College Football Free Agency: QB Carousel
Fans get very excited for free agency in the NFL and NBA because it gives their teams a chance to improve by adding good players from other teams. In college sports, once you commit to a school, you are typically tied to that school for 4-5 years. Although, lately a major trend has been graduate seniors transferring (a trend that began with Russell Wilson a few years ago).
With that process, college football now has it's own type of free agency in place. A way for players to find the best opportunity to succeed and win for their senior seasons. Other guys transfer simply because the coach they liked might have been fired and they might have lost their position. No 5 star QB out of high school wants to sit for 2-3 years. So players get restless and move on.
As the 2015 season kicks off this week, five high profile schools have new starting QBs. All of whom are transfers, not recruits and most came to the schools within recent months (with one notable exception).
Here are the list of the high profile schools/players who will be attending classes at a different University this fall.
Everett Golson, Florida State
2014 Season w/Notre Dame: 3,445 passing yds, 29 TD, 14 INT, 60% comp in 13 games
Golson was named the starter on Monday beating out Sean McGuire to win the starting job. Golson helped lead the Irish to the National title game in 2012, before sitting out all of 2013. He'll finish his career in Tallahassee where he has the responsibility of replacing former Heisman trophy winner Jameis Winston.
Vernon Adams, Oregon
2014 Season w/Eastern Washington: 3,483 passing yds, 35 pass TDs, 6 rush TDs, 8 INT, 66% comp
Adams beat out incumbent Jeff Lockie for the right to replace 2014 Heisman trophy winner, Marcus Mariota. Adams was one of the top QBs in FCS in 2014 and will actually begin his career against his former team this week. Adams has dual threat ability that Lockie didn't have, which made him attractive to Oregon coaches.
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
2013 w/Texas Tech: 2,315 yds, 14 TD, 9 INT, 64% comp in 8 games
Mayfield left Texas Tech two years ago and sat out the 2014 season. Trevor Knight's poor performance in 2014 opened the door for Mayfield to win the job and start in 2015. With Semaje Perrine at RB and a new Offensive Coordinator in Lincoln Riley, the Sooners offense has a chance to be extremely prolific, which could make up for the holes they have on defense.
Jake Rudock, Michigan
2014 w/Iowa: 2,436 yds, 16 TDs, 5 INT, 61% comp in 12 games
Rudock played 25 games the last two years for Iowa, which gives him the edge over Shane Morris in the QB battle. Also in his favor is a clean slate by new coach Jim Harbaugh. Despite stats that don't jump off the page, Rudock brings toughness and experience to a Wolverines team in need of both.
Greyson Lambert, Georgia
2014 w/Virginia: 1,652 yds, 10 TD, 11 INT, 59% comp in 9 games
Lambert staring over Brice Ramsey and Faton Bauta is a bit of a surpirse, considering Lambert just joined the Bulldogs less than two months ago. He also joined a top 10 team after losing the QB competition at Virginia, a team who has failed to make a bowl game the last two years. Lambert's role with Georgia will be to simply manage games and hand the ball to RB Nick Chubb. Of course, that was the QB's role last year with Todd Gurley and it still wasn't that simple.
Other QBs from not so major programs include:
Jeff Driskel, Louisiana Tech
2014 w/Florida: 1,140 yds, 9 TD, 10 INT, 53% comp in 9 games
Driskel was atrocious for the Gators in 2014, to put it lightly. After being a highly touted recruit, he was never able to figure it out in Gainseville and a lack of playmakers on offense only added to his troubles.
Max Wittek, Hawaii
Wittek was a 4 star, top 100 prospect out of high school but never panned out at USC. So he will take his talents to the islands of Hawaii and try to revive a program that is 8-29 the last 3 years.
Cody Clements, South Alabama
Clements started 11 games for UAB last year and transferred after the football team disbanded. Joey Jones is a rising head coach and gets a QB who threw for 2,227 yards, 14 TDs and 11 INTs a year ago.
Cameron Coffman, Wyoming
Coffman threw for 2,734 yards and 15 TDs in 2012 at Indiana and will be help further build momentum on an offense that averaged 227 yards passing per game a year ago.
Connor Brewer, Virgina:
Brewer is now on his third team, and actually replaces Greyson Lambert at Virginia. After beginning his career at Texas and moving onto Arizona, Brewer will backup Matt Johns for his final season.
Daxx Garman, Maryland:
After losing his starting job at the end of last season to Mason Rudolph, Garman has been competing for the starting job at Maryland, but recently lost out to Perry Hills.
With that process, college football now has it's own type of free agency in place. A way for players to find the best opportunity to succeed and win for their senior seasons. Other guys transfer simply because the coach they liked might have been fired and they might have lost their position. No 5 star QB out of high school wants to sit for 2-3 years. So players get restless and move on.
As the 2015 season kicks off this week, five high profile schools have new starting QBs. All of whom are transfers, not recruits and most came to the schools within recent months (with one notable exception).
Here are the list of the high profile schools/players who will be attending classes at a different University this fall.
Everett Golson, Florida State
2014 Season w/Notre Dame: 3,445 passing yds, 29 TD, 14 INT, 60% comp in 13 games
Golson was named the starter on Monday beating out Sean McGuire to win the starting job. Golson helped lead the Irish to the National title game in 2012, before sitting out all of 2013. He'll finish his career in Tallahassee where he has the responsibility of replacing former Heisman trophy winner Jameis Winston.
Vernon Adams, Oregon
2014 Season w/Eastern Washington: 3,483 passing yds, 35 pass TDs, 6 rush TDs, 8 INT, 66% comp
Adams beat out incumbent Jeff Lockie for the right to replace 2014 Heisman trophy winner, Marcus Mariota. Adams was one of the top QBs in FCS in 2014 and will actually begin his career against his former team this week. Adams has dual threat ability that Lockie didn't have, which made him attractive to Oregon coaches.
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
2013 w/Texas Tech: 2,315 yds, 14 TD, 9 INT, 64% comp in 8 games
Mayfield left Texas Tech two years ago and sat out the 2014 season. Trevor Knight's poor performance in 2014 opened the door for Mayfield to win the job and start in 2015. With Semaje Perrine at RB and a new Offensive Coordinator in Lincoln Riley, the Sooners offense has a chance to be extremely prolific, which could make up for the holes they have on defense.
Jake Rudock, Michigan
2014 w/Iowa: 2,436 yds, 16 TDs, 5 INT, 61% comp in 12 games
Rudock played 25 games the last two years for Iowa, which gives him the edge over Shane Morris in the QB battle. Also in his favor is a clean slate by new coach Jim Harbaugh. Despite stats that don't jump off the page, Rudock brings toughness and experience to a Wolverines team in need of both.
Greyson Lambert, Georgia
2014 w/Virginia: 1,652 yds, 10 TD, 11 INT, 59% comp in 9 games
Lambert staring over Brice Ramsey and Faton Bauta is a bit of a surpirse, considering Lambert just joined the Bulldogs less than two months ago. He also joined a top 10 team after losing the QB competition at Virginia, a team who has failed to make a bowl game the last two years. Lambert's role with Georgia will be to simply manage games and hand the ball to RB Nick Chubb. Of course, that was the QB's role last year with Todd Gurley and it still wasn't that simple.
Other QBs from not so major programs include:
Jeff Driskel, Louisiana Tech
2014 w/Florida: 1,140 yds, 9 TD, 10 INT, 53% comp in 9 games
Driskel was atrocious for the Gators in 2014, to put it lightly. After being a highly touted recruit, he was never able to figure it out in Gainseville and a lack of playmakers on offense only added to his troubles.
Max Wittek, Hawaii
Wittek was a 4 star, top 100 prospect out of high school but never panned out at USC. So he will take his talents to the islands of Hawaii and try to revive a program that is 8-29 the last 3 years.
Cody Clements, South Alabama
Clements started 11 games for UAB last year and transferred after the football team disbanded. Joey Jones is a rising head coach and gets a QB who threw for 2,227 yards, 14 TDs and 11 INTs a year ago.
Cameron Coffman, Wyoming
Coffman threw for 2,734 yards and 15 TDs in 2012 at Indiana and will be help further build momentum on an offense that averaged 227 yards passing per game a year ago.
Connor Brewer, Virgina:
Brewer is now on his third team, and actually replaces Greyson Lambert at Virginia. After beginning his career at Texas and moving onto Arizona, Brewer will backup Matt Johns for his final season.
Daxx Garman, Maryland:
After losing his starting job at the end of last season to Mason Rudolph, Garman has been competing for the starting job at Maryland, but recently lost out to Perry Hills.
No comments