Photo by: Liz Parke
More Questions Than Answers When It Comes to Big 12 Quarterbacks in 2019
July 16, 2019 12:36 PM | Football
ARLINGTON, Texas – There were two quarterbacks brought to Big 12 media days at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, this year.
That's telling.
It demonstrates just how unpredictable Saturdays could be in the conference this season.
"One of the things that we have seen in this league is great quarterbacks; they own it," Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said earlier this morning. "I think one of the things that has been really fun about competing in this league the last three years is great quarterback play. You're not really competing against an offensive coordinator, you're competing against a quarterback who is owning the offense.
"He's running the show. The great ones – the elite ones we've seen come through this conference – they certainly have done that," Campbell added.
Of the two guys the other nine coaches brought here to Arlington, one is established - Texas' Sam Ehlinger - and the other really isn't - Kansas State's Skylar Thompson, who will be playing in a brand new offensive system under first-year coach Chris Klieman.
Campbell didn't bring sophomore Brock Purdy, but West Virginia fans are well aware of what Purdy is capable of doing in or out of the pocket.
Baylor's Charlie Brewer Jr. also isn't here, and although he had a miserable night in Morgantown last October, he finished the year with a flourish by leading the Bears to season-ending victories over Texas Tech and Vanderbilt in the Texas Bowl.
It's now his second season paired with coach Matt Rhule and those two certainly have Baylor trending upward.
Texas Tech left sophomore Alan Bowman back in Lubbock, but the Red Raiders will be happy to bring him to a campus near you this fall. Yet Bowman, like Thompson, will have to familiarize himself with a new offense transitioning from Kliff Kingsbury's gun-slinging style to the system Matt Wells is bringing to Texas Tech from Utah State.
Once you get past those four, though, there are many, many questions.
Oklahoma appears to be in tremendous shape with Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts stepping in for Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray, but can Hurts duplicate what Murray did in Norman last year or what Baker Mayfield did during his Heisman Trophy campaign in 2017?
"(Hurts) brings game experience that Baker and Kyler did not have when they got here, but also doesn't have as much experience in the system," Sooner coach Lincoln Riley said yesterday.
If Hurts can somehow come close to matching what Mayfield did in 2017 or what Murray accomplished in 2018 then Riley deserves to add Quarterback Whisperer to his impressive list of coaching accolades.
TCU will look to Kansas State transfer Alex Denton, or to Penn transfer Matt Collins, or to Ohio State transfer Matthew Baldwin or to the three other quarterbacks coach Gary Patterson mentioned yesterday.
"I always found when you have a high competition level, as a general rule, you end up with a better product," Patterson said.
At the very minimum, Patterson certainly has competition if he's mentioning all six.
Oklahoma State, if Phil Steele is to be believed, will turn to redshirt freshman Spencer Sanders behind center to take over for departed senior Taylor Cornelius – the guy who ruined West Virginia's 2018 season, if you recall.
Veteran coach Mike Gundy always seems to pull a rabbit out of a hat whenever it comes to his quarterbacks, but this year will be the first time since 2012 that he will start a season with a quarterback who has not attempted a single pass the prior year.
New 65-year-old Kansas coach Les Miles (how about that?) accomplished great things at Oklahoma State and LSU, but quarterback development was never considered one of his strong suits.
What he's got to work with in Lawrence is uncertain at best – either Pitt transfer Thomas MacVittie or Carter Stanley, who attempted only four passes against West Virginia last year before being pulled for Peyton Bender.
"We think both men have that opportunity to step to the field and give us great or good quarterback play," Miles said.
Will good or even great be enough for a Jayhawk program that has won just six games in the last four years?
And of course here at West Virginia, it's going to be a coin flip between Oklahoma transfer Austin Kendall and former Miami transfer Jack Allison, who had his moments in a 34-18 Camping World Bowl loss to Syracuse last December.
Allison has attempted 45 college passes at WVU while Kendall threw 39 during his two seasons playing as Oklahoma's backup.
That's not a lot.
"We're young and inexperienced, and I'm not sure what we're going to look like this fall," first-year coach Neal Brown admitted this morning.
In this regard, Brown has plenty of company as he completes final preparations before assembling his team for the start of preseason training camp in a couple of weeks.
Stay tuned.
That's telling.
It demonstrates just how unpredictable Saturdays could be in the conference this season.
"One of the things that we have seen in this league is great quarterbacks; they own it," Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said earlier this morning. "I think one of the things that has been really fun about competing in this league the last three years is great quarterback play. You're not really competing against an offensive coordinator, you're competing against a quarterback who is owning the offense.
"He's running the show. The great ones – the elite ones we've seen come through this conference – they certainly have done that," Campbell added.
Of the two guys the other nine coaches brought here to Arlington, one is established - Texas' Sam Ehlinger - and the other really isn't - Kansas State's Skylar Thompson, who will be playing in a brand new offensive system under first-year coach Chris Klieman.
Campbell didn't bring sophomore Brock Purdy, but West Virginia fans are well aware of what Purdy is capable of doing in or out of the pocket.
Baylor's Charlie Brewer Jr. also isn't here, and although he had a miserable night in Morgantown last October, he finished the year with a flourish by leading the Bears to season-ending victories over Texas Tech and Vanderbilt in the Texas Bowl.
It's now his second season paired with coach Matt Rhule and those two certainly have Baylor trending upward.
Texas Tech left sophomore Alan Bowman back in Lubbock, but the Red Raiders will be happy to bring him to a campus near you this fall. Yet Bowman, like Thompson, will have to familiarize himself with a new offense transitioning from Kliff Kingsbury's gun-slinging style to the system Matt Wells is bringing to Texas Tech from Utah State.
Once you get past those four, though, there are many, many questions.
Oklahoma appears to be in tremendous shape with Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts stepping in for Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray, but can Hurts duplicate what Murray did in Norman last year or what Baker Mayfield did during his Heisman Trophy campaign in 2017?
"(Hurts) brings game experience that Baker and Kyler did not have when they got here, but also doesn't have as much experience in the system," Sooner coach Lincoln Riley said yesterday.
If Hurts can somehow come close to matching what Mayfield did in 2017 or what Murray accomplished in 2018 then Riley deserves to add Quarterback Whisperer to his impressive list of coaching accolades.
TCU will look to Kansas State transfer Alex Denton, or to Penn transfer Matt Collins, or to Ohio State transfer Matthew Baldwin or to the three other quarterbacks coach Gary Patterson mentioned yesterday.
"I always found when you have a high competition level, as a general rule, you end up with a better product," Patterson said.
At the very minimum, Patterson certainly has competition if he's mentioning all six.
Oklahoma State, if Phil Steele is to be believed, will turn to redshirt freshman Spencer Sanders behind center to take over for departed senior Taylor Cornelius – the guy who ruined West Virginia's 2018 season, if you recall.
Veteran coach Mike Gundy always seems to pull a rabbit out of a hat whenever it comes to his quarterbacks, but this year will be the first time since 2012 that he will start a season with a quarterback who has not attempted a single pass the prior year.
New 65-year-old Kansas coach Les Miles (how about that?) accomplished great things at Oklahoma State and LSU, but quarterback development was never considered one of his strong suits.
What he's got to work with in Lawrence is uncertain at best – either Pitt transfer Thomas MacVittie or Carter Stanley, who attempted only four passes against West Virginia last year before being pulled for Peyton Bender.
"We think both men have that opportunity to step to the field and give us great or good quarterback play," Miles said.
Will good or even great be enough for a Jayhawk program that has won just six games in the last four years?
And of course here at West Virginia, it's going to be a coin flip between Oklahoma transfer Austin Kendall and former Miami transfer Jack Allison, who had his moments in a 34-18 Camping World Bowl loss to Syracuse last December.
Allison has attempted 45 college passes at WVU while Kendall threw 39 during his two seasons playing as Oklahoma's backup.
That's not a lot.
"We're young and inexperienced, and I'm not sure what we're going to look like this fall," first-year coach Neal Brown admitted this morning.
In this regard, Brown has plenty of company as he completes final preparations before assembling his team for the start of preseason training camp in a couple of weeks.
Stay tuned.
Players Mentioned
QB
/ FootballRich Rodriguez | Dec. 3
Wednesday, December 03
Reid Carrico | Nov. 29
Saturday, November 29
Jeff Weimer | Nov. 29
Saturday, November 29
Rich Rodriguez | Nov. 29
Saturday, November 29
