Every single spring there are quarterback competitions across the country as college football programs look to put themselves in the best possible position to succeed with the best possible option under center. Whether it’s because of a graduation, injury or an ineffective starter there are certainly plenty of reasons for programs to hold a competition at the quarterback spot. There are a number of quarterbacks that have seized the starting job for their respective programs but still face a legitimate threat of getting bumped from that role at some point this season. Here is a look at the five starting quarterbacks most likely to lose their job in 2016.
DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
An injury to Malik Zaire opened the door for Kizer to shine as the starting quarterback at Notre Dame in his freshman season. However, Zaire is back at full strength and he has split first-team reps with Kizer this spring. Kizer certainly seemed to do enough in his first year to remain the starter but it wouldn’t be a shock if at some point Zaire took back the No. 1 job with something to prove after being sidelined with an injury last season.
Greyson Lambert, Georgia Bulldogs
Lambert was one of the biggest surprises in college football last season when he transferred from Virginia and won the starting quarterback job at Georgia. Lambert went on to throw for 1,959 yards and 12 touchdowns with two interceptions, completing 63.3-percent of his passes along the way. However, the Bulldogs fired longtime head coach Mark Richt and replaced him with Kirby Smart, who arrived at Georgia along with the nation’s No. 5 overall prospect in freshman quarterback Jacob Eason. The consensus is that Eason is ready to handle the No. 1 job from the outset and it wouldn’t be a surprise if at some point he unseated Lambert as the starter for the Bulldogs.
Sean Maguire, Florida State Seminoles
Neither Everett Golson nor Sean Maguire impressed enough to bank on the Seminoles sticking with either one this season. Maguire was considered the favorite to hold on to the job this year but he won’t take part in any of Florida State’s spring practices while recovering from ankle surgery and that could open the door for the other quarterbacks on the roster. Redshirt freshman Deondre Francois is battling for snaps with early-enrollee freshman Malik Henry and while neither of them stood out at the Seminoles’ spring game they could challenge for the No. 1 job at some point. It won’t happen as long as Maguire is out but look for Francois to challenge for the starting job at some point this season.
Tanner Mangum, BYU Cougars
Hill suffered a torn ACL five games in to the 2014 season and then suffered a Lisfranc fracture in his foot last fall that sidelined him for the remainder of the year. Tanner Mangum stepped up in a big way when Hill went down last year, throwing for 3,377 yards and 23 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions. However, Hill is back for his final season and his ability as a dual-threat quarterback has him poised to challenge Mangum for the starting job. Both quarterbacks have the ability to start but Hill is a special talent when healthy and wouldn’t return for one more season if he didn’t feel he had the chance to overtake Mangum for the starting job.
Tyron Swoopes, Texas Longhorns
Swoopes lost his starting job to Jerrod heard last season but new offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert has given him another opportunity to be the No. 1 quarterback at Texas and it will be interesting to see how things play out. Gilbert likes a quarterback with a big arm that can run and Swoopes has the raw talent to succeed at the position but there are still reasons for concern including his inconsistency under center last season. The Longhorns will open the year versus Notre Dame, UTEP, Cal, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Heard took back the No. 1 job at some point during that stretch if Texas stumbles.
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