NCAA Football 2010: 10 QBs on the Cusp of Greatness
The college football offseason is a long and arduous time for fans and players alike, and with the season just a stone throw away, getting reacquainted with the hot names of last year is the first step to emerging yourself back into the game.
It has been over seven months since players have participated in real time, full contact play and the hype that many players left on the field after the final whistle of last season has slowly dwindled.
While some high profile players have somehow maintained their buzz throughout this painful downtime, others will have to do their best to quickly catapult their names back onto the radar of fans across the United States once the season begins in the first week of September.
The quarterback position is where people immediately look to crown (or crucify) the next big thing, so let's take a look at 10 QBs that made some noise in 2009 and, despite the fleetingness of their buzz, could be on the cusp of greatness in 2010.
Nick Foles, Arizona
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After their first back-to-back bowl appearances since the 90’s, expectations this season are slightly higher for the Arizona Wildcats and it will be Nick Foles and their offense that will need to carry the team.
Foles took over the reigns as starting quarterback a few games into the season in 2009 and never relinquished them.
Putting up extremely credible numbers (2,486 yards, 19 TDs) during the regular season helped Foles gain recognition, not only in the Pac-10, but on the national stage as well.
A choppy bowl game against the stingy Nebraska defense left supporters with a sour taste in their mouths and could be the reason why Foles has not received that much hype over the offseason. But with his outstanding arm, Foles could be a couple electric passes away from blazing a trail back into the national spotlight in 2010.
Blaine Gabbert, Missouri
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A quick release and a cannon for an arm has people raving about junior quarterback Blaine Gabbert and if Missouri has any chance at beating out Nebraska for the Big 12 North title, he will need to turn into the great signal caller that everyone is expecting.
A bum ankle kept Gabbert from reaching full potential last season, but that didn’t stop him from putting up great numbers. Gabbert threw for 3,593 yards with 24 touchdowns and fell only behind Texas’ Colt McCoy in the Big 12 with a 140.5 passing efficiency rating.
Offensive Coordinator David Yost is looking to let Gabbert off the leash this season, which could rocket his numbers to top of the Big 12 and maybe even the FBS.
“He’s a very talented kid” Yost said. “I would not trade him for anyone else in our conference or in the country.”
That’s saying a lot, and if Yost estimations are correct, it could be a huge year for Gabbert and the Tigers.
Kirk Cousins, Michigan State
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Consistency has been a huge problem for Michigan State the past decade, only finishing above .500 three times over the 10 year span, but things might be turning around for this often-underrated squad.
Although a Big Ten title might be slightly out of reach for the Spartans, junior quarterback Kirk Cousins has proven to be a valuable asset after his first year as a starter and will be leaned on heavily in order for Michigan State to stay competitive this season.
Cousins has the intangible skills to keep the Spartans afloat in 2010 and the potential to be a big name quarterback before he leaves East Lansing. Overall, Cousins was consistent with the ball last year, completing 60.4 percent of his passes and tossing 19 touchdowns, but several of his nine interceptions came at times when they hurt the Spartans the most.
Untimely interceptions or not, the past season allowed Cousins to gain valuable playing experience and he is primed for a breakout year. A questionable running game will once again force Cousins to air the ball out more in 2010, which could mean even better numbers from this maturing quarterback.
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Andy Dalton, TCU
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It can be hard to get lost in the shuffle when you play for a Top 10 team, but TCU’s Andy Dalton is hardly getting the press that other quarterbacks around the league are receiving.
However, being part of the forgotten might be a good thing for Dalton.
Last season, Dalton lit up the stat sheet, leading TCU to a 12-1 season and throwing for 2,756 yards, 23 touchdowns, and only eight interceptions, all while hardly being noticed by the nation as a whole.
Unfortunately, in all sports, you are only as good as your last game, and an uncharacteristic bowl game against Boise State by Dalton on the national stage has many of his followers wondering if the senior quarterback has what it takes to excel at the next level.
Dalton has an excellent understanding of the game and knows that he has to become the voice of the offense in order for them to get over that final BCS hump. Anything short of a perfect season will be a disappointment for Dalton, but with the caliber of skill that he brings to the table, it would be naïve to count this talented gun-slinger out.
Jerrod Johnson, Texas A&M
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Despite shattering several school records in 2009, Texas A&M’s Jerrod Johnson has not been in many conversations outside of the Lone Star State this offseason.
Last season Johnson ranked sixth in the FBS with 30 touchdowns and averaged 275.3 passing yards per game. An All Big-12 and All American candidate, he is primed to improve on these numbers in his final season with the Aggies.
While Johnson has all of the assets to be your typical pocket passer, defenses in the Big 12 have learned that he also has the ability to punish them with his feet, rushing for 506 yards and eight touchdowns last year.
Expectations are slightly higher than in years past for Texas A&M and this has to do mainly with the talent under center. If Johnson can regain the hype that he left on the field in 2009, bigger and brighter things could definitely be in this quarterback’s future.
Robert Griffin, Baylor
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A Big 12 cellar dweller for years, the Baylor Bears will lean heavily on Robert Griffin to change this in 2010.
After a spectacular freshman season in 2008, Griffin was thought to be the savior of this program. But an unfortunate dive into the end zone early last season cut his season short and it turned out to be business as usual for Baylor without him.
Griffin is expected to make a full recover this offseason and start the year at full speed with the rest of his team. The Bears will desperately need him to stay healthy for the entire season if they have any hopes of ending their 16-year bowl drought.
If Griffin is truly back to his freshman form, the Bears could be a dangerous opponent in 2010.
Griffin’s injury has assisted with his name falling into the abyss, but if can build off the 2,091 passing yards, 846 rushing yards, and 28 total touchdowns that he posted his first season with Baylor, he could quickly become one of the top players in the Big 12 and possibly the nation.
Christian Ponder, Florida State
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While Florida State’s Christian Ponder is probably getting a little more hype than any other player on this list, most of his Heisman buzz is coming from within the Seminole’s media relations department.
Ponder’s excellent downfield passing ability parlayed with his potential to take off and run at any moment are making many believers out of once-skeptics.
The biggest question mark surrounding Ponder, and damping some of his hype this offseason, is whether or not he will be able to fully recover from the shoulder injury that forced him to miss the final four games of the season.
In only nine games last season, Ponder dazzled onlookers, launching the ball for 2,717 yards and 14 touchdowns while completing 68 percent of his passes.
During spring practice, head coach Jimbo Fisher estimated that Ponder was around 75 percent healthy but should be more than ready to go for their September 4 opener against Samford.
A healthy Ponder will be the key to Florida State’s ACC Championship hopes and if he can put up Heisman numbers in the process, a National Championship is not completely out of the question for the Seminoles.
Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
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As only the fifth quarterback in FBS history to pass for over 2,000 and rush for over 1,000 yards in the same season, Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick has already accomplished a task only preformed by a handful of college quarterbacks.
Despite this unique combo of stats, Kaepernick is still not considered to be an elite quarterback amongst the other slingers across the nation.
Drafted by the Chicago Cubs to be a pitcher, the strength of Kaepernick’s arm is hardly the problem standing in the way of his success as a great quarterback. It is his abilities to read defenses and make the correct decision in the pocket that have many nay-sayers wondering how successful Kaepernick will be down the road.
Last season, Kaepernick complete only 58.8-percent of his passes and that was a career high.
While he has certainly improved his accuracy throughout his tenure with the Wolf Pack and definitely has the potential to be a decent quarterback, he only has more chance to prove that he can continue to play this position at a higher level.
Zac Lee, Nebraska
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Kicking off the spring in a dog fight for the starting position hardly sounds like a quarterback on the cusp of greatness, but Zac Lee could have the talent to surprise the many critics that have thrown the senior by the wayside.
Lee’s absence at spring practice due to recovery from surgery to repair a tendon in his arm has opened up the competition for the starting job, but Lee has something the others do not…experience (and bowl game experience at that).
The other thing that propels Lee above the rest of the group is his explosive arm. In the Holiday Bowl last year, Lee displayed this rocket with a 74-yard bomb to Niles Paul in their rout of the Arizona Wildcats and the coaches believe he can do more of the same in 2010.
Lee wasn’t asked to do much last season and his numbers certainly showed this, but don’t expect the offense to take the same mindset this season.
“The kid has an arm” said offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. “He just has to become more confident with what he’s doing”
Lee’s arm is a dangerous weapon and if head coach Bo Pelini feels so inclined, it could be the key to taking this team to a National Title.
Kyle Parker, Clemson
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Kyle Parker’s athletic abilities have been making some noise this offseason, but not necessarily for his play on the gridiron.
Selected by the Colorado Rockies in the first round on this year’s MLB Draft, questions about Parker’s return circled around Clemson’s camp for most of the summer.
Recently, he squashed the murmurs and committed to the Tigers for at least one more year. Finally hammering out a deal with the Rockies that did not entail a baseball-only deal, Parker’s future as a quarterback could be brighter than a Harvard grad.
Parker amazed the Tigers faithful last season, throwing for 2,526 yards and setting a Clemson freshman record with 20 touchdowns. With Parker’s talent oozing from all orifices, there is a high probability that Parker will exceed those numbers this year and quickly move into the category of one of the great quarterbacks in the nation.
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