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Clemson, Alabama boast nation's top QB situations
Steele: Clemson, Alabama boast nation's top QB situations
Phil Steele
ESPN PLUS ($ MATERIAL)
Which college football programs have the best quarterback situation heading into 2019? The top pick just so happens to be the defending national champions, who have a Heisman Trophy candidate under center. Here are the top 15.
1. Clemson Tigers
Trevor Lawrence made a huge impact last season for the Tigers after taking over in the fifth game, as the offense averaged 47.4 points over his final 10 starts. Lawrence topped 300 yards passing five times, including 347 against Alabama in the national title game. Lawrence finished the season passing for 3,280 yards, completing 65 percent of his passes and throwing for 30 touchdowns with only four interceptions. Chase Brice (my 24th-rated QB) saved the day against Syracuse last season and returns behind Lawrence, with true freshman Taisun Phommachanh (my seventh-rated QB recruit) likely as the third-string signal-caller.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide
Tua Tagovailoa followed up an incredible second half of the 2017 national title game with an outstanding 2018 season in which he threw for 3,966 yards with 43 touchdowns and six picks while completing 69 percent of his throws for a runner-up finish in the Heisman Trophy voting. This season, backup Mac Jones is joined by Tua's younger brother, Taulia Tagovailoa, and fellow true freshman Paul Tyson. Tua Tagovailoa has an excellent chance of becoming the first 4,000-yard passer in Alabama history.
3. Texas Longhorns
Sophomore Sam Ehlinger set a Big 12 record last season with a streak of 308 passes without an interception. Ehlinger started all 14 games and threw for 3,292 yards (completing 64.7 percent) and passed for 25 TDs and just five interceptions while adding 482 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. This season, he is joined by a pair of very highly touted prospects in redshirt freshman Casey Thompson and true freshman Roschon Johnson. This unit has all the makings of an elite group and should be one of the nation's best in 2019.
4. Oregon Ducks
Justin Herbert was sorely missed in 2017, as Oregon's offense averaged 52.1 points per game with him and just 15.0 PPG in the five games without him behind center. Last season, Herbert started all 13 games and threw for 3,151 yards with 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 59.4 percent of his passes. Herbert turned down the NFL and returns to Eugene as a favorite for the Heisman. Backup Tyler Shough has a bright future once Herbert moves.
5. Oklahoma Sooners
The Sooners have had back-to-back Heisman winners who were picked first overall in the NFL draft in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. Jalen Hurts comes in attempting to be the third consecutive transfer quarterback to bring home the hardware after a solid career with Alabama (24-2 record). Redshirt freshman Tanner Mordecai will be pushed by my top-rated freshman quarterback, Spencer Rattler, in what looks to be yet another outstanding quarterback room for the Sooners.
6. Houston Cougars
New head coach Dana Holgorsen steps into a good situation at quarterback with D'Eriq King back for his senior season. King was leading the FBS with 50 total touchdowns (36 passing, 14 rushing) when he was lost for the season after 11 games (2,982 passing yards, 63.5 percent completion percentage, 36-6 TD-INT ratio). Clayton Tune provides solid depth after burning his redshirt late last season, and Holgersen's son, Logan, joined the team in spring as the potential third-string quarterback.
7. Michigan Wolverines
Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson returns after a productive first season in maize and blue, as he threw for 2,600 yards while throwing 22 TDs and seven interceptions while completing 64.6 percent of his passes. The depth here is outstanding, with three very highly touted players backing up Patterson, led by sophomore Dylan McCaffrey. With a more up-tempo pace under new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, Patterson could be one of the Big Ten's top signal-callers this season.
8. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Adrian Martinez proved to be the perfect fit for Scott Frost's offense in 2018, finishing with the fifth-most total yards in Huskers history (2,617 passing yards, 629 rushing yards, 25 total touchdowns). UCF transfer Noah Vedral will hold the backup spot again in 2019 for this QB-friendly system.
9. Georgia Bulldogs
Jake Fromm enters his third season as the starter following a solid sophomore campaign in which he threw for 2,761 yards (67 percent completions) with a 30-6 TD-INT ratio. Stetson Bennett is back for 2019 and will be challenged by Dwan Mathis for the backup spot. With new offensive coordinator James Coley more in favor of the passing game, the overall numbers should increase for this unit.
10. Virginia Cavaliers
The Cavaliers got much more out of juco transfer Bryce Perkins than expected in 2018 as he completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 2,680 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Perkins proved to be a dangerous runner as well, adding 923 yards (4.4 yards per carry) on the ground. Brennan Armstrongand Lindell Stone will battle for the backup spot behind Perkins, who could very well become just the second Virginia quarterback to reach 3,000 passing yards in a season.
11. USC Trojans
The Trojans were my top-rated quarterback unit in 2017 with Sam Darnold under center. Last season, USC brought in JT Daniels (my ninth-rated QB recruit), who became just the second true freshman in Trojans history to start the opener (Matt Barkley, 2009). Daniels had an up-and-down season but finished with 2,672 yards (59.5 percent completion percentage) with a 14-10 TD-INT ratio. Daniels enters his second season as the starter, and offensive coordinator Graham Harrell brings in a more QB-friendly scheme, so the overall passing numbers should see a noticeable increase in 2019.
12. Washington State Cougars
Mike Leach's "Air Raid" system continued to pay dividends in 2018 as East Carolina transfer Gardner Minshew earned Pac-12 offensive player of the year honors, passing for 4,779 yards and hitting on 70.7 percent of his throws with 38 touchdowns and nine interceptions. This season, the Cougars add another transfer in Gage Gubrud, who was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award (FCS equivalent of the Heisman) in both 2016 and 2017 with Eastern Washington. Gubrud finished his career at Eastern Washington with 9,984 passing yards (64.6 percent completion percentage, 87 TDs and 32 interceptions) and should thrive in this offensive system.
13. Stanford Cardinal
After several years of run-oriented units and two-tight end sets, the Cardinal took to the air quite often last season with K.J. Costello, who surpassed the 300-yard mark on seven occasions and finished the season with 3,540 yards, 29 TDs and 11 picks and a 65.1 completion percentage. The depth behind Costello for 2019 features a pair of very highly touted prospects in Davis Millsand Jack West, so expect Stanford to take to the air once again, as its 273 yards per game passing effort in 2018 was the second-highest mark in school history.
14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Ian Book helped guide the Fighting Irish to a 12-0 start last season, with the offense averaging 32.9 points per game in his nine starts. Book hit 68.2 percent of his passes and threw for 2,628 yards with 19 TDs to just seven interceptions. This season, the job is his from the start, with redshirt freshman Phil Jurkovec expected to win the backup spot. Book is now 9-1 as a starter and should top the numbers he put up in 2018.
15. Arizona Wildcats
After becoming the first quarterback in Pac-12 history with 1,000 rush yards in 2017, a change in the offensive system and an injury saw Khalil Tatetake to the air more frequently in 2018, as he passed for 2,530 yards and had 26 TD passes to just eight interceptions, with a 56.3 percent completion percentage. With Tate now 100 percent for the 2019 season, the dual-threat quarterback should begin to reappear on some Heisman lists.
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