JD PicKell reveals which quarterbacks could be 2023's biggest 'Cinderella' story

There are a lot of different storylines floating around college football as programs gear up for the 2023 season. On a recent episode of The Hard Count, On3’s J.D PicKell tackled one of the more interesting ones courtesy of a fan-asked question.

The college football expert was challenged with answering the question of which quarterback could be the biggest Cinderella story of the season. And his answer isn’t exactly what you think of a Cinderella-esque story.

“It’s hard to say someone who’s not being talked about,” said PicKell. “Because when I read this question, my immediate thought was Tyler Buchner. And it’s not that it’s not being talked about; it’s just think about the situation he’s walking into. A lot of people are saying, oh, it’s just because Tommy Reese is there.

“He’s the epitome of what Alabama is right now. They’re just kind of scratching and clawing, trying to find a quarterback. Like, how Cinderella-esque would it be for Tyler Buchner to step in there and lead Alabama to an SEC title? I think that would be a Cinderella story in a lot of ways: (he) didn’t win the job at Notre Dame, (and) got a lot of heat when he came to Alabama. I think there’d be a Cinderella story in there, as funny as it sounds, for Tyler Buchner to lead Alabama to an SEC title.”

It’s hard for most fans to think of arguably the most dominant dynasty in college football under head coach Nick Saban as a Cinderella story. And it’s even harder when the quarterback in question is transferring in from another prestigious college football program in Notre Dame.

But given the circumstances surrounding both Buchner and Alabama’s current situation, an SEC title and birth in the College Football Playoffs could be considered a Cinderella story to some.

More Cinderella stories

PicKell wasn’t finished listing off possible quarterbacks to fit this storyline. The college football expert dug a little deeper into the question and pulled out three more names, all of which hailing from the Big 12 Conference.

“Another Cinderella story quarterback that comes to mind I think Dillon Gabriel… actually I could go a couple of places here in the Big 12. I think Dillon Gabriel’s one. He got a lot of heat from last year, even though I think he had a pretty decent year (and) Oklahoma had a better than people want to give them credit for.
“I think Blake Shapen from Baylor as well as Chandler Morris from TCU. Both those guys have been slept on quite a bit, even though they flashed at different times. (If) one of them ends up winning the Big 12; who knows? So those are a couple of names… but I think Tyler Buckner is the most Cinderella-esque. I’ll go ahead and lean towards Chandler Morris at TCU, being the one that’s not good enough buzz right now, even though he made the playoff a year ago.”

Ironically enough, the three quarterbacks listed all hail from programs that played in the Big 12 championship game and or represented the conference in the College Football Playoffs in the last three years.

Oklahoma won the Big 12 Championship in 2020, followed by Baylor in 2021, and TCU was there in 2022 but lost a close one to Kansas State. Still, if any of the three programs listed above were to Find their way into the College Football Playoff at the end of this season, it would definitely be a Cinderella-esque story for their starting quarterback.