College football is in the midst of a disarmament it hasn't seen since 1983, when the game graduated quarterbacks like John Elway, Dan Marino, Tony Eason, Jim Kelly, Todd Blackledge and Ken O'Brien. The crop of quarterbacks who will be drafted this coming April may not be as prototypical in stature (save for Andrew Luck, Matt Barkley and Landry Jones), but the group's departure as a whole will leave a massive void to be filled.
Consider this: Departing stage right will be the college game's most prolific statistical passer (Case Keenum), the game's biggest winner (Kellen Moore), and the quarterback whom Todd McShay has said will receive the highest grade of any prospect he has ever scouted (Luck). Other passers who will be -- or in some cases, could be -- leaving the collegiate ranks after this season include Brandon Weeden, Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill, Russell Wilson, Nick Foles and Robert Griffin III. All told, the 11 aforementioned passers have combined to throw for 103,112 yards -- or nearly 59 miles -- in their careers.
With a group this talented leaving the college game, it's only logical to ask the following question: Who will be taking their place as the next group of star quarterbacks? We already know some of the up-and-coming talent that has tantalized of late (Denard Robinson, Tajh Boyd, Darron Thomas), but I've got my eye on five super sophomores who are quietly developing with a chance to be special in their own way. These are the guys primed to emerge as the sport's next star QBs, after this year's elite group of passers has moved on.
1. James Franklin, Missouri Tigers
Sturdy, strong and athletic, Franklin is the most powerfully built of the quarterbacks mentioned here. He's been thrown right into the fire this season with road tests against the Arizona State Sun Devils, Oklahoma Sooners, Kansas State Wildcats and Texas A&M Aggies in his first eight games as a starter.
Franklin had his first signature win in College Station last weekend, and the early adversity he has faced in his career will pay dividends for him and the program in the future. Franklin has weathered the brutal schedule with 13 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 61 percent completion percentage, plus an additional 542 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. He is calm, even oblivious at times in the pocket, and his unwavering poise has won over head coach Gary Pinkel.
"This guy has a chance to be special," Pinkel said. "He is further ahead at this time in his career than the three quarterbacks who preceded him."
In case you didn't know, Pinkel's last three quarterbacks (Brad Smith, Chase Daniel, Blaine Gabbert) are all making a nice living in the NFL.
2. Bryn Renner, North Carolina Tar Heels
The most accurate of the guys on this list, Renner has taken his YouTube trick-shot prowess onto the field this fall and become one of the most efficient passers in the game. He currently ranks sixth nationally in passer efficiency and boasts a 73 percent completion rate. Renner plays in offensive coordinator John Shoop's NFL system, requiring plenty of mental gymnastics and professional-level timing and anticipation.
"Bryn is as hard of a working player as I have been around on any level," Shoop said. "And he has an arm strong enough to use the whole field."
The critical question for Renner is whether he'll be afforded the opportunity to play in the same offensive system throughout his entire collegiate career, the way guys like Luck and Jones have. With all the uncertainty currently facing UNC football, it's hard to know that answer right now.
3. Keith Price, Washington Huskies
Filling the shoes of top-10 NFL draft pick Jake Locker seemed like a formidable task at the beginning of the season, until the guy teammates call "Teeth" (because all he ever does is smile) decided to throw 23 touchdown passes in his first eight games and play at a level of efficiency Locker never realized while at UW.
Price sounds like Avery Johnson when you talk to him but plays like Charlie Ward when you watch him (the latter comparison being one that Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian has used often in describing his star sophomore).
Price is lean and wiry at 190 pounds and has proved his toughness this season, battling through ankle and knee injuries. Even after a sophomoric three-interception outing this past weekend against the Arizona Wildcats, Price is still the eighth most efficient passer in the country, and much like Renner, he's being brought up in a pro style offensive system.
In fact, it was during the summer that Price spent extra time with Locker, Matt Hasselbeck and a number of locked-out NFLers, honing a level of precision and detail unique to a first-year starter. Price and Washington have marquee games during the next two weeks against the Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans, opportunities to put the embarrassment of the loss to the Stanford Cardinal behind them.
4. Aaron Murray, Georgia Bulldogs
Analysts and evaluators enjoy throwing the "it" label on certain quarterbacks, and Murray is that kind of passer. He doesn't have the prototypical size or arm strength of his sophomore peer up the road in Knoxville (No. 5 on this list), but I am drawn to his game and his will to win.
A two-time state champ at powerhouse Plant High School in Tampa, Fla., it is evident Murray knows how to play the game. Call it moxie or gamesmanship, but the kid is never intimidated and has to regularly stare down much tougher defenses than Renner, Price and Franklin do.
In a year that could have gone very badly after an 0-2 start, Murray and the Bulldogs have responded and now have an opportunity to possibly run off 10 straight wins and play the role of spoiler in the SEC championship game versus the LSU Tigers or Alabama Crimson Tide. It would be an underdog role befitting the DNA of their sophomore signal-caller.
Matt Stinchcomb, ESPN analyst and a former two-time All-America tackle at Georgia, sums up Murray perfectly. "What Murray lacks in stature, he makes up for in intelligence, athleticism and competitiveness," he said. "He isn't a prototype and doesn't have 'whoa! stand back' arm strength. But he's a gamer with talent, and with weapons around him, he should only improve."
5. Tyler Bray, Tennessee Volunteers
Bray has the prototypical size and arm strength that SEC rival Murray does not, as he stands 6-foot-6 and possesses a bazooka for an arm. He also has more pro upside than Murray, and was brilliant at times this season before breaking his thumb against Georgia (his 165.9 passer efficiency rating and 315.8 passing yards per game would rank him seventh and eighth in the nation, respectively, if he had played in enough games to qualify).
In order for Bray to stay healthy and reach his full potential, however, he must be as committed to his workouts and conditioning as he is to Saturday afternoons. Just as Bobby Petrino built his Arkansas program around gunslinger Ryan Mallett, Derek Dooley desperately needs Bray under center to move the Vols forward.
Brock Huard is a college football analyst for ESPN and ABC's Saturday games on the West Coast and works as a studio analyst for the networks. He played quarterback for six seasons in the NFL and was a three-year starter for the Washington Huskies. Huard is the co-host of the "Brock and Salk Show" on 710 ESPN Seattle (follow the show on Twitter here), and he will be writing a weekly column for ESPN Insider during the college football season.