The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Transfer QBs can thrive at their new schools
Florida hopes Zaire can continue trend of quick success.
As the number of quarterback transfers in college football increases, many of those passers have landed and later thrived in the SEC.
The latest to transfer is Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire, who will play for Florida in 2017.
So what can the rest of the SEC expect? If recent history tells us anything, Zaire has a real chance at finding success in The Swamp.
SEC Country broke down the league’s top 10 transfer quarterbacks since 2010 and ranked them based on a number of criteria, including production, strength of schedule and overall team success.
10. Danny Etling, LSU
Previous school: Purdue Production: 59.5 percent completion percentage; 2,123 yards passing; 11 passing TDs; 5 INTs (10 starts) Record as starter: 7-3
The Cradle of College Quarterbacks produced not one, but two SEC starters last season. Etling was the first to jump ship, transferring to the Tigers in 2015, and he swiped the starting job from Brandon Harris just two games into last season. He had a respectable, if up-and-down, debut year in Death Valley, and it looks like he’ll remain LSU’s main man under center this fall.
9. Greyson Lambert, Georgia
Previous school: Virginia Production: 63.1 percent completion percentage; 1,959 yards passing; 12 passing TDs; 2 INTs (12 starts) Record as starter: 10-2
Nestled in between the Aaron Murray era and the Jacob Eason era was Lambert trying to bridge the gap following a series of high-profile quarterback recruiting misses for Georgia (Christian LeMay, Brice Ramsey, Jacob Park). In 2015, Brian Schottenheimer definitely wasn’t a hit at offensive coordinator, and the team’s best player, Nick Chubb, went down for the year in early October with a horrific knee injury.
Through it all, Lambert gave the Bulldogs what they needed behind center: An experienced player who minimized mistakes and completed the high-percentage passes. Sometimes he did more than that, like his 24-for-25, 330-yard passing performance against South Carolina. Based on what expectations were, the former UVA quarterback was quite alright.
8. Austin Appleby, Florida
Previous school: Purdue Production: 60.8 percent completion percentage; 1,447 yards passing; 10 passing TDs; 7 INTs (7 starts) Record as starter: 4-3
While it’s easy to dismiss Appleby because of the horrible offense he quarterbacked, consider this: He made six of his seven starts on the road or at a neutral site. His first came at Tennessee, where he threw for 296 yards and three touchdowns before the defense coughed up a 21-3 halftime lead. And who could forget that 98-yard pass to Tyrie Cleveland, which was the difference in UF’s 16-10 upset of LSU in Death Valley.
Four of Appleby’s matchups pitted him against a top25 defense, and it’s not like his offensive line (28 sacks allowed) did him too many favors in those games — Alabama and FSU combined for 10 sacks against the Gators.
7. Bo Wallace, Ole Miss
Previous school: Arkansas State
Production: 63 percent completion percentage; 9,534 yards passing; 944 yards rushing; 82 total TDs; 41 INTs (39 starts)
Record as starter: 24-15
Wallace won some big games over his three years after following Hugh Freeze to Oxford. The Rebels’ 2014 upset of Alabama, which saw him pass for 251 yards and three touchdowns, will define Wallace’s legacy.
6. Zach Mettenberger, LSU
Previous school: Georgia Production: 61.8 percent completion; 5,783 yards passing; 35 passing TDs; 15 INTs (25 starts) Record as starter: 19-6
After his well-publicized dismissal from Georgia landed him at a JUCO, Mettenberger transferred to LSU and enjoyed a fine two years as a starter. Mettenberger gave the Bayou Bengals some strong play, especially compared to other quarterbacks of the Les Miles years.
5. Trevor Knight, Texas A&M
Previous school: Oklahoma Production: 53.3 percent completion percentage; 2,432 yards passing; 614 yards rushing; 29 total TDs; 7 INTs (11 starts) Record as starter: 7-4
The post-Manziel Aggies somehow ran three promising young quarterbacks out of town, leaving them in dire need of a polished, experienced leader. Enter Knight, who not only filled those needs but also established himself as a legitimate game-changer with his fleet feet. Combined with Texas A&M’s deep receiving corps and improved offensive line play, Knight had a commendable year in College Station.
4. Jake Coker, Alabama
Previous school: Florida State
Production: 66.6 percent completion percentage; 3,513 yards passing; 25 passing TDs; 8 INTs (14 starts) Record as starter: 14-0
Coker didn’t have the most accurate arm, nor did he always make the best reads, but he did have a cannon and he gave Alabama the leadership it needed. The only game Nick Saban lost in 2015 was the one Coker didn’t start (Ole Miss), but it was the senior who rallied Bama in the weeks that followed.
On top of that, Coker played some of his best football in the postseason. He completed almost 73 percent of his passes for 825 yards and six touchdowns against Florida, Michigan State and Clemson, and left Tuscaloosa with a championship ring. Major points deserved.
3. Nick Marshall, Auburn
Previous school: Georgia Production: 60.2 percent completion percentage; 4,508 yards passing; 1,866 yards rushing; 57 total touchdowns 13 INTs (25 starts) Record as starter: 18-7
Marshall began his college career at UGA, where he signed to play defensive back, but after being dismissed for violating team rules he resurfaced at quarterback with the Tigers. The Georgia native quickly emerged as Gus Malzahn’s starter and led Auburn through one of the most remarkable turnaround seasons in SEC history.
The 2013 Tigers rode some crazy good mojo all the way into the BCS title game, where they lost to Jameis Winston-led Florida State, but Marshall may be most-remembered for his role during the miraculous Prayer at Jordan-Hare victory against his old team. That play just so happened to feature future Auburn safety Tray Matthews, because football is weird sometimes.
2. Chad Kelly, Ole Miss
Previous school: Clemson Production: 64 percent completion percentage; 6,800 yards passing; 841 yards rushing; 65 total TDs; 21 INTs (22 starts) Record as starter: 14-8
Kelly was a polarizing figure, largely because of mistakes he made before enrolling at Ole Miss, but there is no questioning Kelly’s arm talent. He grew into a prolific college quarterback with the Rebels, and although he had a penchant for being a little too reckless with the ball, it was a far cry from Wallace’s interception total.
Kelly beat Alabama and helped lead the Rebels to their first Sugar Bowl win in decades. It’s hard to beat that.
1. Cam Newton, Auburn
Previous school: Florida Production: 66.1 percent completion percentage; 2,854 yards passing; 1,473 yards rushing; 51 total TDs; 7 INTs (14 starts) Record as starter: 14-0
There was never any doubt who would earn the top spot in this ranking. Newton, Heisman winner, national champion and living Auburn legend, might go down as the best transfer quarterback of all time.
Few players have ever carried a team as far by themselves as Newton did with the Tigers, whose 2010 offense only produced two other NFL draft picks (Brandon Mosley and Lee Ziemba).