College Football's Best New Starting Quarterbacks
Who says you need a seasoned veteran at quarterback in order to win a national championship?
Although you may think experience at football’s most important position is vital to a team’s success, remember that three out of the last four national championship teams had a first year starter at the helm.
Auburn’s Cam Newton, the most recent of that bunch, turned out to be an out of the blue superstar who vastly outplayed the moderate hype and attention he received leading into last season.
In college football, quarterbacks can go from complete unknowns to celebrities of the sport in a relatively short amount of time. Just look at the case of Michigan’s Denard Robinson, who went from locking down the starting job just a few weeks before the start of the season to early Heisman front-runner.
So which first year starting quarterbacks will make the biggest impact this year?
Let’s have a look at 10 new faces that could impress in 2011.
10. Casey Pachall, TCU
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For the first time since 2006, the TCU Horned Frogs will be entering the season with a new pair of hands under center.
Former quarterback Andy Dalton, who proved to be one of college football's most consistent quarterbacks over the last few years, won 25 of his last 26 starts and carried his team to back to back BCS bowls in his final two seasons.
Replacing Dalton will not be easy by any stretch of the imagination, but Casey Pachall, a Texas native, looks like the type of steady signal caller who can handle the pressure.
Pachall, a 6’4’’ 210 lb. junior, possesses a similar type of skillset as his predecessor, and he should be able to keep TCU’s winning tradition alive.
9. Tajh Boyd, Clemson
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This year’s version of the Clemson offense should look dramatically different from the one that finished tenth in the ACC last season.
New offensive coordinator Chad Morris is set to change the philosophy to more of a pass-oriented attack, similar to the one he ran so successfully at Tulsa in 2010.
Morris, who will also serve as the team’s quarterback coach, will be looking to get the most out of his new pupil, redshirt sophomore Tajh Boyd.
Boyd, a former four star recruit, will take over for Kyle Parker, last year’s starter who opted for a future in baseball.
Boyd has the arm and the talent to be a star in the new look offense, and he’ll have the benefit of skill position help with guys like RB Andre Ellington, TE Dwayne Allen and WR DeAndre Hopkins surrounding him, which should help him ease into the starting role.
8. Brock Osweiler, Arizona State
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If you’re looking for a sneaky team that could turn into a conference contender this year, take a peek at Arizona State. The Sun Devils return a lot of talent from last year, and they could end up being a factor in the newly formed Pac-12 if things break right.
If the Sun Devils do truly want to make an impact, the team will need to get steady play from the quarterback position, something that hasn’t always been a given during coach Dennis Erickson’s tenure.
This year, big Brock Osweiler, a 6’8’’ 235 lb. junior, will be taking the reigns of the offense after last year’s starter Steven Threet was forced to end his football career due to post-concussion syndrome.
After his sensational showing in the final two games of the 2010 regular season, Osweiler would have likely taken away the job from Threet even if he did play.
Osweiler threw for nearly 650 yards and five TDs in wins over UCLA and arch rival Arizona to end the season, displaying the type of passing prowess it takes to guide his team to victory.
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7. James Vandenberg, Iowa
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The Ricky Stanzi era didn’t end like most Hawkeye fans had hoped.
After guiding Iowa to an 11-2 season and a victory in the Orange Bowl in 2009, as only a true American could, Stanzi failed to carry the team to the same type of success as a senior.
Now, as the team gets thrust back to the pack with lowered expectations for the upcoming season, this might be just the time when Iowa could be most dangerous.
The Hawkeyes look to have two of the premier offensive playmakers in the Big Ten in proven WR Marvin McNutt and emerging RB Marcus Coker. Now they just need consistent play from the quarterback position.
They should get it from James Vandenberg, a talented Iowa native who has a shot to really please his home state crowd in 2011.
With so many key losses on the defensive side of the ball, there’s no room for error for the Iowa offense this year. Vandenberg has to step in and play well right from the outset if this team wants to actually contend in the Big Ten.
6. Mike Glennon, North Carolina State
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There’s no doubt that Russell Wilson was the MVP of the ACC last season. No other player in the conference was as important to their team’s success as Wilson.
The super-athletic QB accounted for over 4,000 yards of total offense and scored 37 TDs on his way to leading the Wolfpack to a 9-4 record and their first bowl win since 2005.
It now seems, though, that Wilson’s future will be on the baseball diamond, as he plans on spending the spring playing for the Colorado Rockies organization, and it’s unlikely that he’ll return to Raleigh.
Still, it may not be time to start panicking just yet, Wolfpack fans. Wilson's replacement, Mike Glennon, the brother of former Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon, seems to be loaded with potential.
Glennon, a 6’6’’ junior, has the look of a prototypical pocket passer with the desired size and arm strength.
If he develops properly, the former all-star recruit could turn out to be an even better pure quarterback than Wilson when all is said and done.
5. A.J. McCarron, Alabama
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Right now, A.J. McCarron’s probably best known around the country as the kid who got chewed out and spanked by Nick Saban in a blowout victory over Mississippi State last season.
Soon enough, though, he’ll get the chance to make highlights of a less humiliating nature.
McCarron will take over quarterbacking duties for an Alabama offense that not only has to replace departed QB Greg McElroy, but RB Mark Ingram, WR Julio Jones and LT James Carpenter as well.
The Tide have the talent to fill the holes, but there’s certainly no doubt that the offense could take a few snaps to gel.
McCarron, a once highly touted high school recruit, has the ability to lead a talented Alabama squad to the SEC promise land, but it remains to be seen how quickly the 6’4’’ 190 lb. redshirt sophomore can adapt to the pressure filled role he'll be thrust into this season.
4. Bryn Renner, North Carolina
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I’m still puzzled as to why coach Butch Davis didn’t give the starting nod to Bryn Renner last year, or at the very least, give him a few more snaps.
Sure, senior T.J. Yates had a fine enough year, but in what amounted to an almost lost season because of all the preseason suspensions, you would think Davis would let his future go-to-guy get his feet under him a bit and learn some of the ropes.
As it stands now, Renner has exactly two pass attempts on his resume.
Still, if all the whispers turn out to be true, the 6’3’’ 195 lb. redshirt sophomore could mature into something special.
Renner came to Chapel Hill with great expectations as one of the top quarterback prospects of the 2009 recruiting class. Now it’s time to see if he has what it takes to live up to the hype.
3. E.J. Manuel, Florida State
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Alright, Florida State, the foundation for success is there and the excitement is back, now it’s time to prove last year was no fluke.
In Jimbo Fisher’s first year as head coach, the Seminoles gave us a few glimpses of greatness that resembled their old dominating days of the nineties. But in the end, they ultimately fell short of an ACC crown.
This season, it looks like Florida State, a team that returns most of its firepower from last year, will be one of the favorites to represent the conference in a BCS game.
The one key factor that could make or break the Seminoles’ success is the play of QB E.J. Manuel.
I caught a first hand look at Manuel a few years ago when he beat up my Mountaineers in the Gator Bowl, and ever since then, I’ve been eager to see more from him.
This year, we’ll all get the chance to see if Manuel, who has teased us in spot duty since his freshman year, is the real deal.
If the 6’4’’ 225 lb. junior can make the most of his potential, this Florida State squad has a chance to go a long way in 2011.
2. Ryan Tannehill, Texas AM
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OK, I’m cheating a bit here, considering Ryan Tannehill started the last six games of the 2010 season in relief of the struggling Jerrod Johnson.
Oh well, sometimes you have to stretch the rules.
Tannehill, who made the switch from wide receiver to quarterback midway through the season, ignited the Aggies when he stepped in for Johnson, guiding the team to five straight victories to finish off the regular season.
In his first start, the 6’4’’senior completed 36 of his passes for 449 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Texas Tech.
While he never came close to replicating those numbers again, Tannehill did manage to to come up big when his team needed him.
If Tannehill can be as reliable as he was in 2010, this Texas A&M team might be able to challenge Oklahoma for a Big 12 Championship this year.
1. Tyler Wilson, Arkansas
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Former Razorback signal caller Ryan Mallett may have had an arm that every quarterback dreams of, but when crunch time rolled around, Mallett had a habit of falling apart.
Alabama and Ohio State had no problem with it, but it’s something that certainly frustrated Arkansas fans in 2010.
Sure, Mallett put up gaudy stats and impressed onlookers with a few highlight reel throws, but it’s that special winning characteristic that he seemed to be missing. It’s why his NFL stock has seemingly gone into free fall mode ever since he announced his intentions to go pro.
So maybe Arkansas won’t be so heartbroken to see Mallett head off to the NFL a year early, especially considering they could have a diamond in the rough in Tyler Wilson.
Wilson gave us a quick peak at his potential in relief duty in a wild loss to Auburn last season, and there’s definitely reason to believe he could flourish this year.
When you’ve got a passing game mastermind in Bobby Petrino calling the shots, one of the most dangerous receiver trios in college football led by Greg Childs to throw to and a standout running back like Knile Davis lining up right behind you, it’s kind of hard not to succeed.
Add that all to the fact that Wilson’s got some pretty impressive quarterback chops, and it smells like a recipe for something scary.
A Few Other Names To Watch Out For
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Morgan Newton, Kentucky
Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech
MarQueis Gray, Minnesota
James Franklin, Missouri
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