Seven of the 12 teams in the American Athletic Conference return their top passer in 2017. Other programs will head into spring practice with more questions than answers at the position. Here is a quick ranking of the position heading into spring:
1. Memphis: Riley Ferguson thrived in the offense last season, passing for more than 3,698 yards and a school-record 32 touchdowns for a Tigers team that ranked second in the league in passing offense. Darrell Dickey steps into the offensive coordinator role after the departure of Chip Long left to take the same job at Notre Dame. Brady Davis and David Moore along with incoming freshmen Connor Adair and La’Andre Thomas will battle to backup the former junior college transfer.
2. USF: Quinton Flowers earned all-conference offensive player of the year honors after leading the league in total offense (4,342 yards) while also being one of two quarterbacks to rush for at least 1,500 yards while passing for at least 2,000 yards in a season. New offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert has a track record of developing high-scoring offenses and he’ll try to do the same with the Bulls. The biggest issue will be depth with Brett Kean as the only experienced backup on the roster.
3. SMU: The Mustangs went from dead-last in the conference in passing offense in 2014 to fifth in 2016 thanks to Chad Morris and offensive coordinator Joe Craddock. Matt Davis thrived in 2015 but a season-ending injury forced Ben Hicks into the starting role in 2016 and the true freshman passed for 2,930 yards and 19 touchdowns. Davis hopes for a sixth year from the NCAA but if not Hicks could return as the starter especially if he can cut down on his turnovers.
4. Houston: The competition to replace Greg Ward Jr. at quarterback will come down to holdover Kyle Postma, Texas A&M transfer Kyle Allen and sophomore D’Eriq King. Postma appeared in 20 games for the Cougars but only has two career starts under his belt. Allen, who started more than a handful of games with the Aggies, was the No. 1 overall quarterback in the nation in 2014 and the most likely to succeed Ward for the starting job.
5. UCF: McKenzie Milton stepped into the starting role two games into last season as the true freshman seemed a better fit in Scott Frost’s offense than anyone else on the roster. Milton finished with 2,100 total yards of offense but suffered through your typical freshman struggles including turning the ball over 12 times. The biggest issues facing UCF is the lack of depth behind Milton with the departures of Justin Holman and Nick Patti and the transfers of Tyler Harris and Garrett Kruczek.
6. Cincinnati: New Bearcats coach Luke Fickell will have the luxury of having holdover Hayden Moore back at quarterback in 2017. In seven appearances – six of those starts – Moore accounted for close to 1,800 yards with 11 passing touchdowns. He’ll be pushed for the starting job this spring by sophomore Ross Trail and Ohio State transfer Torrance Gibson.
Frank Vogel previews the Orlando Magic’s game against the Houston Rockets in this video
Frank Vogel previews the Orlando Magic’s game against the Houston Rockets in this video
Frank Vogel previews the Orlando Magic’s game against the Houston Rockets in this video
Frank Vogel previews the Orlando Magic’s game against the Houston Rockets in this video
James White, running back of the New England Patriots, stars in the Disney Super Bowl celebration parade at Magic Kingdom.
James White, running back of the New England Patriots, stars in the Disney Super Bowl celebration parade at Magic Kingdom.
According to a release on the team website, Johnson’s duties will include collaborating with coaches and evaluating and mentoring players. (Feb. 3, 2017)
According to a release on the team website, Johnson’s duties will include collaborating with coaches and evaluating and mentoring players. (Feb. 3, 2017)
Frank Vogel discusses the Orlando Magic’s 113-86 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in this postgame video
Frank Vogel discusses the Orlando Magic’s 113-86 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in this postgame video
Evan Fournier discusses the Orlando Magic’s 113-86 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in this postgame video
Evan Fournier discusses the Orlando Magic’s 113-86 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in this postgame video
7. East Carolina: For the third consecutive season, East Carolina will enter fall with a new face at quarterback. Gardner Minshew, who was the primary backup to Philip Nelson last season, comes into spring as the early favorite despite only having one career start under his belt. Freshman Kingsley Ifedi and redshirt freshman Reid Herring could provide a spark as well.
Ten early enrollees to keep an eye on in 2017 »
8. Tulsa: Dane Evans leaves some big shoes to fill at quarterback after the three-year starter finished his career having thrown for more than 11,000 yards with 84 touchdowns. Backup Ryan Rubley’s decision to transfer leaves the position in flux with junior Chad President and Will Hefley as the most likely candidates to battle it out in spring practice.
2017 college spring football game schedule »
9. Tulane: The Green Wave will head into spring practices with a quarterback competition in place thanks to the addition of junior college transfer Jonathan Banks, who joins Glen Cuiellette and Johnathan Brantley from last year’s squad. Tulane finished near the bottom of the league in total offense with Willie Fritz’s team averaging less than 20 points per game.
10. Navy: Much like East Carolina, Navy begins the 2017 season searching for a new starting quarterback. Will Worth capped off his career by rushing for 2,500 yards and 33 touchdowns and his backup sophomore Zach Abey could wind up step up to take his place. Abey has one career start – against Army – and could see competition from Malcom Perry.
With running comes risk and despite quarterback Bryant Shirreffs’ ability (503 yards on 154 carries last season), UConn coaches are going to try and keep him in the pocket more for his own good.
With running comes risk and despite quarterback Bryant Shirreffs’ ability (503 yards on 154 carries last season), UConn coaches are going to try and keep him in the pocket more for his own good.
11. UConn: The good news for Huskies fans is there is nowhere to go but up at least offensively. The team ranked dead-last in the country in scoring offense (14.8 points per game) in 2016 and new offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee inherits a roster with five quarterbacks including incumbent Bryant Shirreffs, who lost the starting job to Donovan Williams nine-games into last season. The three incoming freshmen including Dr. Phillips High star Marvin Washington could also compete for the job.
12. Temple: Phillip Walker set just about every school record a quarterback could possibly set while at Temple. His graduation leaves new coach Geoff Collins with a roster lacking much experience. Holdovers Logan Marchi and Frank Nutile have played in six total games – none as a starter – and Anthony Russo has yet to take a live snap in college.
mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Follow Matt Murschel on Twitter at @osmattmurschel or like his Facebook page for more college football coverage.
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