The quarterback transfer market kicked off earlier than ever this year with Michigan’s Wilton Speight and Ole Miss’ Shea Patterson announcing their intention to switch schools before the calendar reach mid-December.
But they’ll be far from alone.
Pittsburgh’s Ben DiNucci and Thomas MacVittie , along with Washington’s K.J. Carta-Samuels, will transfer as well. They’ll surely be joined by a lengthy list of passers this offseason. After all, 46.9 percent of four and five-star quarterbacks from 2011 to 2014 opted to transfer. What’s more, 52.6 percent of Elite 11 QBs transferred from 2009 to 2013. It’s commonplace, and that transfer-oriented mindset in college football means several notable quarterbacks will face decisions this offseason.
247Sports look at some of those below. We want to stress this is only a speculative look forward; these quarterbacks have not given any indication that they’re transferring. This is simply a list of quarterbacks whose situations might dictate the move. The quarterback transfer market is now a bustling and lively place for both players and teams looking for fresh answers, and it’s important to consider college football’s version of free agency before it begins in earnest.
With that in mind, here are a few quarterbacks to keep an eye on this offseason.
2014 Class QBs
Kyle Allen, Houston – Allen, the top-ranked QB in the 2014 class who began his career at Texas A&M, started Houston’s first three games this season, completed 76.2 percent of his passes and led the Cougars to a 2-1 start. Not bad, right? But Allen also threw four interceptions against four touchdowns, which led to his benching. Allen, a redshirt junior, threw just once more the rest of the season. It’d be a huge surprise to see Allen finish out his career in Houston, where D’Eriq King seemed to grab a stranglehold on the starting job to end the year. Allen, if he transfers, would be eligible immediately at the school of his choosing.
Keller Chryst, Stanford – Chryst opened the season as Stanford’s starter. But by the end of 2017, the job belonged to sophomore QB KJ Costello. A highly-decorated signal caller in the 2016 class, Costello played well, completing 59 percent of his passes and throwing 11 touchdowns against two interceptions. He also led the Cardinal to victories over both Washington and Notre Dame. Chryst, the No. 53 overall player in the 2014 class, still has a year of eligibility remaining. In this situation, Chryst should perhaps take a lesson from his teammate Ryan Burns. Burns could’ve grad transferred this offseason. Instead, he chose to return to Stanford and threw just seven passes all year. There are worst places than Palo Alto to finish up your college career, but Chryst is talented enough to play elsewhere if he chose to.
Brandon Dawkins, Arizona – Khalil Tate emerged as a supernova for Arizona midseason and cemented himself as one of college football’s rising stars. That’s great for everyone with the Wildcats … except for Dawkins. Arizona’s starter the team’s first four games, Dawkins was injured in the first half Week 5 against Colorado. That gave Tate a crack of space to run through, and the sophomore took advantage. Dawkins lost his starting job as a result and he's not going to get it back. That usually results in a transfer decision, especially when one can do so without penalty like Dawkins entering his fifth year of eligibility. Dawkins completed 64.4 percent of his passes this season and also had a 6.7 yards per carry average.
Jalan McClendon, NC State – A four-star prospect in the 2014 class, McClendon’s been a good soldier for the Wolfpack. He’s backed up both Jacoby Brissett and Ryan Finley. He’s also won some big games for N.C. State – like in 2016 when he led the Wolfpack to a victory over Notre Dame in a hurricane. But with Finley, one of the most accurate QBs in all of football, able to return for his senior season, McClendon needs to seek opportunity elsewhere if he hopes to play. McClendon is an interesting talent at 6-foot-5, 221 pounds. Stuck behind Finley, it would make a lot of sense if he explored grad transfer opportunities. But if Finely decided to test the NFL waters, which is a possibility considering some mock drafts have him slotted as a first rounder, consider this entire section moot.
2015 Class
Brady White, Arizona State – The No. 68 overall prospect in the 2015 class, it’s been a rough three years for White at Arizona State. He redshirted as a true freshman. He had his sophomore season and first career start ended early by injury. In 2017, White served as the Sun Devils’ third-string QB behind Manny Wilkins and Blake Barnett. Both Wilkins and Barnett are slated to return in 2018. There will likely be a quarterback battle with a new head coach coming in. But it’s hard to see White emerging from that group. If White opted to transfer, he’d have a chance to start anew and potentially play.
Quinten Dormady, Tennessee – You never know how a new coaching staff can reset a quarterback competition, but it’s going to be an uphill battle for Dormady. First, Jarrett Guarantano simply played better than Dormady did in 2017 in a similar amount of time. Guarantano threw 139 passes and Dormady threw 137, but Guarantano completed 61.9 percent of his passes vs. 55.5 percent for Dormady. Guarantano also threw just two interceptions compared to six for Dormady. Add in the fact Dormady is coming off shoulder surgery, and it’s tough to envision him winning his job back. That said, the rising senior could still contribute elsewhere. While turnover prone, Dormady led the Vols to a 3-2 record as a starter compared to 1-7 record for Guarantano.
Ryan Boyle, Iowa – After switching to wide receiver as a junior, Boyle had a change of heart this offseason and moved back to quarterback. Boyle, 247Sports’ No. 12 dual-threat QB in the 2015 class, served as the Hawkeyes’ third-string QB all year and did not travel to Nebraska for the team’s regular season finale. Boyle wants to play QB and hasn’t played at all, which is usually a recipe for a transfer. And considering Nathan Stanley isn’t going anywhere this offseason, it seems rather likely Boyle will move on. Watch out for Stanley’s backup, rising fifth-year senior Tyler Wiegers, as well.
Tommy Stevens, Penn State – Stevens will have a decision to make this offseason. In fact, he’s already said he’ll decide this offseason whether he'll stay or go. Here’s the skinny with Stevens. He lost Penn State’s QB battle to Trace McSorley during his redshirt freshman season in 2016. In the time since, McSorley’s emerged as one of the nation’s top passers. McSorley also has a year of eligibility remaining. If Stevens stays, he wouldn’t start until 2019 — his last year of eligibility. If he leaves, he’d likely be eligible immediately as a former early enrollee with two years remaining to play elsewhere. It’s a tough decision for a talented passer. But if Stevens leaves, he’ll be highly-sought after by teams that run up-tempo systems.
Joe Burrow, Ohio State – Another rather interesting case in the Big Ten East, Burrow is a talented quarterback once thought of as the successor to J.T. Barrett. But there are no guarantees in a crowded quarterback room that includes Dwayne Haskins and former start recruit Tate Martell, who is a true freshman. Burrow, a rising redshirt junior, could stay during the spring and see where he stands. But if Burrow falls behind Haskins, which is what occurred during the 2017 season after Burrow suffered an injury, he could be an interesting transfer case. Burrow’s flashed well in limited action during his career completing 74 percent of his passes and throwing two touchdowns
Jacob Eason, Georgia – I covered Eason’s situation extensively earlier this week. But the basics of the situation are the former five-star passer is stuck between true freshman star Jake Fromm and incoming star recruit Justin Fields. Eason, who started for Georgia as a true freshman, lost his starting job due to injury after holding off Fromm during spring ball. Eason could well stay at the school he loves and compete with Fromm and Fields, but players like Fromm are rarely unseated barring injury – like what happened with Eason. If Eason left, he’d be forced to sit out a year due to NCAA transfer rules. But he also wouldn’t be short on options.
Austin Kendall, Oklahoma – Baker Mayfield’s backup during the 2015 season, Kendall seemed to be next in line at Norman. Then Kyler Murray arrived. Kendall and Murray competed for the backup job during the fall. Murray won, and Kendall ending up redshirting this year. Heading into next season, Mayfield is gone but Murray seems to have the starting job locked up. That leaves Kendall with two choices. He can stay during his redshirt sophomore year and backup Murray, who has two years eligibility remaining, or transfer and try to establish himself elsewhere. Kendall, the No. 190 overall prospect in the 2016 class, is a highly-regarded signal caller from North Carolina. If he left, there would be suitors.
Shane Buechele, Texas – Easily one of the most interesting cases on this list, Buechele could be put in an odd position this offseason. Texas’ season-opening starter the last two years, Buechele’s played well when healthy. In 2017, he completed 65.8 percent of his passes, threw for 1.350 yards and went 3-2 during games in which he played the entire contest. Sounds pretty good for a sophomore quarterback with a spotty offensive line, right? Only problem is Buechele’s backup, Sam Ehlinger, carved out a starting role when Buechele was out with injury. Ehlinger is the better runner of the two and has shown the ability to take more of a beating than Buechele. Also, it doesn't hurt that Tom Herman loves Ehlinger. Those two quarterbacks will again compete in the spring. If Buechele wins the job, which is possible, this section is moot. But if Ehlinger wins, it’ll be interesting to see how Buechele handles things.
Author
Chris Hummer @chris_hummer
https://247sports.com/Article/College-fo...-112556348 via @247Sports
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Stay or go: CFB quarterbacks with transfer decisions in 2018
