One of the biggest storylines of the spring is the number of open jobs at the quarterback position around the college football world. There have been a number of interesting battles as teams like Baylor, Alabama, Florida State, Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA have all been forced to search for a new signal caller. While some of those positions have been decided, there is still room for plenty of change before Week 1. Here is a look at four quarterbacks that we wouldn’t be surprised to see starting under center in Week 1 of the college football season.
David Cornwell, Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama will once again be one of the most loaded outfits in all of college football but their starting quarterback job was wide open in the spring. There were as many as five passers getting the opportunity to addition for the role. Former Florida State transfer Jake Coker has emerged as the most likely starter but the redshirt freshman Cornwell also really impressed, so perhaps we haven’t heard the end of the quarterback debate just yet. Saban has spoken highly of Coker, saying he’s bright and suggesting he has potential to be a very good player. However, Cornwell was with the team last season as a redshirt and was ranked as a four-star recruit by Rivals. That talent could be too much for Saban to pass up on.
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Cody Thomas, Oklahoma Sooners
The Sooners have a three-man battle for the starting quarterback job with Thomas, Baker Mayfield and Trevor Knight all in the mix but there have been rumblings that the Texas Tech transfer could win the job. The experts have predicted Mayfield will win the job over Knight but head coach Bob Stoops has insisted that the redshirt sophomore Thomas is still in the conversation for the starting job, noting his big arm and smart decision-making ability. Knight couldn’t really establish himself last season as he passed for just 124.8 passing yards per game while throwing 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. While he may be the most experienced option, the Sooners already know what they have in him, so why waste the time?
Don’t be shocked if Thomas emerges as Oklahoma’s starting quarterback this season. They have a few soft spots in the schedule early on with Akron, Tulsa and West Virginia all coming to Norman in three of the first four weeks. That’s a good opportunity to break in the quarterback.
Will Gardner, Louisville Cardinals
On the surface it seems like a stretch to call last season’s Week 1 starter a sleeper pick to start for Louisville this season but after suffering an ACL tear last season, nobody expected Gardner to be ready in time for Week 1 of this season. Gardner is way ahead of schedule in terms of his recovery and head coach Bobby Petrino will apparently consider using him as his starter if he is ready in time to play. Reggie Bonnafon and Kyle Bolin have failed to impress this spring and Gardner is more experienced than both of those players. Don’t be surprised if Gardner makes it back to the field and earns the Cardinals starting quarterback job for Week 1 this season.
Kyler Murray, Texas A&M Aggies
This is a position that’s been in flux since Johnny Manziel left for the NFL. There was a lot of hype around Kenny “Trill” Hill last season but that fizzled out quickly and he’s since been released (left for TCU). Sophomore Kyle Allen is still considered the frontrunner to start at quarterback for A&M this season but Murray has stood out as one of two true freshmen on the roster and it wouldn’t be a stretch to think he could ultimately start for the Aggies this season.
Allen has the benefit of knowing the playbook and having some chemistry with the current players on the roster but Murray is an extremely talented young player. If he is able to get the playbook down, he could be the player who is tabbed to lead the team in Week 1.
