Quarterback competition this Fall

Walt Disney once said-

“I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn’t know how to get a long without it”. 

The man who created Mickey was onto something with that humble statement. Competition brings out the best of athletes, and in this context, skilled positions in college football like the quarterback position. And boy, do we have some good battles this season.

Alabama-  Jalen Hurts vs. Tua Tagovailoa – The starter vs. the people’s starter. The hero of the national championship game, Tua Tagovailoa, will be battling for the starting position this fall at Alabama.  And Jalen Hurts, the veteran, must win this position, it will not be given to him. Both young men know this. What has to happen is for one of them to win the team. Coach Nick Saban has gone on record to say just that and he is perfectly fine waiting late in camp or before the Louisville game to name the starter. There is no doubt in my mind that fall camp in Tuscaloosa in 2018 will be one to remember.

Clemson- Kelly Bryant vs. Trevor Lawerence. This is going to be interesting because the amount of hype that has been hovering around Lawerence. Not just the hype, but the team as well. They were one game away from making the National Championship for the third straight year. But let’s get to the matter at hand: Lawerence is the real deal. Everyone got an appetizer of what this kid can do in the Spring game, when he launched a 50-yard touchdown to Tee Higgins. It looked effortless and natural. Kelly Bryant is a great athlete and had a good season as the Tigers starter but Lawerence is the future and he will no doubt push for playing time this Fall.

Georgia – Jake Fromm vs. Justin Fields. Young Fromm led the bulldogs to the national championship as a Freshman in 2017. He looked like a veteran at times and showed a lot of poise while guiding the bulldogs to a SEC title and Rose Bowl victory. However, he’s got the #1 dual-threat Quarterback in the nation breathing down his neck- Justin Fields. The young passer from Kennesaw comes with a lot of hype and no doubt will be competing for the starting job this fall. Fields is an interesting story because he was a solid commit to Penn St and James Franklin had his QB of the future. Yet Fields was not afraid of competition and decided to stay close to home and play for Georgia. Look for Fields to get playing time in 2018.

Other mentionables:

Texas- Sam Ehlinger vs. Shane Buechele

Michigan- Shea Patterson vs. Brandon Peters

Florida- Feleipe Franks vs. Kyle Trask vs. Emory Jones

LSU- Myles Brennan vs. Lowell Narcisse vs. Justin McMillan

Ohio St.- Dwayne Haskins vs. Tate Martell

Oklahoma- Kyler Murray vs. Austin Kendall

Notre Dame- Brandon Wimbush vs. Ian Book

Tennessee- Jarrett Guarantano vs. Will McBride vs. Keller Chryst vs. JT Shrout

USC- Jack Sears vs. Matt Fink vs. J.T. Daniels

 

As you can see, it’s going to be a busy camp across the entire college football landscape. Some teams have a solid #1, others may not narrow it down until before kickoff. The opportunity for each quarterback to separate themselves is there, but to win the starting job, it’s about what you do in camp. That’s why competition is so important. It drives each player to be their best, and it only makes the players and team that much better.