Browning among best Pac-12 QBs
Ten of the 12 teams in the Pac-12 entered spring football practice with a starting quarterback who led the offense last season. Washington and USC lead the way with stellar signal callers Jake Browning and Sam Darnold. Here is a look at each program’s quarterback units ranked from best to worst:
Washington: Browning rewrote the record books last season on the way to being named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. Offseason shoulder surgery will limit the junior-to-be this spring, but that shouldn’t impact the team’s long-term plans. Veteran K.J. Carta-Samuels, who’s appeared in 17 games in his career, is the Huskies’ primary backup.
USC: Darnold went from starting the season as the Trojans’ backup to finishing as a top candidate for the Heisman Trophy in 2017. His potential is scary good, making USC one of the favorites to win the Pac-12 title. Redshirt freshman Matt Fink will battle for the backup spot with incoming freshman Jack Sears. Washington State:
Nobody has taken more competitive snaps in the Pac-12 than Luke Falk, who’s been involved in more than 1,700 plays during the past three seasons with the Cougars. His presence provides the spark to the offense. Sophomore Tyler Hilinski saw limited action behind Falk and will return to that role in 2017 while highly-touted freshman Connor Neville gets his feet on the ground.
Oregon: New coach Willie Taggart promises to bring his up-tempo, high-scoring Gulf Coast offense to the West Coast, which is good news for Justin Herbert. As a freshman, Herbert earned the starting role. That said, Terry Wilson, who has the physical tools that are similar to Taggart’s former quarterback protégée Quinton Flowers at USF, could challenge for the top job.
Utah: Troy Williams was impressive early last season before inconsistent play caught up with him and the rest of the Utes’ offense midway through the season. Williams’ development in the offseason will be
something to keep an eye on, with new offensive coordinator Troy Taylor coming over from Eastern Washington. UCLA: Josh Rosen burst on the scene in 2015 and expectations soared for the quarterback. But injuries and miscues hampered the young quarterback during what would turn out to be a lackluster 2016. Rosen’s healthy return could mean a lot for UCLA, with a handful of freshmen battling to back him up.
Stanford: Ryan Burns began the season as Stanford’s starter only to find himself on the sidelines for the final five games as Keller Chryst stepped into the role. Chryst suffered a severe knee injury, as did recruit Davis Mills, which will keep them both off the field for some time. That opens the door for Burns and K.J. Costello to earn attention during spring ball.
Arizona: The Wildcats saw a massive dip in offensive production last season. Veteran Anu Solomon began the season as the starter, but he was replaced by Brandon Dawkins. Dawkins, a dual-threat quarterback, started eight games while accumulating more than 2,200 yards of offense. Solomon’s decision to transfer cleared a path for Dawkins to remain at the top.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils tabbed sophomore Manny Wilkins as their starter last season, but Brady White and Dillon Sterling-Cole also earned snaps. Wilkins appears to be the favorite for the job heading into spring, but in the offseason the program added Alabama transfer Blake Barnett to the roster. Oregon State: For the second consecutive season, Oregon State ranked last in the Pac-12 in total offense. Darell Garretson started the first six games of the season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury, giving way to Marcus McMaryion. The job appears to be wide open this spring, with junior college transfer Jake Luton in the mix as well.
Colorado: The Buffaloes, who are coming off their first Pac-12 division crown, return nine offensive starters in 2017 but will be without quarterback Sefo Liufau. The favorite to take over the job is Steven Montez, who was the primary backup last season. Sam Noyer and Tyler Lytle will add much-needed depth at the position.
California: New coach Justin Wilcox added former Eastern Washington coach Beau Baldwin as his new offensive coordinator and Baldwin’s first concern will be replacing quarterback Davis Webb, who was one of six quarterbacks to take at least 600 snaps last season. There are five quarterbacks on the spring roster, but four of them lack any college experience.