[ad_1]
Certainty and confidence are essential at quarterback, and every college football team covets that outlook in the offseason.
Many rosters simply don’t have it, though.
Even at programs expected to compete for a national title, there are undecided competitions. Michigan, for example, is a top-10 team, and we don’t have a great read on the opening-game starter for the reigning College Football Playoff champions.
Yes, some battles—looking at you, Oregon—don’t seem so complicated and have a likely outcome.
As spring practice ends, though, there are plenty of notable ongoing competitions at Power Four programs and a few Group of Five teams projected to stick in the CFP race.
Boise State Broncos
An early favorite in the Mountain West, Boise State landed a big-name transfer with the arrival of recent 5-star prospect Malachi Nelson from USC. He’s now competing with Maddux Madsen, who only started once in 2023 yet threw 132 passes. CJ Tiller, the starter in the LA Bowl last season, entered the transfer portal after spring practice ended.
Tulane Green Wave
Michael Pratt, who guided Tulane to consecutive 10-win seasons, is now a member of the Green Bay Packers. Returning backup Kai Horton has a fair bit of experience, but he’s trying to hold off Oregon transfer Ty Thompson and redshirt freshman Darian Mensah.
UNLV Rebels
Jayden Maiava secured Mountain West Freshman of the Year honors in 2023 but transferred and ultimately landed at USC. Additionally, former starter Doug Brumfield medically retired. Building on the program’s first nine-win season in 39 years suddenly looks a lot tougher. That challenge may eventually fall on Matthew Sluka or Hajj-Malik Williams, a pair of FCS transfers from Holy Cross and Campbell, respectively.
Baylor Bears
Sawyer Robertson started a few games in 2023 and offers more experience in Air Raid systems. However, he’s part of a tough competition with Toledo transfer Dequan Finn. The longtime starter earned MVP honors in the MAC last year and is the projected starter in Waco.
BYU Cougars
Despite a 5-2 start, BYU ended up missing a bowl in 2023 because of five straight losses to close the regular season. Jake Retzlaff started four of those contests and averaged just 5.2 yards per attempt. He has plenty to prove in a transfer-filled position. This offseason, the Cougars added Gerry Bohanon (South Florida), Treyson Bourguet (Western Michigan) and McCae Hillstead (Utah State).
Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati rattled off five consecutive nine-win seasons under former head coach Luke Fickell but fell to 3-9 in Scott Satterfield’s difficult Big 12 debut. Emory Jones is gone, leaving his backup—Brady Lichtenberg—to compete with Indiana transfer Brendan Sorsby.
Cal Golden Bears
As the program enters the ACC, the offense has a fascinating battle between Fernando Mendoza and North Texas transfer Chandler Rogers. The former opened eight games and helped Cal reach a bowl as a redshirt freshman, while the latter—who also previously started at Louisiana—accounted for 3,562 yards and 33 touchdowns for UNT.
North Carolina Tar Heels
Drake Maye leaves a massive void in Chapel Hill, where 2023 backup Conner Harrell is competing with transfer Max Johnson. Harrell stepped in for Maye during the Mayo Bowl, but Johnson is the favorite after throwing 784 passes in recent years at LSU and Texas A&M. Also, after spring practice, North Carolina brought back Jacolby Criswell. He spent three seasons with UNC before a stop at Arkansas last year.
Auburn Tigers
Arkansas would have appeared on the list, but Criswell’s exit solidified Boise State transfer Taylen Green as QB1. Meanwhile, longtime SEC West foe Auburn is waiting to see if anyone will supplant Payton Thorne. While he’s the favorite after Robby Ashford went to South Carolina, Thorne’s competitors are Hank Brown and Holden Geriner with 4-star freshman Walker White looming.
South Carolina Gamecocks
The good news for LaNorris Sellers is he earned the team’s Offensive Player of the Spring award and outplayed Ashford in the scrimmage. Ashford, who initially enrolled at Oregon, is still in the hunt as he adjusts to a fourth offensive coordinator in five college seasons.
Michigan Wolverines
Would you like a dart? Jack Tuttle threw 17 passes last season and previously started at Indiana, but Michigan carved out a role for Alex Orji in 2023. Davis Warren and Jayden Denegal have been around the program for several years, and Jadyn Davis was a 4-star in the 2024 class.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Although it’s rare for a true freshman to start immediately, Dylan Raiola looks like the leader in the clubhouse at Nebraska. He’ll attempt to hold off Heinrich Haarberg, who notched eight starts last season, and fellow newcomer Daniel Kaelin in the fall.
Ohio State Buckeyes
The reality is Ohio State didn’t pursue Kansas State transfer Will Howard for depth. If anyone else starts, it’ll be a surprise. Nevertheless, head coach Ryan Day didn’t name a starter after spring practice. Returning backup Devin Brown and prized freshman Julian Sayin are Howard’s main threats, although Lincoln Kienholz is worth a mention for now.
Oregon Ducks
Filed in the “is this really a competition” drawer, Oregon hasn’t officially named Dillon Gabriel as QB1. However, he’s the clear favorite over UCLA transfer Dante Moore and returning third-stringer Austin Novosad.
USC Trojans
The asterisk to know is USC coach Lincoln Riley—at the end of spring practice—said Miller Moss would be the starter if the season was about to begin. That’s no surprise, especially after he threw six touchdowns in the Holiday Bowl victory over Louisville. The competition will linger into the summer as the Trojans evaluate UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava.
Washington Huskies
Jedd Fisch and Washington have a pair of heavily contrasting options. Will Rogers is a veteran QB, boasting 40 starts at Mississippi State. Demond Williams Jr., on the other hand, has an electric skill set and flipped his commitment from Arizona once Fisch left for UW. Rogers and Williams are the lone contenders now that Dermaricus Davis is transferring.
[ad_2]
