I wonder if the more-or-less continuous transfer portal and the fact that no one will be patient as a back-up QB, means teams will have to start playing multiple quarterbacks, like is done at running back and virtually every other position. Having one starting guy is nice but if you can't maintain depth at QB, teams might have find to more opportunities to rotate quarterbacks, due to the portal and NIL?
Playing multiple QBs?
- Thread starter TexasGamecockFan
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To me this is the only logical choice moving forward. Nothing is a guarantee anymore in College Football. I get that if the came is too close for comfort, obviously you're going to put the ball in the hands of your more experienced QB. However, the philosophy of a 1 system QB is a thing of the past. Michigan did quite well this year with McCarthy and Orji. I believe we could implement something similar with Sellers and Ashford. I know we are probably putting all of our eggs in a basket with Sellers. He has a very small sample size which was from the Furman game if I recall, however if we want ANY QB to improve this year, it MUST start with the O-Line. Our team will go as far as the O-Line goes.
Interesting thought for sure! With the unlimited transfer mess, if a kid sits behind a starter for one year, they're likely to jump to try to find an immediate starting position elsewhere. You could have a 4-man QB room, and after year one, all the non-starters jump because they want to start. Then, factor in that no one else wants to transfer anywhere to be a backup..... What a mess.
Can't see it happening. RBs rotate for very different reasons.
There's a reason you don't see many QB rotations. It's not typically very effective.
There's a reason you don't see many QB rotations. It's not typically very effective.
No one is suggesting that a quarterback rotation it is optimal from an offensive production standpoint, but instead a new reality of the portal. This year we had to replace 2 quarterbacks in the portal. My suggestion is that because of the portal you won't be able to keep a good back-up QB around unless you give him some significant playing time. With the portal as it currently operates you could be having to replace 2 quarterbacks every year unless you move away from a traditional 1 QB system.
On the other hand, you won't be able to keep a starting QB around if you're giving away significant snaps to the backup. The knife cuts both ways.
The simple reality is that true depth is going to become increasingly rare for most schools. For a lot of schools in the past, you were able to have a backup QB who was capable of being a starting QB. Shoot, guys used to wait their turn to start as a senior. Those days are gone. If a guy CAN start, he will, in most cases, go somewhere that he WILL start. A few of the elites will be able to have some true depth, but you saw even at UGA their QB room was overhauled b/c guys want to start.
For most programs, like us, we'll just be looking to have a starter and a serviceable backup. Look, we just brought in a guy who is a career 50% passer. That's the reality.
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I think if you take a 60% / 40% or 70% / 30% approach, depending on the skill differential between 1 and 2 you could potentially keep both happy enough to stick around. In a 1 QB system the back-up never sees the field unless there is injury or you are up by 21 points in the 4th quarter against a lower tier opponent. There might be a way to rotate QBs and still win games and not have complete turnover of the QB room every year.
I just can't imagine any starting QB who would be content to sit on the sideline for 40% of the game.
That aside, it's relevant to note the previous post that playing multiple QBs never really works all that well.
I believe it was Jim Carlen who said that if a team claims to have 2 QBs, it actually does not have even one.
This isn't the Jim Carlen era. This is an era with multiple annual transfer portals, no penalty for transfer and an NIL. Old-school quotes be what they may, I think after the QB turnover hit so many teams this year through the portal, you will see more rotations at QB as a practical matter of trying to avoid completely replacing your QB room after every transfer portal opening.
But you're missing the point: players are transferring b/c they want to start. No starting QB wants to sit for 30-40% of snaps.
1. QB rotations don't work in practice.
2. You end up with a disgruntled starter b/c you're taking snaps away from him.