Next up under center: A look at the potential QBs for Notre Dame's first six 2022 opponents

Notre Dame has one of the tougher schedules in the country in 2022, and many of the matchups are going to be blockbuster events due in part to their opponent’s starting quarterback. Which names should you be on the lookout for this spring while examining the competition, and are there any quarterback battles to keep an eye on?

Here is a way-too-early look at the quarterback options for the first six Irish opponents. The second six will be featured in a piece in the coming days.

Ohio State – Sept. 3

This one is locked in. That doesn’t make it any less daunting. 

Notre Dame will face Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud to kick off their 2022 season. As a redshirt freshman in 2021, Stroud completed 71.9 percent of his passes for 4,435 yards, 44 touchdowns and six interceptions. The performance led to a fourth place finish in the Heisman Trophy voting. 

Stroud lost wideouts Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson to the NFL, but the Ohio State receiver room is a plug-and-play situation, so Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marrison Harrison Jr. will surely fill the void. Stroud has a lethal arm, and he will make big plays. But how many? That’s the question that will haunt Irish fans all spring and summer.

Marshall – Sept. 10

The Thundering Herd will arrive in South Bend with a first-year starting quarterback, as two-year starter Grant Wells has transferred to Virginia Tech. Luke Zban is a former walk-on turned scholarship player who ultimately lost the starting job to Wells. He is an option. Henry Colombi is the veteran choice, if head coach Charles Huff so chooses to go in that direction; next season will be Colombi’s sixth year in college football. He started at Utah State in 2017 and transferred to Texas Texas after two years. Colombi was Texas Tech’s leading passer in 2021. 

Marshall also signed three freshman quarterbacks in the 2022 cycle: Chase Harrison, Cole Pennington and Peter Zamora. So it’s a pretty wide-open race. Keep an eye on it this spring.

Cal – Sept. 17

For the second consecutive year, quarterback Jack Plummer may get to start a football game at Notre Dame Stadium. Last year, it was for Purdue. This year, it would be for Cal. The Bears landed Plummer from the transfer portal in January, potentially solving a quarterback question for head coach Justin Wilcox. Plummer went 25-for-36 for 187 yards and a touchdown against the Irish last fall.

Cal’s options prior to landing a transfer were Kai Millner and Zach Johnson. Millner will be in his second year with the team, while Johnson will be a third-year player. Chase Garbers was Cal’s starter last season.

North Carolina – Sept. 24

Former UNC quarterback Sam Howell was the programs’ all-time leader in total offense and total touchdowns, and while the Irish came out on top in last season’s Oct. 30 matchup, it wasn’t without some heroics from Howell. Who will take over for Mack Brown now that Howell is headed to the pros?

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Great question. Last season against Wofford, Brown tried out two options while Howell was out with an injury: Drake Maye and Jacolby Criswell. Criswell played the first half, going 11-for-19 with 125 yards and a rushing touchdown, while Maye played the second half and completed seven of his nine passes for 89 yards and a passing touchdown. Maye, a one-time Alabama commit and top-10 quarterback in the 2021 class, was the higher-rated of the two signal-callers out of high school.

The two are expected to compete for the starting job this spring, along with true freshman Conner Harrell. 

BYU – Oct. 8

There really is no question about who will lead the Cougars in 2022; fifth-year quarterback Jaren Hall is BYU’s guy. In 2021, Hall went 189-for-296 with 2,589 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. He added 62 rushing attempts for 307 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. 

BYU brings back 80 percent of their offense from last season, including a stout offensive line to protect Hall. The Notre Dame front seven will have their work cut out for them in Las Vegas.

Stanford – Oct. 15

Tanner McKee is expected to be the Stanford starter in 2022. He was a top-10 quarterback in the 2018 class coming out of high school, but his college career has not gone according to plan. 

Last season was his first year as a full-time starter, and he threw for 2,397 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 games. McKee missed a couple of contests due to an Oct. 30 injury. He went 20-for-25 with 172 yards and a touchdown against Notre Dame last season. If Stanford wants to flip the script after a 3-9 season in 2021, McKee will need to step up.