Milton is AAC’s top returning QB
The American Athletic Conference finished last season with two quarterbacks in the top 10 in passing offense: UCF’s McKenzie Milton and Memphis’ Riley Ferguson. Milton is back, giving the Knights the top passing threat in the conference.
Here is a look at where each school ranks at the quarterback position entering spring practice:
Milton accounted for 4,650 yards of offense and 45 touchdowns while earning AAC player of the year honors and helping UCF post a 13-0 record. The biggest issue this year will be the depth behind Milton. Backup Noah Vedral followed Frost to Nebraska, leaving sophomore Darriel Mack Jr. as the only other scholarship quarterback going into spring.
With the Cougars finishing in the middle of the AAC pack in total offense, coach Major Applewhite brought in former Baylor and FAU coordinator Kendal Briles to run the offense in 2018. Briles inherits a roster that features just two scholarship quarterbacks back from last season in D’Eriq King and Bryson Smith.
The Mustangs made monumental inroads on offense under Chad Morris, going from last in 2014 to fourth in 2017. New coach Sonny Dykes plans to build on that success with his version of the Air Raid offense. Ben Hicks was one of only three quarterbacks in the AAC to pass for more than 3,000 yards last season. He’ll enter the spring as the front-runner despite Dykes’ pledge to hold an open competition for the starting job.
It’s Year 3 for Mike Norvell at Memphis, and for the first time since he took the Tigers job he’ll have a quarterback competition on his hands. Ferguson is gone following a successful career and the question of Ferguson’s replacement is a murky one heading into spring. Redshirt sophomore David Moore served as back up to Ferguson and is the early favorite for the job along with redshirt junior Brady Davis and redshirt freshman Connor Adair. But Brady White, an oft-injured COMMENTARY graduate transfer from Arizona State, could factor in too.
Quinton Flowers wrapped one of the most successful playing careers with the Bulls. Junior Brett Kean, who saw limited action as the backup to Flowers, comes into spring as the favorite to replace him. Kean will compete with redshirt sophomore Chris Oladokun and a pair of highly touted freshmen in Octavious Battle and Jordan McCloud.
The Midshipmen feature an embarrassment of riches at quarterback, including multi-talented Malcolm Perry, who moved into the starting role late last season and rushed for at least 250 yards in two of his three starts. He’ll share the duties with Zach Abey, who the AAC with more than 1,400 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns.
The Bearcats enter the spring with some stability at quarterback thanks to senior Hayden Moore, who has started 21 career games during his career. He’ll be pushed by junior Ross Trail, who was the backup most of the 2017 season.
Senior Frank Nutile returns to the lead the offense after stepping into the starting role eight games into the 2017 season after Logan Marchi went down with an injury. In his five starts, Nutile had more than 1,520 passing yards with 12 touchdowns while leading the Owls to a 4-1 finish, including a 28-3 win over FIU in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Redshirt freshman Luke Skipper and sophomore Chad President split starting duties last season. President suffered an ACL injury in the season finale and will most likely miss spring practice will he recovers. Skipper will lead a quarterback unit that includes freshman Davis Brin, who arrives in the fall.
John Dunn, a former NFL assistant coach, will try to revamp an offense that ranked near the bottom half of the AAC. Senior David Pindell, who started three games last season, will battle redshirt sophomore Jordan McAfee, sophomore Marvin Washington and freshman Steven Krajewski for the starting job.
No program in the conference suffered as much attrition at the quarterback position as Tulane, which saw Glen Cuiellette, Johnathan Brantley and Khalil McClain transfer to other schools. Senior Jonathan Banks brings some stability to the program, returning after starting most of last season and accounting for more than 2,300 yards.
Incoming freshman Holton Ahlers has been touted as the top quarterback in the state of North Carolina and he’ll push for the Pirates’ starting job. He’ll be challenged by sophomore Reid Herring, who was the third stringer in 2017. Redshirt freshman Kingsley Ifedi also is an option.