It’s been a shaky start to the season for college football quarterbacks. Entering Week 4, none are considered Heisman Trophy frontrunners any longer and if you’re an NFL team scouting the landscape, you’re probably pretty nervous about what you’ll have to work with in the 2016 NFL Draft. In particular, the following four guys had huge expectations coming into the season but have fallen flat on their faces so far.
Cardale Jones
Ohio State Buckeyes
There is no denying Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer’s track record but the defending national champions are off to a shaky start to the 2015 season. He was supposed to have an embarrassment of riches at the position but so far, everyone has struggled and that starts with Jones.
After struggling early on against Northern Illinois on Saturday, Cardale Jones was replaced by J.T. Barrett and watched the remainder of the game from the sidelines. Jones completed only four-of-nine passes with two interceptions. This came on the heels of a so-so game against Hawaii (12-of-18 for 111 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions) and an up-and-down opener against Virginia Tech (two touchdowns, one interception).
It will be very interesting to see how Jones fares moving forward – or if he even gets a chance to start. The Buckeyes could opt to go with Barrett. The good news is they have an easy schedule, so they’ll have plenty of time to work out the kinks.
Jeremy Johnson
Auburn Tigers
One quarterback whose job was deemed to be secure was the preseason Heisman favorite Johnson, who is off to a terrible start this season. Head coach Gus Malzahn realized that his job security was going to be shaky unless his team started to deliver results, so he’s benched Johnson for Week 4.
After watching Johnson through three weeks, there’s no indication as to why this guy was a Heisman contender to begin with. The junior quarterback has completed 59.7% of his passes for 473 yards and five touchdowns compared to six interceptions through three games. While he has all of the talent in the world, he hasn’t been able to get the job done through the air. Sure, the lack of a consistent rushing attack and the inability to stop the run on defense has put even more pressure on him, but he hasn’t even looked good in spurts. The Tigers need more production from the position, which is why they’re making a change.
Brandon Allen
Arkansas Razorbacks
Johnson isn’t the only SEC quarterback that has struggled early on as Brandon Allen has been a mess too. Expectations were high for Allen heading into his senior season but after a strong performance in an opening win where he tossed four touchdowns and no interceptions, he has struggled over the course of his last two starts.
Against Toledo, he did have 412 yards but threw a brutal interception in the end zone. Against Texas Tech, he completed only 16-of-21 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Suddenly both he and head coach Brett Bielema are on the hot seat at Arkansas and it’s still only September.
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Jake Coker
Alabama Crimson Tide
Expectations weren’t as high for Coker as they were for Johnson heading into the season but as the starting quarterback for an Alabama program that always wants to contend for a national title, the pressure is certainly there. Coker showed some flashes of his potential through consecutive wins to open the year but he has never really looked comfortable for a full four quarters. It showed even more in last week’s 43-37 loss to Ole Miss. Coker completed just 21-of-45 passes for 201 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions and the turnovers really turned the tide in the loss. And don’t forget that coach Nick Saban opted to start Cooper Batemen instead of Coker, which shows what the team has thought of Coker’s early performance. Coker came off the bench to produce the aforementioned numbers.
Alabama should be able to regroup and bounce back with a win over Louisiana-Monroe this week but they need to see more progress from Coker if they are going to get back on track and compete for a national championship out of the loaded SEC.
