Top 5 quarterback battles to watch this spring ahead of 2023 college football season

Quarterback battles offer some of the most intriguing storylines during college football spring practices. With March right around the corner, several teams are still in search of a starter for the 2023 season.

As spring ball is set to begin as soon as next week for many teams, On3’s team of experts has picked Georgia, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Nebraska, and Alabama as the top five quarterback battles to watch. You can find the list below, along with a breakdown of each battle.

Georgia

Carson Beck vs. Brock Vandagriff vs. Gunner Stockton

The Bulldogs won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022 with Stetson Bennett, but the 25-year-old exhausted the last of his eligibility this past season. Beck brings the most experience of the three candidates to replace him, appearing in seven games as Bennett’s backup in 2022. He flashed his potential in last season’s G-Day game, going 14-of-26 passing for 274 yards.

A former five-star recruit and the No. 4 quarterback in the 2021 class according to On3 Consensus, Vandagriff will hope to challenge Beck for the starting spot. Don’t count out Stockton, a four-star recruit in the 2022 class, either.

Ohio State

Kyle McCord vs. Devin Brown

CJ Stroud is on to the NFL as a projected top-five draft pick, opening the door for the next Buckeye quarterback to take over what should be a prolific passing attack. The No. 5 quarterback in the 2021 class, McCord waited for his turn the past two years as Stroud’s backup. He appeared in seven games last season, finished 16-of-20 passing for 190 yards and a touchdown.

McCord will face stiff competition from another former five-star in Brown, the No. 1 player from the state of Utah in 2022. Whichever player wins the job will inherit one of the best receiving corps in all of college football with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka.

Ole Miss

Jaxson Dart vs. Spencer Sanders vs. Walker Howard

Dart led the Rebels to an 8-1 start this past season, but ended the year on a four-game losing streak. He recorded 2,974 yards passing, 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in addition to 614 yards rushing and a touchdown. Now his starting status is in question as Lane Kiffin — AKA the “Portal King” — brought in two transfer quarterbacks.

Sanders joins Ole Miss as the No. 4 quarterback according to On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings following four seasons as the starter at Oklahoma State. He threw for 9,533 yards, 67 touchdowns and 40 interceptions over that span, as well as rushing for 1,956 yards and 18 touchdowns. Howard arrives from SEC West rival LSU as a former four-star recruit.

Nebraska

Casey Thompson vs. Jeff Sims

Thompson transferred from Texas last season and immediately took over as starter for the Cornhuskers to finish with 2,407 yards passing, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. However, he’ll face competition this offseason as first-year coach Matt Rhule brought in another transfer in Sims.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Sims spent the past three seasons as the starter at Georgia Tech, displaying dual-threat ability. He rushed for 1,152 yards and 11 touchdowns in his Yellow Jackets career, along with 4,464 yards passing, 30 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. The turnovers are a concern, but his size and athletic ability should be enough to give Thompson a run for his money.

Alabama

Jalen Milroe vs. Ty Simpson

Crimson Tide fans got a taste of what life could be like with Milroe under center last season when he filled in for an injured Bryce Young against Texas A&M. He ended that game 12-of-19 passing for 111 yards and three touchdowns and one interception, adding 81 yards rushing as Alabama escaped with a 24-20 victory.

Simpson is a former five-star prospect who ranked as the No. 2 quarterback in the 2022 class according to On3 Consensus. He’ll now have an opportunity to challenge Milroe for the starting job at one of college football’s perennial powers.