College Football: Quarterbacks Looking Over Their Shoulders

No matter how good you are, there is usually someone out there who is better—unless your name is Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, or maybe even Tim Tebow.

The world of college football is no different.  Recruiting takes place year-round, and no matter how safe you think you are, there is some young cocky freshman that thinks he can come in and take your job.

After examining this year's teams, I have found some quarterbacks who might be looking over their shoulders this year, either at a young freshman or even a transfer that has to sit out this year.

For the last two seasons, the Arkansas Razorbacks relied on the running back tandem of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones to carry their offense.  They even went as far as lining up McFadden at quarterback in the Wildhog formation and letting him run the offense.

New coach Bobby Petrino will bring a passing attack to Arkansas, which should put more pressure on quarterback Casey Dick to get the job done.  Dick was never a polished passer, throwing for 1,700 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 2007, and I think he will be in a little over his head in Petrino’s system.

Casey Dick has been the brunt of a lot of jokes and criticisms from Razorback fans.  In 2006 he split time with Mitch Mustain, and when Mustain transferred after the season, he was the full time starter in 2007.  Casey is a senior this year, and the person directly behind him in the depth chart is his brother Nathan.

No, Nathan is not going to take his job, but Razorback fans are already drooling over the 2009 season, when Michigan transfer Ryan Mallett becomes eligible. When the Razorbacks struggle—and they will this year—Dick will once again hear the boo birds from the hometown fans, which will not make his job any easier.

When I attended the 2006 Orange Bowl between Penn State and Florida State, I thought I saw a glimpse of the future for Seminoles fans the way Drew Weatherford played.  At that time he was a redshirt freshman, and I thought he had the arm and the mobility to be a top-notch college quarterback.

In 2006 and 2007, he has thrown a combined 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, while his best completion percentage came his redshirt freshman year.

Three seasons and a few injuries later, Weatherford is hoping to make it through the 2008 season as the starting quarterback.  Drew is coming off a knee injury that caused him to miss the entire spring.

He no longer has to worry about Xavier Lee, who joined the NFL, but if Weatherford struggles the Seminoles could look to the future and play a younger quarterback.  Fans are already wondering if Christian Ponder or incoming freshman E.J. Manuel should get reps.

I have been a big fan of Stephen McGee ever since he had that gutsy performance against the Longhorns back in 2005.  He’s a polished runner of the option with good smarts and a decent arm.

So why is he on this list?  McGee was a big supporter of former Aggie coach Dennis Franchione, and he made it pretty clear that he wasn’t happy when Franchione left.  And why would he be?  McGee was the center piece of his offense.

Now new head coach Mike Sherman comes to College Station, and things could be different for McGee.  After two solid seasons, his job was opened up and could be in jeopardy.  Sophomore Jerrod Johnson, a speedy big quarterback with a strong arm, has been challenging McGee for the starting job.

All signs right now point to McGee keeping the job, but don’t expect it to be set in stone.  A slip up here or there, and Johnson could see the field for good.

In my opinion, a two-quarterback system is only good if the quarterbacks are of the same breed and similar skill set.  If you have a guy who is a slasher like Tyrod Taylor, and another who is a passer, like Sean Glennon, I don’t think it is good for your team.  It is too easy for teams to predict what you are going to do as an offense when you have either quarterback in.

But whoever is the number one quarterback at Virginia Tech is not going to feel safe at all in that position.

Last season, Glennon lost his job to Taylor after his poor performance against LSU and expressed to the media that he was not happy with Coach Beamer’s decision.  He later won his job back and led the Hokies to an ACC title and an Orange Bowl appearance.

Many Hokie fans think that Glennon doesn’t have what it takes to win the big game.  But he did win the ACC title game against Boston College, and if not for a defensive breakdown in the last four minutes of the game, they would’ve beaten Boston College in the regular season too.

Tyrod reminds Tech fans of the past…of Michael Vick.  They see the explosiveness and the creativity he brings to the field since he can make plays with his feet.  But in the Orange Bowl he looked lost, and it wasn’t his fault.  Quarterbacks need to get in a rhythm in the offense, and swapping the two in and out does not allow that to happen.

That said, I have a feeling that we will be seeing both of them play this year, and I can promise you that both will be out there afraid of making mistakes and getting pulled.

I saved the most surprising candidate for last.  In 2007 this quarterback led his team within 14 points of a BCS National Title, and most pundits (myself included) thought coming into the 2007 season that Todd Boeckman was going to be the weak link on the Buckeye offense.

Not only was he not the weakest link, Boeckman was one of the most efficient passers in the NCAA for a good portion of the season.  He struggled down the stretch though, throwing six interceptions to only two touchdowns in his last three games against Illinois, Michigan, and LSU.

I suspect Boeckman will bounce back, but there is a huge shadow lurking behind him.  It is the shadow of the number one recruit in the nation, Terrelle Pryor.

Buckeye fans are already licking their chops at the mere thought of Pryor taking the field.  Many know that Pryor still needs to polish his passing game, but they won’t hesitate to wonder and possibly call for him if Boeckman struggles.

Plus, it has already been speculated that Pryor will see some time a la Tim Tebow his freshman year.  If he does well, that will only help his case to get on the field earlier.

The Buckeyes have a lot of talent returning, and fans are expecting another Big Ten title—and possibly a third straight shot at a BCS title.

But will it be Boeckman behind center at the end of the year?  I would bet so…but you never know.