Top 25 QB Questions in College Football
Each season in college football, coaches must make many decisions about their players, their coaching staffs, and ultimately their seasons.
If we follow the analogy of football as a "battle", the toughest decisions coaches face are around their field generals, the quarterbacks.
While the coaches make decisions off the field, their fate on the field lies in the hands of their quarterbacks.
In last year's National Championship game, Mack Brown called a play for Colt McCoy to run but during the execution of it--McCoy chose to turn his back on Marcell Dareus, and one hard hit later, Mack Brown's chances for the title were gone.
While not all of these coaches will face decisions affecting the national championship, they do face some tough decisions around the quarterback position.
Will Irish Eyes Be Smiling?
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In South Bend, Head Coach Brian Kelly faces a tough decision--Dayne Crist is rehabbing an injury and will be a returning senior, but Tommy Rees has looked great over the past few weeks.
Crist won the job before the 2010 season, but Rees is getting some great experience this season. The Irish have played poorly at times with Rees, but they also surprised Utah last week.
Come next fall, Coach Kelly will have to re-evaluate them both again. He's also got some kid named Montana lurking in the wings.
What Will Auburn Do?
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Regardless of the current flurry of media coverage about what Newton did or did not do prior to his arrival at Auburn, he most likely will leave Auburn to enter the NFL draft.
His draft stock will never be higher, and the success he has had on the field will wow the NFL scouts and general managers.
If we assume that Newton will leave, and Neil Caudle will graduate, Coach Gene Chizik will have to choose between redshirt sophomore Clint Moseley and junior Barrett Trotter for 2011.
They will both have had two years in Chizik's system, and will have the chance to step into the limelight.
Trotter had the lead coming into this season, but Moseley may make it interesting. Only time will tell. And as far as we know, neither Trotter nor Moseley have any NCAA investigators tailing them.
Is Harbaugh in Luck?
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With all the noise around Jake Locker before the season, many folks overlooked Andrew Luck.
All he has done since that time is throw for 2,500 yards, 22 touchdowns, and a 159 efficiency rating.
Given all of that, the focus has shifted to whether or not Luck will return for his senior season.
If he does return, Harbaugh's team will be loaded for bear. They will be well armed to fight Oregon for the title next year.
If Luck doesn't return, then Harbaugh will turn to one of the other six young quarterbacks on his roster.
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Happiness in the Buckeye State
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With Terrelle Pryor choosing to return, Jim Tressel can relax a little.
Sure, he's still in the Big Ten with Wisconsin, MSU and Michigan gunning for him, but at least he will have some senior leadership at the quarterback position.
Absent Pryor, Tressel's starter would most likely be 5th-year senior Joe Bauserman, but the backup to Bauserman would be true sophomore Taylor Graham. With the hard hitting Big Ten defenses, he could have been called into service.
Pryor's return plus Tressel's continued recruiting strength will position Ohio State for another run at the BCS title game.
Which Way for Beamer Ball?
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With Tyrod Taylor completing his fourth year, Beamer Ball will be handed over to someone.
Ju-Ju Clayton has the inside line on taking over, but Frank Beamer has four other quarterbacks on the roster to build with.
As the rest of this season plays out, these potential successors will pay close attention to Taylor's decision-making, as well as the execution of the offense.
Will Beamer go with the expected choice, letting Clayton lead the team, or will he go with a youngster, similar to what he did a few years back with Taylor. Hokie Nation wants to know!
Two-Headed Wolverine
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This season was a make or break year for Michigan Head Coach Rich Rodriguez, and he went into it planning to use a multiple quarterback system similar to the one that was successful for him at West Virginia.
Denard Robinson set some NCAA records with his performance prior to an injury, and Tate Forcier picked up the slack and won a couple games as well. However, Denard's hard running style leads him to more injuries than Forcier appears to face.
The question facing Coach Rodriguez is the typical one--can a two quarterback system succeed? Or should RichRod focus on the hot hand and give the majority of the snaps to one of the two quarterbacks?
This question will persist as long as the roles are shared.
However, the more Michigan wins, the less the question will matter.
Washington Quarterback Controversy?
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After an exhausting pre-2010 season considering quarterback Jake Locker's future, now Washington Head Coach Steve Sarkisian will face an off-season trying to identify his successor.
At the halfway point of his five-year contract, Sark will have to make a tough call.
With Keith Price and Nick Montana spending this year in Sarkisian's system, Price won the spot to backup Jake Locker for the season. However, that decision didn't have nearly the same ramifications for Sark's rebuilding program that next year's will.
This could be the first QB controversy in Montlake since Brunell/Hobert, or even Tuiasosopo/Huard.
Coach Sarkisian will be choosing the leader of his team for the third year of his program. He will have his third recruiting class on the sidelines, and needs to choose the leader carefully.
Whether he chooses Price or Montana, either will have a significant impact on Coach Sarkisian's ability to lead the Husky program back to greatness.
Razor Coming Back?
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Ryan Mallett is another quarterback who came in with some Heisman noise, and has thrown for nearly 3,000 yards and 24 touchdowns in Coach Bobby Petrino's offense.
The Razorbacks are doing well, and have a very young team, translating into a large number of Mallett's teammates returning.
Depending on who else comes out for the 2011 NFL Draft, Ryan will be facing a tough decision, given the potential of a large number of dollars at the next level.
However, it Mallett does elect to go to the NFL Draft, Petrino will have one redshirt junior and three sophomore QBs on his roster.
His decision will be difficult, given how little real game experience these four have.
The flip side is, of course, if Mallett stays, then Arkansas becomes a viable challenger for the rest of the SEC, and potentially the BCS National Championship.
Mad Hatter Making Decisions
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With all the focus on his play calling and his time management, the larger question about Les Miles is, which quarterback gives him a better chance to win games?
Is Jordan Jefferson the best choice? He accounts for 66 percent of LSU's passing yards, and 20 percent of the team's rushing yardage. However, Jarrett Lee has been a more accurate passer, with fewer turnovers per pass attempt, and a higher overall rating.
Regardless of who is at QB in Baton Rouge, the Tigers will continue to play tough pressure-packed games. The question is, which one of these players is the best counterbalance to the Mad Hatter?
What to Do in the Swamp?
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For the Florida Gators, the decision around who should try to replace Tim Tebow was an off-season lightning rod for debate. For the first time since joining Florida, Urban Meyer faces a tough decision for the first time since Chris Leak left.
John Brantley has done a great job leading the Gators from a statistical standpoint--highly efficient, with a great overall rating. However, the Gators are 6-4, and Meyer will be reviewing all options to try and fire his team up for the rest of 2010 and into 2011.
While Jordan Reed and Brantley are both a little bigger and older than Trey Burton, the question is, do either of them bring the competitive fire and leadership that Meyer needs? Is it time for a younger gun to take the lead?
It's tough to argue with the statistics for Brantley, and neither Reed nor Burton have had much of a chance to show their stuff.
However, this off-season may be a longer one than usual for the Gators, and Urban Meyer is enough of a tinkerer to take a long look at each of them in the months leading up to the start of the 2011 workouts.
Who Volunteers to Play Quarterback?
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Throughout this season in Tennessee, there have been cries from the fans for either a quarterback change, or for some stability at the position.
Matt Simms has been the primary starter this season, but as the season wears on, cries for Bray become louder.
Looking at the statistics, Simms has more yardage and attempts, but Bray has managed to account for more touchdowns, in about half as many attempts.
Statistics only tell part of the story, and it may be that Bray has the intangibles that Dooley needs to liven up life on Rocky Top. Simms is a more senior leader, but Bray brings a certain excitement to the field. It may be time to set that energy free.
What Would JoePa Do?
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In Happy Valley this season, Matt McGloin has waited patiently behind Robert Bolden, and Kevin Newsome. As the third-stringer, he knew he would only get to play if something happened to both quarterbacks ahead of him.
Last week, he took over the offense from Bolden and Newsome due to injuries and illness. He came in as the emergency QB and helped PSU beat Minnesota. Now, he's splitting time with Newsome in practice this week.
Is there a controversy in Happy Valley? Doubtful. However, depending on the extent of Bolden's head injury, Coach Paterno may be required to juggle quarterbacks more than he's used to.
If either of these two gets a hot hand, then he'll have a little more dancing to do when Bolden is cleared to play.
Boilermakers Need Quarterback Help
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As a big-name transfer from Miami, the expectations were high for Robert Marve coming to Purdue. He arrived and won the starting job, and then tore his ACL. His backup, Rob Henry injured his hand after leading the Boilermakers to two victories.
The job of quarterback now falls to freshman Sean Robinson who is expected to make his first collegiate start against Michigan. Justin Siller may also be available, depending on his recovery from an injury.
Head Coach Danny Hope has a challenging task ahead of him--to keep winning with his backup quarterbacks playing every game. If Henry comes back, he'll at least have some stability at the position for the rest of 2010.
In 2011, in addition to juggling these quarterbacks, Coach Hope may wonder, will Marve live up to the hype of his transfer?
Prior to his injury, Marve had more interceptions than touchdowns, and hadn't seemed to be in command of the offense--even against lesser opponents. He will be in his second year in the system, so Marve's off-season work may help make Coach Hope's decision easier.
Trouble on the Other Side of Los Angeles?
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In Westwood, things were supposed to be straightforward for Head Coach Rick Neuheisel this year. Kevin Prince would return to be his starting quarterback, and Richard Brehaut would get time to learn while sitting behind Prince.
When knee surgery and ended Prince's season, Brehaut was called into service a little earlier than anticipated. With three tough games left to go, Brehaut will have a chance to earn his stripes.
A former quarterback himself, Neuheisel brings a solid set of criteria for evaluating play at the position.
With Brehaut's struggles versus Washington, Dareus Bell took over in the 3rd quarter, further muddying the position. Later, in the 4th quarter, Neuheisel went to Clayton Tunney.
Clearly Neuheisel is facing a quarterback quandary.
Given that Prince has been his quarterback the last two years, odds are high that he will return to the position again in 2011, depending on the knee.
However, if any of these quarterbacks can win two more games this year, he could make Neuheisel's decision a little harder.
What to Do in Norman?
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Landry Jones has controlled the Sooner offense for this entire season. Head Coach Bob Stoops has a couple other experienced QBs on the roster, but are any of them better than Jones?
Jones has thrown for 3,100 yards and 27 TDs, and only six picks, so there doesn't appear to be too much better that someone else could do.
However, they have lost two games, and a couple other games were closer than they needed to be.
Will Stoops look to youth in the off-season, and someone like Blake Bell? Or will Drew Allen develop into a great counterpart to Jones? Only time will tell.
The Eyes of Texas Aren't Upon You?
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When Colt McCoy was hurt in last year's BCS National Championship game, quarterback Garrett Gilbert was forced into action. This year, the Longhorns have struggled mightily and are not improving from week to week.
Mack Brown has three other quarterbacks on the roster, but Gilbert is the most experienced. However, given his performance this year (7 TDs, 15 INTs), Mack may have to go back to the drawing board. Alongside Colt's younger brother Case, Brown also has another high school phenom in Connor Wood.
Longhorn fans haven't lost this many games in the last few years combined, so they will have very high expectations again next year. The decision Mack Brown makes around the quarterback will be critical.
That, and an improvement to his defense, which has given up many more touchdowns than previous years, will help his prospects significantly.
Does Miami Have Any Options?
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Coming into the season, Jacory Harris was mentioned in almost as many Heisman conversations as Washington QB Jake Locker.
Similar to Locker, Harris' performance has put a stop to most of those conversations. With 14 TDs and 11 interceptions, Harris hasn't protected the ball as much as his coach would like.
The only other QB on the roster with a significant contribution this year has been Stephen Morris, however his interception to attempt ratio isn't much better than Harris's.
With all of the comparisons to past Hurricane dynasties, Head Coach Randy Shannon will need to look long and hard at the play of his quarterbacks before deciding whether to make a possible change now, or to confirm that Jacory Harris is his best option, and have his team go as far as Jacory's arm will take them.
Decisions in the Desert
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During the Arizona State season this year, Dennis Erickson has gone with Steven Threet as his primary passer. Threet has thrown for over 2,500 yards, but the team remains 4-5 and tightly mired in the middle of the Pac-10.
With 16 INTs, and 18 TDs, Threet needs to do a better job of protecting the ball.
Given that the Sun Devils must win two of their next three games, Erickson may be tempted to take a look at Brock Osweiler, both as a change of pace and also to give his offense a different look.
All five of the quarterbacks on ASU''s roster will return next year, and their performance this year will drive the decisions that Erickson needs to make.
The ASU offense is roughly one-third rushing, and two-thirds passing, so the quarterback remains the key position to define their success.
Is Steven Threet the right field general? Given the options Erickson has, he may be.
Will Tedford's Mansion Hold Up?
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After Kevin Riley's injury this year, Brock Mansion came in to run the Bears offense. He hasn't played much, and only has 1 TD and 2 INTs.
He's had flashes of brilliance in beating the Washington State Cougars, and also played well in their almost-shocker against Oregon.
Tedford will have Mansion returning next year, as well as Beau Sweeney and Ryan Wertenberger. Lastly, Allan Bridgford and Austin Hinder both provide depth at the position.
The next few weeks should give Tedford plenty of film on Mansion, as well as the option to play the others in spots to take inventory of what he has left in his cupboard.
However, Cal's play this year has been very inconsistent, regardless of who has been taking the snaps. That may be a larger issue for Tedford than deciding his quarterback.
Who Will Lead Louisville?
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With the Louisville Cardinals mired in a 5-5 season with Adam Froman at the helm, Froman's actually been very efficient.
He's thrown for over 1,600 yards, with 11 TDs and only 4 INTs.
However, Froman and fellow senior Justin Burke will both graduate this year, leaving only Will Stein and Dominique Brown as quarterbacks on the roster.
However, in Charlie Strong's 2011 recruiting class, QB Damarcus Smith could be the answer for the Louisville offense.
Highly recruited out of high school, invited to several pre-college camps, Smith impressed many scouts and observers. He threw for over 2,000 yards and 21 touchdowns during his senior high school season. He also showed a very good arm at the camps over the summer.
So, for 2011, Coach Strong can go with a couple of his existing recruits, or potentially the wunderkind Smith.
Should be interesting times for the school most often known for basketball.
How Will Florida State Retool?
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After Bobby Bowden left, all eyes shifted to Head Coach Jimbo Fisher and how he would change the program. Christian Ponder remained the starting quarterback.
Under Ponder this year, the Seminoles are 6-3, with Ponder throwing for over 1,600 yards, with 16 TDs and 7 INTs.
The only other quarterback with any experience this year, EJ Manuel, has thrown fewer than 50 passes.
With two of FSU's losses coming by a combined six points, Coach Fisher may wonder where they would have been this season with fewer turnovers at critical times.
However, this off-season, he'll have even more concerns, as Ponder will graduate, and none of his other players have much experience at the collegiate level.
Seeing whether he will turn to Manuel or to one of his two youngsters Terrance Parks or Will Secord. Whichever way he goes, the decision he makes for 2011 will set the foundation for the Jimbo Fisher era at Florida State.
What Happens after TCU's Title Run?
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With TCU making another undefeated run at the BCS National Championship, quarterback Andy Dalton has eliminated any concerns about the position for Head Coach Gary Patterson.
Dalton has maintained an unheard-of 163 rating for the season, with 23 TDs against only 6 INTs.
Behind him, the next three quarterbacks have combined for exactly six total attempts.
This gap will create a void behind Dalton, similar to the one that Colt McCoy or Sam Bradford left for their alma maters last year.
For 2011, Coach Gary Patterson will have to choose between three sophomores (Matt Brown, Sam Carter, Casey Pachall) or one junior quarterback (Yogi Gallegos) to take over his offense.
While they won't have on-field experience, they will have been in his system for a couple of years and will have a strong team around them.
TCU has had some great seasons of late, but next year starts with a significant question mark at the most important offensive position for the first time in quite a few years.
Which QB Will Claim Utah's Starting Role?
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At the beginning of this season, Terrance Cain had won the job of leading Head Coach Kyle Whittingham's offense. As the season progressed, Jordan Wynn took that position from him, and has not given it up.
Wynn has played very well this year, although with the Utes' two recent blowout losses, things are a little interesting in Utah.
Going into 2011, Whittingham will have to re-evaluate Jordan Wynn as his quarterback, and with Cain's graduation, Griff Robles and J.J Hyde will get a chance to vie for the position.
With the complexity and speed of his offense, Coach Whittingham will definitely test the ability of the youngsters to absorb it, as well as Wynn's ability to deal with both success and adversity this season.
Is Jake Heaps the Answer?
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Earlier this season, Riley Nelson was BYU's starter, and Jake Heaps was a heavily recruited true freshman. Now, Nelson is second-string and Jake Heaps has secured the starting role.
With the Cougars having a 5-5 season, it may be that Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall is happy with Heaps' development this year, and is looking to Heaps to lead the team next year.
However, given that both Nelson and Heaps return in 2011, the off-season could get interesting.
Mendenhall may just keep things simple and go with the hot hand, leaving Heaps as the starter.
The Cougars have four QBs currently on the roster, and if Heaps is in the captain's chair, it leaves time for the QBs behind him to develop.
Heaps has put up average numbers, but he only has one more touchdown than interceptions.
Keeping in mind that it is his freshman year, he appears to have played well enough to earn more time to learn the position at the collegiate level.
Who Will Replace Arnaud at Iowa State?
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After redshirt senior Austen Arnaud went down with a major knee injury, Jerome Tiller stepped in to fill his shoes in the near term.
But is Tiller the long-term answer?
Losing a senior leader like Arnaud leaves Iowa State with a gap in the skills of the position, but more importantly the intangibles of leadership will be harder to come by.
The remaining games this season will give Head Coach Paul Rhoads a chance to see more of Jerome Tiller's capabilities.
However, with three other quarterbacks on the roster, plus two freshman being redshirted, choosing the 2011 starter will be difficult. All of these players have been in his system, with the majority of them not seeing much live action.
How the Cyclones respond to the loss of their leader, as well as how they respond to the adversity of the rest of this season will lay the foundation for 2011.
Who will lead them onto the field is yet to be seen, and that person may not have even taken a snap yet.
In Summary
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While each of these 25 questions has ramifications for each team, for many of these teams, their chances of competing for the national title is hanging in the balance.
Each of the coaches on these teams knows that the success of himself, his team and his university, ultimately hangs in the balance of how they handle decisions around their quarterbacks.
Here's to hoping they make the right call.
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