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I'm sure you're all thinking this is just another thread about Tanner McKee... and you'd be right. But there's far more to it than that. In case you haven't noticed, there's an unusual youth movement taking place at the quarterback position. It's no small secret that quarterbacks have been arriving at the college level more game-ready than ever before. And this year is certainly no exception - just take a look at some of the programs below that have already started a true/redshirt freshman QB or are on the verge of doing so:
ALABAMA
* Bryce Young (R-FR.)
* D.J. Uiagaleilei (R-FR.)
* Hudson Card (R-FR.)
* C.J. Stroud (R-FR.)
MICHIGAN
* J.J. McCarthy (FR.)
NOTRE DAME
* Tyler Buchner (FR.)
STANFORD
* Tanner McKee (R-FR.)
* Jaxson Dart (FR.)
* Ty Thompson (FR.)
* Sam Huard (FR.)
* Jayden de Laura (R-FR.)
* Brendon Lewis (R-FR.)
* Will Plummer (FR.)
I'm sure you're all thinking this is just another thread about Tanner McKee... and you'd be right. But there's far more to it than that. In case you haven't noticed, there's an unusual youth movement taking place at the quarterback position. It's no small secret that quarterbacks have been arriving at the college level more game-ready than ever before. And this year is certainly no exception - just take a look at some of the programs below that have already started a true/redshirt freshman QB or are on the verge of doing so:
ALABAMA
* Bryce Young (R-FR.)
Notes: Former 5-star and next great signal caller for the Crimson Tide. Has already amassed 10 touchdowns through three games and looks like one of the early Heisman favorites.
CLEMSON* D.J. Uiagaleilei (R-FR.)
Notes: The successor to Trevor Lawrence has gotten off to a rocky start so far but remains in the driver's seat as Clemson's starting QB moving forward. Once he settles in, he should produce the same eye-popping numbers that Lawrence once did running OC Tony Elliot's offense.
TEXAS* Hudson Card (R-FR.)
Notes: Card won the offseason QB battle against Casey Thompson (R-JR.) only to lose the job after a disastrous Game 2 against Arkansas. The job now rests with Thompson but for how long? Many around the program believe it's only a matter of time until Sark turns the reins back over to Card. Time will ultimately tell but one thing's for sure: Thompson's grasp on the starting job is anything but secure.
OHIO STATE* C.J. Stroud (R-FR.)
Notes: The talented signal caller from Rancho Cucamonga started off the season guns blazing with a 4 TD performance over Minnesota. Over the past two weeks, however, he has fallen back down to earth a bit and finds himself under scrutiny after years of Dwayne Haskins and Justin Fields have set expectations sky high for Buckeye quarterbacks. While he's in no immediate danger of losing his job, the threat of early enrollee Quinn Ewers (FR.) will continue to linger until he picks up his play again.
MICHIGAN
* J.J. McCarthy (FR.)
Notes: Lost the offseason QB competition to Cade McNamara (R-SO.) but has received playing time in every game thus far. Given the prospect of Harbaugh burning his redshirt and continuing to insert him into the mix, it would seem as though the job may only belong to McNamara until McCarthy gets up to speed.
NOTRE DAME
* Tyler Buchner (FR.)
Notes: Entered the season 3rd on the QB depth chart behind Jack Coan (R-SR.) and Drew Pyne (R-FR.) but has already worked his way into the mix with a dual-threat capability that Coan simply does not possess. If Notre Dame continues to struggle as they have thus far then expect to only see more of Buchner, not less.
STANFORD
* Tanner McKee (R-FR.)
Notes: Won the starting QB job after rotating with Jack West (R-JR.) in Game 1. 2-0 as a starter and looks to be a high-caliber player for years to come. Not much else to be said that hasn't been said already.
USC* Jaxson Dart (FR.)
Notes: Won the backup QB job over the summer as a true freshman. Replaced Kedon Slovis (R-SO.) after he got injured against Wazzu and looked so good in relief duty that he may very well keep the job moving forward. Looks like a very dynamic QB with the kind of mobility that can challenge the defense in ways that Slovis never did. Interim HC Donte Williams has remained coy about naming a starter but has openly referred to the current QB situation as an "open competition". Stay tuned...
OREGON* Ty Thompson (FR.)
Notes: The former 5-star won the backup QB job this offseason; a rare development for a true freshman quarterback at Oregon. Last time that happened was when a quarterback by the name of Justin Herbert played his way from 6th string to freshman All-American in just one season. Out of all the aforementioned candidates, Thompson is the least likely to take over the starting job thanks to the presence of veteran signal-caller Anthony Brown (6TH). But if any unfortunate injury were to befall Brown, Thompson would 100% be the next man up.
WASHINGTON* Sam Huard (FR.)
Notes: The Huskies have gotten off to a nightmarish start and fans are already calling for OC Bush Hamdan's head. If the offense continues to sputter, don't be surprised to see Dylan Morris (R-SO.) get replaced by Husky legacy Sam Huard. The coaches got his feet wet with some live action against Arkansas State and may continue to ramp up his workload as the season progresses. Morris has always felt like more of a place holder to me and I suspect Huard will surpass him on the depth chart before season's end.
WASHINGTON STATE* Jayden de Laura (R-FR.)
Notes: After seizing the job as a true freshman and starting every game for the Cougars in 2020, de Laura lost the job to Tennessee transfer Jarrett Guarantano (R-SR.) only to reclaim it halfway through Game 1. He's gotten a little dinged up in the early going of the 2021 season but is far and away Wazzu's quarterback on the roster.
COLORADO* Brendon Lewis (R-FR.)
Notes: Everything I said about Tanner McKee except the exact opposite; anointed the starting QB by default (after a knee injury took out J.T. Shrout), 1-2 record as a starter, and has looked like hot garbage along the way. It will be nothing short of a miracle if he can somehow rebound from the awful performances he's put on tape against Texas A&M and Minnesota. For now, however, he may be all the Buffs have to work with.
ARIZONA* Will Plummer (FR.)
Notes: Speaking of hot garbage... woof! Neither Jordan McCloud (R-JR.), Gunner Cruz (R-SO.), or Plummer have been able to separate themselves throughout the first three games. After falling to Northern Arizona in Game 3, the season is all but lost as the Wildcats now look to anything that will give them hope for the future. Conventional wisdom suggests that they will eventually settle upon Will Plummer as his growing pains will be seen as a means to an end for more promising returns down the line.
TAKEAWAYS:
* For those keeping track, that's up to half of the Pac-12 that could be starting a freshman QB by the end of the season. The last time there were that many Year 1 and Year 2 quarterbacks starting at once was 2012 (Marcus Mariota at Oregon, Kevin Hogan at Stanford, Brett Hundley at UCLA, Sean Mannion at Oregon State, Travis Wilson at Utah, & Max Wittek/Cody Kessler at USC).
* As evidenced above, it is incredibly rare to see so many schools within the same conference reset at the QB position in the same given season. It is even more rare for a freshman/redshirt freshman to be the quarterback they ultimately turn to. But when those stars happen to align and freshmen QBs become multi-year starters, it creates a unique opportunity for fun and exciting quarterback rivalries to take shape (i.e. - Luck vs. Barkley, Hogan vs. Mariota, Darnold vs. Rosen, etc.).
* Speaking of which, I can already see an intriguing one brewing on the horizon: as fantastic as McKee has looked through his first two starts, Jaxson Dart has looked every bit as good. McKee won Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Week after throttling USC and Dart followed his act by taking home the award in Week 3 after pummeling Wazzu. This could be an exciting back-and-forth QB rivalry than not only extends throughout the season but sets the stage for years to come.
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