The possibility of injury makes it that much more important for the top contenders in college football to have considerable depth at every single position. That is true at the quarterback position more than any other. Think back to the 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes and what would have happened to their national championship aspirations if J.T. Barrett didn’t step in and shine in place of the injured Braxton Miller. The top teams in college football will have learned their lesson from what Ohio State overcame but some teams are simply better positioned than others to deal with an injury to their starting quarterback. Here is a look at the four deepest college teams at the quarterback position heading in to 2016.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Quarterback Rotation: DeShone Kizer, Malik Zaire, Brandon Wimbush
The Fighting Irish are the perfect example of how an injury to a starting quarterback one year can lead to having two quality starters in place for the next. DeShone Kizer shone in place of the injured Malik Zaire a year ago and with both quarterbacks back healthy for this season it will be on head coach Brian Kelly and his staff to figure out who to roll with as their starter. Both quarterbacks are capable of leading Notre Dame but the Fighting Irish can be confident that an injury won’t disrupt their ability to produce big numbers on offense with a capable backup in place regardless of who they decide on to be their No. 1. With four-star prospect Brandon Wimbush waiting in the wings as a four-star prospect from the 2015 class there is no doubt about Notre Dame’s depth at the most important position on the football field.
Baylor Bears
Quarterback Rotation: Seth Russell, Jarrett Stidham, Chris Johnson
Baylor will welcome back senior Seth Russell for his senior year after injuries ended his season prematurely a year ago. All signs point toward Russell having a healthy and productive year but the Bears can be confident in sophomore Jarrett Stidham and senior Chris Johnson should Russell get hurt again. Stidham got the opportunity to show what he can do when Russell was hurt a year ago and the coaching staff is confident that Johnson can step in if need be as a converted wide receiver if need be.
Remember that the quarterbacks are going to be crucial to Baylor’s success this season. This now becomes the area of leadership after the massive change on the sidelines with the firing of Art Briles. Baylor still has high expectations based on the talent that they have on the team and have a steady stable of quarterbacks will soften the blow of the coaching change.
Florida State Seminoles
Quarterback Rotation: Sean Maguire, Deondre Francois, Malik Henry
Sean Maguire’s injury in last year’s Peach Bowl allowed the Seminoles to get a good look at what they have in their two freshman passers Deondre Francois and Malik Henry. Those two combined to throw for 451 yards and four touchdowns in the spring game and the Florida State coaches raved about their progress. Maguire will return as the team’s starting quarterback but the Seminoles can be confident in the capabilities of Francois and Henry if they need either one of them.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Quarterback Rotation: Cooper Batemen, David Cornwell, Blake Barnett, Jalen Hurts
The bad news for Alabama is that they lost their starting quarterback Jake Coker from last year’s national championship team. The good news is that they already have four extremely talented replacements in line competing for the starting job. Junior Cooper Batemen will compete with sophomore David Cornwell and freshmen Blake Barnett and Jalen Hurts for the No. 1 spot and it wouldn’t be a surprise if any one of them earned the job. Bateman and Cornwell have experience in Alabama’s system but Barnett and Hurts might be the two most talented options in the group. Nick Saban and his staff will have some tough decisions to make but they can feel comfortable knowing that they have some excellent options to choose from with some excellent depth at the position.
