College football’s biggest QB battles
Quarterback Jalen Hurts’ comments this month — that the team’s decision at quarterback “has always been the elephant in the room” — were noteworthy in one respect: For the first time, someone at Alabama admitted to the mere existence of an offseason competition.
With just weeks until kickoff across the Football Bowl Subdivision, here’s a glance at the state of several ongoing quarterback battles.
Alabama
Jalen Hurts (Jr.) and Tua Tagovailoa (So.) — Tagovailoa has been the projected starter since the final pass of last season, which the then-freshman lofted into the arms of wide receiver DeVonta Smith to capture the Tide’s latest national championship. So you can see the genesis of Hurts’ comments: In what scenario would Nick Saban pull Tagovailoa back out of the lineup and reinsert Hurts into the starting role?
Saban’s pick isn’t official. There are two questions unanswered. What sort of changes would Tagovailoa bring to the Tide as the full-time starter? And with his odds of retaking the role dwindling, will Hurts opt to stay at Alabama through his junior year or transfer before the start of the regular season?
Clemson
Kelly Bryant (Sr.) and Trevor Lawrence (Fr.) — It’s not that Bryant has done anything to show the staff that he isn’t capable of leading the Tigers back to the College Football Playoff, it’s just that Lawrence has been that good since stepping on campus as one of the top recruits in the country. It’s possible that Bryant won’t lose the job but that Lawrence will simply take it away.
Back in the spring and early summer, the idea that Lawrence would supplant a senior atop the depth chart seemed a stretch. That’s no longer the case. Lawrence is a very real contender to grab the job heading into the opener, which would allow the freshman to get acclimated to the position before an important road trip to Texas A&M.
Southern California
JT Daniels (Fr.), Matt Fink (So.) and Jack Sears (RS Fr.) — Another competition that isn’t technically settled, though a clear favorite has emerged: Daniels, who reclassified into the recruiting class of 2018 and joined the Trojans this summer, has been pegged as Sam Darnold’s replacement since signing day in February.
For Fink and Sears, the spring provided an opportunity to create some distance in the competition.
Unfortunately, neither took advantage. It would be a surprise if anyone other than Daniels started against UNLV on Sept. 1.
Nebraska
Tristan Gebbia (RS Fr.) and Adrian Martinez (Fr.) — There’s something meaningful about a new coach’s handpicked quarterback of the future — as is Martinez with Scott Frost. Based on his size, athleticism and potential, Martinez fits what Frost was looking for from the position in his debut recruiting class with the Cornhuskers.
But the staff knows what Gebbia can bring to the table.