Owls boast best QB unit in C-USA
Conference USA returns a bevy of talented quarterbacks entering the 2018 season.
Here is a look at where each school ranks at the quarterback position:
FAU’s amazing turnaround last season can be credited, in part, to a prolific offense that led Conference USA in points scored and total offense. The Owls will have a new offensive coordinator in Charlie Weis Jr. and a new quarterback after Jason Driskel retired during the offseason. De’Andre Johnson, Oklahoma transfer Chris Robison and Cordel Littlejohn are all strong candidates for the starting job.
Mason Fine burst onto the scene last season, earning Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year honors after passing for 4,052 yards and 31 touchdowns while leading the Mean Green to its first division championship.
Quarterback J’Mar Smith accounted for more than 3,300 yards of offense and 22 touchdowns. Smith’s season was up-and-down to say the least, but he showed potential during a four-touchdown performance in the team’s bowl win over SMU.
Injuries forced redshirt sophomore Kwadra Griggs to split time with junior Keon Howard last season, with both failing to secure the starting job outright. Juniorcollege transfer Jack Abraham could make his case for the starting job in 2018.
One of the lead characters in UAB’s redemption story is rising senior quarterback A.J. Erdely. He leads an offensive unit that returns nearly everybody from 2017. The group averaged close to 28 points and 363 yards of offense per game. COMMENTARY serious growing pains at quarterback, which led to three different players starting at the position. Junior Blake LaRussa won the job last season, but his struggles eventually led to a switch to freshman Steven Williams. Williams also struggled before leading the team to wins in two of the last three games.
Any hope of the 49ers bouncing back from a disappointing 1-11 record in 2017 could rest on the shoulders of redshirt senior quarterback Hasaan Klugh. He is the top returning rushing quarterback in the league after collecting more than 532 yards on the ground last season.
The Hilltoppers also enter spring with a competitive battle at the quarterback position. Redshirt senior Drew Eckels and redshirt sophomore Steven Duncan are expected to battle it out for the job, with three players working to earn reps in practice.
For the first time since 2014, Marshall enters spring ball searching for a new starting quarterback. Chase Litton wrapped up a stellar career with the Thundering Herd, leaving a huge vacancy. Enter Alex Thomson, a 6-foot-5 graduate transfer from Wagner, who spurned Tennessee and Baylor, instead choosing to play at Marshall.
The Panthers put together one of their best seasons since 2011 thanks, in part, to a careerbest season by senior Alex McGough. McGough’s departure leaves FIU with an open competition for his replacement. Junior Maurice Alexander, who saw limited action as the backup, leads a group that includes sophomore Kaylan Wiggins and incoming freshman Caleb Lynum. The dark horse in the race could be James Morgan, a graduate transfer from Bowling Green.
For the first time in his short tenure, Frank Wilson has uncertainty at QB. The competition to replace Dalton Sturm will come down to a handful of players, including sophomores Bryce Rivers and Frank Harris, junior Alin Edouard and junior-college transfer Cordale Grundy.
First-year coach Mike Bloomgren inherits a program desperate for a makeover on the offensive side of the football. Redshirt sophomore Sam Glaesmann, redshirt junior Jackson Tyner and sophomore Miklo Smalls are expected to battle for the starting job.
First-year coach Dana Dimel has his work cut out for him, taking over a UTEP program that finished the 2017 season last in the country in total offense. The good news for Dimel and the Miners is they landed transfer Kai Locksley, a talented prospect from the junior college ranks who could provide an instant spark. He’ll face a challenge from senior Ryan Metz and sophomore Mark Torrez.