answer.
Fields was the No. 2 overall recruit in the class of 2018, and he was considered one of the highest-graded recruits ever to come out of high school. He only played in garbage time in a handful of games for the Bulldogs this past season, but he completed 27 of his 39 pass attempts for 328 yards and four touchdowns. On the ground, he ran the ball for 266 yards and four scores, averaging 6.3 yards per carry.
The only legitimate candidate to compete with Fields for the starting job at Ohio State was Tate Martell. However, Martell announced a few weeks ago that he will be transferring to Miami.
That almost guarantees Fields will be the starting quarterback in Week 1, assuming he's immediately eligible to play after transferring. If that's the case, he could be a legitimate dark-horse contender for the Heisman Trophy given his dual-threat ability.
5. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
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Before he was overshadowed at Alabama, Jalen Hurts was one of college football's most exciting and efficient quarterbacks. Once he was benched in the second half of the College Football Playoff National Championship two years ago, his starting role with the Crimson Tide began to fade away.
Hurts will now have the opportunity for a fresh start in a high-powered offense, as he announced on The Players' Tribune that he would be transferring to Oklahoma.
Hurts played sparingly in 2018, but over the past two seasons, the former Crimson Tide quarterback threw for 25 touchdowns compared to only three interceptions and added 10 rushing touchdowns.
Hurts could have chosen from any number of schools, but the Sooners were his best chance to be a star once again. Between Lincoln Riley's innovative offensive scheme and the weaker defenses in the Big 12 compared to the SEC, Hurts should put up huge numbers for the Sooners.
4. D'Eriq King, Houston
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The Houston Cougars haven't been the same team since Tom Herman left to coach at Texas, but this program will have one of the most exciting players in college football next season.
Prior to tearing his meniscus near the end of the regular season, Houston quarterback D'Eriq King was one of the nation's most productive and explosive offensive players. In the 11 games he played in, King had more than 3,600 total yards and 50 total touchdowns (36 passing, 14 rushing).
After hiring former West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen this offseason, the Cougars should be back in the national spotlight this year, which is great news for King. Despite all of the touchdowns and big plays, King was relatively overlooked and didn't receive much exposure from national media outlets.
As long as King can avoid any further setbacks, he should have no problem capturing the spotlight as a senior.
3. Justin Herbert, Oregon
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Oregon's Justin Herbert had a legitimate shot at being the first quarterback taken in the 2019 NFL draft. Instead, the Ducks star decided to stay in school for his senior year.
Herbert helped lead the Ducks to a respectable 9-4 season in head coach Mario Cristobal's first full season. However, the expectations in Eugene are always high, and Oregon hasn't won a Pac-12 title since 2014.
That might be a major reason why Herbert is staying for one last run.
His stats have never been jaw-dropping, but he threw for 3,151 yards and 29 touchdowns with only eight interceptions this past season.
NFL scouts are already impressed with Herbert's arm talent and size, but he has a chance to solidify his draft stock while trying to turn Oregon into a conference powerhouse in 2019.
2. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
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Before Tua Tagovailoa took over under center in the second half of the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship and helped lead the Crimson Tide to a dramatic come-from-behind victory, Nick Saban's Alabama teams never had an elite quarterback.
Jalen Hurts was one of Saban's better QBs at Alabama, but Tagovailoa took that to another level in 2018. He finished this past season completing 69 percent of his passes for 11.2 yards per attempt and had an absurd 43 touchdowns compared to only six interceptions.
Four of his six interceptions came in the final three games of the season, while the Heisman Trophy finalist had to deal with a high ankle sprain he suffered in the SEC title game against Georgia.
Although Tagovailoa tapered off a bit to end the season, he has the talent to have a terrific 2019 campaign and lead the Crimson Tide to another national championship game.
1. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
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The pressure of being one of the highest-rated recruits ever didn't seem to bother Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence during his freshman season.
Not only did Lawrence throw for 3,280 yards, 30 touchdowns and only four interceptions in his first collegiate season, but he also led the Tigers to a perfect season and a national championship. Clemson won its two College Football Playoff games by a combined score of 74-19, while Lawrence threw for 674 yards, six touchdowns and zero picks.
If Lawrence could have declared for the NFL draft this year, he would likely be the No. 1 overall pick. Instead, he still has two more seasons to cement his legacy as one of the greatest college football players of all time.
Everything about Lawrence screams "superstar." While there are plenty of talented quarterbacks in college football heading into 2019, no one is going to be under the national spotlight quite like Lawrence.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
