One of the unfortunate themes of the 2019 college football season was injury at quarterback. Granted, it afflicted only one real national title contender (Alabama), but it struck throughout college football, from the SEC (Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, etc.) to the Pac-12 (USC) and everywhere in between.
That's the negative way of looking at things, though. The positive way: We got a glimpse of the future in a lot of these places. We certainly got exposed to quite a few more true freshmen than we expected, anyway.
While plenty of the top QB recruits in the 2019 class -- Oklahoma's Spencer Rattler, Wisconsin's Graham Mertz, Washington's Dylan Morris, Clemson's Taisun Phommachanh, Nebraska's Luke McCaffrey, Alabama's Taulia Tagovailoa, LSU's Peter Parrish et al -- remained mostly on the sideline as planned, we got sustained, and often unplanned, looks at a lot of 2019's freshman signal-callers, 15 of whom logged at least 100 combined pass and rush attempts. Let's rank their performances.
15. Hayden Wolff, Old Dominion
• 2019 ESPN prospect ranking: No. 34 pocket passer
• Passing stats: 75-for-129, 737 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT; 39% passing success rate (including sacks), 4.6 ANY/A
• Rushing stats: 6 non-sack rushes, 15 yards (0% rushing success rate)
• Offensive SP+ ranking: 129th (98th in 2018)
Bobby Wilder needed quarterback stability in his make-or-break season as head coach, and instead he got a giant mess. Wolff was one of three players to throw at least 67 passes for the Monarchs, and while he didn't make things worse during his three-game, late-year audition, he didn't make things better, either.
14. Jack Zergiotis, UConn
• 2019 ESPN prospect ranking: not rated
• Passing stats: 150-for-260, 1,782 yards, 9 TD, 11 INT; 36% passing success rate, 4.8 ANY/A
• Rushing stats: 20 non-sack rushes, 75 yards (25% rushing success rate)
• Offensive SP+ ranking: 123rd (99th in 2018)
• Total QBR: 32.2 (116th among qualified QBs)
UConn cycled through signal-callers as well, but this freshman from Montreal took the lion's share of the snaps. While there were some high points -- 21-for-31 for 275 yards against Illinois, 21-for-37 for 418 against ECU -- there were a lot more lows, and the future of the Huskies' offense was as uncertain at the end of 2019 as it was at the beginning.
13. Evan Conley, Louisville
• 2019 ESPN prospect ranking: No. 55 pocket passer
• Passing stats: 40-for-71, 613 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT; 40% passing success rate, 6.1 ANY/A
• Rushing stats: 20 non-sack rushes, 149 yards (35% rushing success rate), 1 TD
• Offensive SP+ ranking: 32nd (102nd in 2018)
Louisville's QB situation was muddy in the middle of 2019, and Conley, a one-time Appalachian State commit who followed head coach Scott Satterfield to UL, got an audition before Micale Cunningham took over for the stretch run. He played a key role in the Cardinals' wild 62-59 win over Wake Forest but completed only 16 of 34 passes, with a pair of picks, thereafter.
12. Brett Gabbert, Miami (Ohio)
• 2019 ESPN prospect ranking: No. 43 pocket passer
• Passing stats: 153-for-285, 2,163 yards, 11 TD, 8 INT; 37% passing success rate, 6.2 ANY/A
• Rushing stats: 56 non-sack rushes, 194 yards (32% rushing success rate), 3 TD
• Offensive SP+ ranking: 114th (90th in 2018)
• Total QBR: 39.7 (102nd among qualified QBs)
On one hand, Miami won the MAC title with Gabbert -- younger brother of former first-round pick Blaine -- leading the way on offense. On the other hand ... Miami won with defense and special teams. The RedHawks were just 123rd in offensive success rate, running the ball a lot and hoping Gabbert could hit on a small handful of big passes each game. It worked, though.
11. Ryan Hilinski, South Carolina
• 2019 ESPN prospect ranking: No. 4 pocket passer (No. 66 overall prospect)
• Passing stats: 236-for-406, 2,357 yards, 11 TD, 5 INT; 38% passing success rate, 5.3 ANY/A
• Rushing stats: 14 non-sack rushes, 67 yards (50% rushing success rate), 1 TD
• Offensive SP+ ranking: 94th (21st in 2018)
• Total QBR: 55.5 (74th among qualified QBs)
Hilinski took over earlier than expected when incumbent Jake Bentley went down, and he was asked to navigate an absurd schedule that featured four of the top seven teams in the country (per SP+). He then had to battle through elbow and knee issues as well. He was dealt an impossible hand, in other words. He was steady in the Gamecocks' upset of Georgia and great against Charleston Southern and Vanderbilt, but this season was a struggle in every possible way.
10. John Rhys Plumlee, Ole Miss
• 2019 ESPN prospect ranking: No. 13 dual-threat (No. 261 overall prospect)
• Passing stats: 79-for-150, 910 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT; 34% passing success rate, 5.1 ANY/A
• Rushing stats: 146 non-sack rushes, 1,070 yards (47% rushing success rate), 12 TD
• Offensive SP+ ranking: 70th (sixth in 2018)
• Total QBR: 73.2 (26th among qualified QBs)
Although Plumlee struggled mightily with the forward pass, he flashed steady brilliance with this legs -- he rushed for at least 90 yards in six of nine games and put up an astounding 212 against eventual SEC champion LSU. He seemed like a perfect project for coordinator and dual-threat QB whisperer Rich Rodriguez. But then head coach Matt Luke got fired and Rodriguez wasn't retained. We'll see what role Plumlee is able to carve out with new head coach Lane Kiffin and coordinator Jeff Lebby.
9. Max Duggan, TCU
• 2019 ESPN prospect ranking: No. 15 dual-threat
• Passing stats: 181-for-339, 2,077 yards, 15 TD, 10 INT; 37% passing success rate, 4.9 ANY/A
• Rushing stats: 105 non-sack rushes, 716 yards (52% rushing success rate), 6 TD
• Offensive SP+ ranking: 62nd (91st in 2018)
• Total QBR: 58.9 (68th among qualified QBs)
TCU coach Gary Patterson signed up for growing pains when he installed Duggan into the lineup in Week 1, and that's exactly what he got. Duggan was brilliant in wins over Kansas and Texas and found success with his legs at times, but he also produced a passer rating below 100 on five occasions, including three of the last four games of the season (all tight losses). His legs had a lot to do with TCU's overall offensive improvement (up 29 spots in offensive SP+), but he and a young receiving corps have serious development to undertake together.
8. Grant Gunnell, Arizona
• 2019 ESPN prospect ranking: No. 15 pocket passer
• Passing stats: 101-for-155, 1,239 yards, 9 TD, 1 INT; 42% passing success rate, 7.7 ANY/A
• Rushing stats: 18 non-sack rushes, 95 yards (61% rushing success rate), 1 TD
• Offensive SP+ ranking: 50th (43rd in 2018)
Losing streaks are never good, and Arizona finished the season with seven straight losses, all by double digits. But if there was a silver lining, it's that this season gave Gunnell, Khalil Tate's backup, plenty of opportunities. He threw more than 20 passes in three games and produced a passer rating of 140+ in all three; he torched UCLA in an early-season win and looked good in a shootout loss to Oregon State. He's the man in 2020, and most of Arizona's receivers return, too. Unexpected hope in Tucson?
7. Garrett Shrader, Mississippi State
• 2019 ESPN prospect ranking: No. 6 dual-threat (No. 145 overall prospect)
• Passing stats: 88-for-153, 1,170 yards, 8 TD, 5 INT; 40% passing success rate, 6.1 ANY/A
• Rushing stats: 98 non-sack rushes, 675 yards (53% rushing success rate), 6 TD
• Offensive SP+ ranking: 40th (32nd in 2018)
• Total QBR: 72.4 (30th among qualified QBs)
With starter Tommy Stevens dealing with a barrage of injuries, Shrader got plenty of opportunities behind center and occasionally took advantage. He proved willing to fight for yards with his legs (296 combined rushing yards against Kansas State, Kentucky and Auburn), and provided efficiency with his arm at times, too. The degree of difficulty is high in the SEC West, and MSU will be dealing with massive turnover in the receiving corps next year, but Shrader provided hope, the main quality you ask for from a true freshman.
6. Hank Bachmeier, Boise State
• 2019 ESPN prospect ranking: No. 13 pocket passer (No. 265 overall prospect)
• Passing stats: 137-for-219, 1,879 yards, 9 TD, 6 INT; 44% passing success rate, 7.3 ANY/A
• Rushing stats: 26 non-sack rushes, 160 yards (58% rushing success rate), 1 TD
• Offensive SP+ ranking: 29th (18th in 2018)
Bachmeier's season was the reverse of most freshman campaigns -- he won the starting job at the outset, suffered midseason injuries and watched upperclassmen from the bench over the second half of the year. But when healthy, he shined. His first collegiate game was a comeback win over Florida State, and he completed 66% of his passes against the MWC defenses he was healthy enough to face. He's a potential star, and head coach Bryan Harsin knew it from the start.
5. Jayden Daniels, Arizona State
• 2019 ESPN prospect ranking: No. 2 dual-threat (No. 44 overall prospect)
• Passing stats: 193-for-310, 2,748 yards, 17 TD, 2 INT; 41% passing success rate, 8.4 ANY/A
• Rushing stats: 84 non-sack rushes, 481 yards (44% rushing success rate), 3 TD
• Offensive SP+ ranking: 59th (35th in 2018)
• Total QBR: 67.6 (44th among qualified QBs)
ASU's Herm Edwards had two blue-chip freshmen fighting for snaps, and while Joey Yellen (the No. 63 overall prospect) looked strong in his lone start, a near-comeback win over USC, Daniels won the job at the beginning of the season and did little to dissuade Edwards from his choice. He was mostly overwhelmed against strong Michigan State (102.9 passer rating) and Utah defenses (22.8) but otherwise held his own, throwing only two picks and going for 408 yards in the late-year upset of Oregon. He was good enough that Yellen entered the transfer portal in December.
4. Bo Nix, Auburn
• 2019 ESPN prospect ranking: No. 2 pocket passer (No. 23 overall prospect)
• Passing stats: 200-for-351, 2,366 yards, 15 TD, 6 INT; 41% passing success rate, 6.2 ANY/A
• Rushing stats: 76 non-sack rushes, 416 yards (55% rushing success rate), 7 TD
• Offensive SP+ ranking: 38th (19th in 2018)
• Total QBR: 61.3 (64th among qualified QBs)
Nix started the year with a win over Oregon and finished it with a win over Alabama, but there were lessons to learn. Against the hardest schedule in the country, per SP+, Nix dominated the rare weak defense but struggled against the heavyweights, producing a 50% completion rate, 10.4 yards per completion and a 98.9 passer rating against six SP+ top-25 opponents. AU's defense was strong enough that the Tigers still went 9-3 with two one-score losses. But Nix's inexperience held them back.
3. Dillon Gabriel, UCF
• 2019 ESPN prospect ranking: No. 31 pocket passer
• Passing stats: 236-for-398, 3,653 yards, 29 TD, 7 INT; 43% passing success rate, 9.0 ANY/A
• Rushing stats: 49 non-sack rushes, 201 yards (47% rushing success rate), 4 TD
• Offensive SP+ ranking: 13th (11th in 2018)
• Total QBR: 67.3 (48th among qualified QBs)
Thanks primarily to injuries, UCF started four QBs in a five-game span in late 2018 and early 2019. But Gabriel seized control of the job when given the opportunity, and he should finish the year with more than 3,500 passing yards. There were inefficient moments, which contributed to a 1-3 record in one-score games. But there are always inefficient moments with freshmen, and the Knights were as dangerous as ever from the perspective of tempo and big plays.
2. Sam Howell, North Carolina
• 2019 ESPN prospect ranking: No. 7 pocket passer (No. 120 overall prospect)
• Passing stats: 234-for-388, 3,641 yards, 38 TD, 7 INT; 45% passing success rate, 8.4 ANY/A
• Rushing stats: 58 non-sack rushes, 262 yards (34% rushing success rate), 2 TD
• Offensive SP+ ranking: 31st (58th in 2018)
• Total QBR: 72.8 (29th among qualified QBs)
Mack Brown returned to the sideline and, at age 68, immediately undertook a youth movement, with almost no seniors in the skill corps and a freshman behind center. Howell showed a sense of the moment -- he had a 66% completion rate and 189.5 passer rating in fourth quarters -- which paid off just enough in a season that saw nine games decided by one score. He took too many sacks and made plenty of predictable freshman mistakes, but he had a tremendous case to end up No. 1 on this list. There's a lot of reason for optimism about where this offense could go in 2020.
1. Kedon Slovis, USC
• 2019 ESPN prospect ranking: No. 17 pocket passer
• Passing stats: 282-for-392, 3,502 yards, 32 TD, 9 INT; 53% passing success rate, 8.6 ANY/A
• Rushing stats: 22 non-sack rushes, 81 yards (41% rushing success rate)
• Offensive SP+ ranking: ninth (46th in 2018)
• Total QBR: 81.0 (12th among qualified QBs)
Sure, Clay Helton's 2020 recruiting class has been, to put it diplomatically, a struggle. And sure, after saving his job by the skin of his teeth this year, he needs to figure out how to engineer defensive improvement if he wants to save his job again 12 months from now. But he's got offensive coordinator Graham Harrell, and he's got Slovis, and that's a start.
We spent all offseason wondering how incumbent JT Daniels would fare in Harrell's Air Raid-influenced system, but Daniels was lost for the season by the end of the first game. Slovis took over, torched Stanford in his first start, struggled against BYU and missed two games with injury, then ignited. His last seven regular-season games: 2,510 yards, 70% completion rate, 23 TDs to five INTs, and a 167.3 passer rating.
Slovis finished with by far the best Total QBR of any freshman despite offering little on the ground, and his quick understanding of Harrell's system and ability to manipulate passing lanes with fakes and scrambles belied the maturity of a far older player. Give him another year with young receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Drake London (and yes, a better defense), and USC might have hope after all in 2020 and beyond.