The most important position in football will command a ton of attention every single year with a particular focus on the very best quarterbacks in the country. The top passers can make all the difference in the world on contending teams. While the top returning quarterbacks like Deshaun Watson and Baker Mayfield will command the majority of the attention there are a handful of passers that are poised to impress after flying under the radar to this point. Here is part two of our breakdown of the 10 under the radar quarterbacks to watch in 2016.
Tyler Jones, Texas State Bobcats
An inconsistent season from Jones was a big part of the reason why Texas State dropped from seven wins in 2014 to just three in 2015. He will need to bounce back for the Bobcats to rebound in 2016. The talent is certainly there as Jones recorded 3,209 total yards of offense with 22 passing scores and six rushing scores just two years ago. He will need to put up similar numbers for Texas State in 2016 with a real opportunity to shine after flying under the radar following a down season.
Quinton Flowers, South Florida Bulls
Flowers is a little bit undersized at just 6’0’’ and 210 pounds but his small stature does help him in terms of his elusiveness. Flowers took advantage with 991 rushing yards against opposing defenses and he scored 12 times on the ground last season. Flowers produced as an efficient passer with a 58.9 completion percentage and he threw for 2,290 yards and 22 touchdowns a year ago and all eyes will be on him to see what he has in store for an encore.
Willie Taggart has slowly been rebuilding the Bulls program as they went 2-10 in his first season, 4-8 in his second year before going 8-5 last year. There are high expectations for the team and Flowers is one of the biggest reason why the Bulls are projected to challenge for an AAC championship. He likely won’t fly under the radar for much longer if they make good on those predictions and push for double digit wins.
Dane Evans, Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
Evans’ efficiency skyrocketed under head coach Philip Montgomery last season as he completed 62.9-percent of his passes for 4,332 yards and 25 scores with just eight interceptions. He returns this year with a loaded cast of wide receivers including Keevan Lucas, Josh Atkinson and Justin Hobbs and that group has the potential to be among the best in the nation. More importantly, this is a program that lights it up on offense as their contests often look like video games. That will help Evans’ numbers look fantastic.
He still didn’t get as much attention last season as he would have had he played in a Power Five conference, but he won’t fly under the radar for much longer if he keeps producing as efficiently as he did last year.
Eric Dungey, Syracuse Orange
Dungey is back at 100-percent heading in to the summer and he has the potential to be one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks in the country if he can stay healthy. That will require taking fewer big hits and that will remain a focus for Dungey and the Syracuse staff throughout the season. Dungey can do it all with both his arm and legs and finding the right balance will be the key to a breakthrough 2016 season. It would help if he had a better team around him, but that doesn’t look like it’s going to be possible as Syracuse is still in rebuilding mode.
Matt Davis, SMU Mustangs
Davis is among the biggest keys to the SMU program improving overall and he will be expected to produce at a high level again this season. Davis threw for 2,263 yards and 16 touchdowns a year ago while rushing for an additional 761 yards and 10 scores. The Mustangs will return nearly all of their top receivers in 2016 including Courtland Sutton so it only makes sense that expectations are very high for a quarterback that has flown under the radar for the most part in Davis. If they’re to have success next year, it will be thanks to the offense, which means Davis will get to shine.
