College football’s quarterback competitions heating up
The transfer portal has made tracking quarterbacks harder than ever. It’s also simplified offseason competitions across the Bowl Subdivision, as many quarterbacks mired in battles for the starting role will simply leave for another program and an easier path to the top of the depth chart.
There are still several competitions still undecided as college football gears up for the start of the regular season, That includes at the defending national champions, Michigan, which has to find the successor to J.J. McCarthy after last year’s unbeaten finish.
Another team with an unsettled battle is Auburn, which desperately needs to beef up its offense after struggling to get off the ground in Hugh Freeze’s first season.
Michigan
Contenders: Alex Orji (Jr.), Jack Tutone tle (Sr.), Davis Warren (Sr.)
Orji is the favorite to replace McCarthy after a strong spring, moving ahead of Warren and Tuttle despite making just
pass attempt in the past two seasons. Far more athletic and explosive than either of these other two options, Orji could bring a new and interesting dimension to the Wolverines’ offense. Tuttle has spent five seasons in the Big Ten and looked good in reserve last year, hitting on 15 of 17 attempts in limited duty behind McCarthy.
Projected winner: Orji. Tuttle has a higher floor but Orji could be the most dynamic Michigan quarterback since Denard Robinson.
Ohio State
Contenders:
Howard (Sr.)
Howard was brought in from Kansas State with the expectation that he’d replace former starter Kyle McCord, who transferred to Syracuse. After a slow start to his career with the Wildcats, Howard was one of the top passers in the Big 12 after taking over midway through the 2022 season. Brown lost last summer’s competition with McCord but is back for another attempt at grabbing one of the premier starting jobs in the FBS.
Devin Brown (So.), Will
Projected winner: Howard. He’s ready for the Big Ten after throwing for 24 touchdowns with another nine on the ground a year ago.
Auburn
Contenders: Hank Brown (RS Fr.), Holden Geriner (So.), Payton Thorne (Sr.)
After struggling in Hugh Freeze’s first season, Auburn is banking on increased experience in Freeze’s scheme to bolster an underperforming passing game. Thorne had a solid three-game stretch last October and November but was otherwise off the mark, finishing with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as the Tigers ranked last in the SEC and 121st nationally in yards per game. That’s forced Thorne to re-win the job this offseason, a task made easier by the fact that neither Brown not Geriner has made much of a move up the depth chart.
Projected winner: Thorne. He’ll keep the seat warm for true freshman Walker White, a top recruit and the future of the position for Freeze and the Tigers.
North Carolina
Contenders: Jacolby Criswell (Sr.), Conner Harrell (So.), Max Johnson (Sr.).
Harrell replaced Drake Maye for last year’s bowl loss to West Virginia, showing off both a big arm and the need for more seasoning. That led Mack Brown and UNC to pull in a pair of transfers: Criswell, who began his career with the Tar Heels before losing a competition to Maye and leaving for Arkansas, and Johnson, a reliable and productive starter at LSU and Texas A&M. Johnson threw 35 touchdowns against eight interceptions in two years with the Tigers and had five 200-yard games in a row for A&M in 2023 before suffering a season-ending injury in early November.
Projected winner: Johnson. He protects the football and has shown he can run an offense; reliability is never a bad thing, even if Harrell and Criswell would bring more to the table as runners.
Coastal Carolina
Contenders:
Noah Kim (Sr.), Ethan