Who’s QB1? 10 quarterback battles to watch as camps begin to open

A handful of preseason camps opened Wedneday, and we’re just four weeks away from the start of the 2022 season: There are 10 games involving FBS teams on August 27.

Camps open in earnest next week, and there are numerous quarterback battles that will play out in the next few weeks. Here’s a look at 10 intriguing competitions.

Auburn

The quarterbacks: Robby Ashford, Zach Calzada and T.J. Finley
The buzz: Ashford (from Oregon) and Calzada (from Texas A&M) transferred in during the offseason, though Ashford – an Alabama native with dual-threat ability – seems like longest shot in the race because of a lack of experience. Calzada started the final nine games for the Aggies last season and led them to an upset of top-ranked Alabama. But he also was the starter in losses to LSU and Mississippi State. Calzada threw nine picks and completed 56.1 percent of his passes; in short, he’s adequate – but that may be enough to win the job. Finley, who transferred in from LSU after the 2020 season, started Auburn’s final three games last season; he avoided mistakes but wasn’t that accurate as a passer. He is a physically imposing guy (6 feet 6, 245 pounds) but isn’t mobile.

Cincinnati

The quarterbacks: Ben Bryant and Evan Prater
The buzz: Desmond Ridder was a four-year starter at quarterback for the Bearcats, capping off his time by leading Cincinnati to the College Football Playoffs last season. He’s now in the NFL and Bryant seems to be the guy who will replace him. Bryant was the No. 2 guy behind Ridder in 2019 and ’20, then transferred and started 11 games for Eastern Michigan last season. He threw for 3,121 yards and 14 touchdowns as EMU finished 7-6. Bryant transferred back to Cincinnati after the 2021 season. But Prater, who has a bigger upside than Bryant, could make things interesting during preseason camp. Prater, a national top-130 prospect in the 2020 recruiting class, played in seven games last season but only threw 11 passes. So while the upside is there, the experience is not. Cincinnati has changed offensive coordinators, and the new play-caller is Gino Guidugli, who had been quarterback coach. Thus, the offense isn’t going to change, and Guidugli has spent more time working with Bryant than with Prater.

LSU

The quarterbacks: Myles Brennan, Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier
The buzz: Man, this is going to be interesting. Daniels was a three-year starter at Arizona State and brings legit dual-threat ability after LSU grabbed him out of the transfer portal. But he also plateaued in his development last season. Has he truly stalled, or was that a byproduct of the turmoil surrounding the program? We’re fairly sure Brennan is a former Curley Hallman recruit; he has made three starts for the Tigers and also battled a lot of injuries. He was set to transfer, but new coach Brian Kelly urged him to stick around for a sixth season in Baton Rouge. Nussmeier is a former top-100 prospect in the 2021 recruiting class who might have the best arm of the three; he played in four games last season but struggled with his accuracy. All three played well in the spring game, to the point that Kelly told reporters, “We didn’t clear up anything with the quarterback today; we probably made it more difficult.” (Four-star freshman Walker Howard appears certain to redshirt.)

Michigan

The quarterbacks: J.J. McCarthy and Cade McNamara
The buzz: This is going to be an interesting situation all season. McNamara, of course, was the starter last season and led Michigan to the College Football Playoff. But as with national champion Georgia and Stetson Bennett, there are a lot of observers who think the Wolverines’ backup quarterback is more talented than the starter. McCarthy missed the spring with a shoulder injury and has some catching up to do. Frankly, he does appear to have more upside than McNamara. But experience is important, and McNamara wins in that facet. And there’s this: Michigan has a breeze of a nonconference schedule, with Colorado State, Hawaii and UConn. It’ll be interesting to see how Jim Harbaugh and his staff divvy up the quarterback snaps in those three games. In short, McNamara may start the opener but that’s certainly not a guarantee he starts the whole season.

Missouri

The quarterbacks: Jack Abraham, Brady Cook, Sam Horn and Tyler Macon
The buzz: Two-year starter Connor Bazelak moved on to Indiana via the transfer portal, and there is a wide-open race to replace him. Cook started Mizzou’s bowl game last season, a loss to Army. This is Cook’s third season in this offense, which should be an advantage, and he has some dual-threat ability. Macon, a redshirt freshman, also is a dual-threat guy. Abraham is a seventh-year senior who is on his fifth team: Louisiana Tech, Northwest Mississippi CC, Southern Miss and Mississippi State were his previous stops. He turns 25 during the season and he has ample experience, though obviously not in this offense; he started for three seasons (2018-20) at Southern Miss and proved to be a steady performer. Horn is a four-star true freshman, and while he seemingly is Mizzou’s future at the position, it doesn’t seem likely he wins the job this season. This seems likely to come down to Abraham and Cook.

North Carolina

The quarterbacks: Jacolby Criswell and Drake Maye
The buzz: After three seasons of Sam Howell, the Tar Heels are looking for a new quarterback. Criswell and Maye threw a combined 31 passes last season. Maye, a former national top-50 recruit in the 2021 signing class, appears to have the bigger upside. Criswell is in his third season on campus and while he is just 6-0, he has a big-time arm. And while Maye is 6-5, he has better-than-you’d think mobility. Regardless of the starter, there is good surrounding skill-position talent. Tar Heels coaches have said both could play, but there isn’t much time to experiment. After the opener against FCS Florida A&M, the Tar Heels play their next two on the road against bowl teams from last season (Appalachian State and Georgia State), then get Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Miami in a row.

Texas A&M

The quarterbacks: Max Johnson, Haynes King and Conner Weigman
The buzz: King opened last season as the Aggies’ starter but was lost to a season-ending injury in the third game. Johnson was LSU’s starter last season; he threw 27 TD passes, but 13 came in four non-conference games. And while he completed 60.3 percent of his passes for the season, he was at 57.3 percent in SEC games. Weigman is a five-star true freshman, and while he has a big upside, it seems unlikely he’ll be at the controls this fall. King has more familiarity with the offense as well as a dual-threat element that Johnson doesn’t possess (King has legitimate top-end speed); that might give him the advantage.

TCU

The quarterbacks: Max Duggan and Chandler Morris
The buzz: Duggan has started 29 of the past 32 games for TCU at quarterback, but new coach Sonny Dykes and his offensive staff still have a decision to make at quarterback. Duggan is a dual-threat guy who has accounted for 7,333 yards and 60 TDs in three seasons, including 19 on the ground. But he also has thrown 20 picks, and may not be the best fit for Dykes’ offense. Interestingly, in TCU’s biggest win last season, a 30-28 upset of Baylor, Duggan was injured and didn’t play. Instead, Morris (the son of former SMU and Arkansas coach Chad Morris) threw for 461 yards and two TDs to lead the way. Morris’ gunslinger ways might be the better fit in the new offense. And it’s not as if TCU has had a lot of success with Duggan: The Horned Frogs are 16-18 in the past three seasons.

Texas Tech

The quarterbacks: Behren Morton, Tyler Shough and Donovan Smith
The buzz: In each of the past two seasons, new Red Raiders OC Zach Kittley’s pass offense has been the nation’s best (in 2020 at FCS Houston Baptist, last season at FBS Western Kentucky). Shough started for the Red Raiders last season until he was injured in Game 4, Smith made four starts late in the season and Morton is a highly touted youngster who hasn’t played. Shough has the most experience, with 11 career starts (seven at Oregon and the four last season). Smith is an extremely athletic big guy (6-5, 240) with good mobility. And Morton is a former national top-125 prospect in the 2021 class with a big arm – and probably the most upside. Rest assured that whoever wins the job will be tossing the football around.

UCF

The quarterbacks: Mikey Keene and John Rhys Plumlee
The buzz: Keene took over as the starter for the Knights last season when Dillon Gabriel was lost for the season in Game 3. Keene started the remaining games and was 7-3 as the starter; he threw for 1,730 yards, with 17 TDs and six interceptions, not bad for a true freshman who was supposed to receive scant time behind Gabriel. But he’s not really a runner, and coach Gus Malzahn’s offense is at its best when he has a running threat at quarterback. That’s why Plumlee, who arrived from Ole Miss via the transfer portal, could win the job. Plumlee is a former starting quarterback at Ole Miss, but his lack of ability as a passer caused Lane Kiffin to move him to wide receiver. Plumlee still wanted to play quarterback, though, and Malzahn has given him that opportunity. UCF has the talent to win the AAC and be the highest-ranked team among the Group of 5, so the quarterback situation is mighty interesting.