Three of the top quarterbacks in college football from 2013 are all heading into May's NFL draft as potential top 10 picks. We might even see one of Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater, or Johnny Manziel selected first overall by the Houston Texans or another team willing to trade up for their services. While the debate over who should be drafted where and by whom will wage on for another month plus, the competition to replace the aforementioned signal callers is already underway on the college circuit.
Here's a look at the candidates to take over starting quarterback duties at Texas A&M, Louisville, and the University of Central Florida.
Texas A&M
So who’s going to replace on of the most popular college athletes of this young decade at Texas A&M? You don’t actually replace Johnny Manziel so much as name a new quarterback and hope for positive results, but the candidates to lead the Aggies offense in 2014 include Kyle Allen, Kenny Hill, and Matt Joeckel. Joeckel is the most experienced of the three, but it’s Hill who is the Manziel-iest. Hill is more familiar with the spread than Joeckel, and Allen is considered a long shot as a freshman.
Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin and quarterbacks coach Jake Spavital have intimated that everyone will get a fair shake in the race to succeed Manziel, but it’s Spavital’s comments that appear to indicate that Hill has been at the front of the line since last season:
“If you walk out into Kyle Field, you understand how intimidating that can be,” Spavital said. “There's a lot of eyes on you. No matter who the opponent is, there are going to be some nerves. We did the same thing with [center] Mike Matthews, just to get him acclimated, get him trained, get him traveling, let him see venues and crowds and environments that he's going to be a part of. I thought that was very important to get [Hill] some playing time just so he we won't throw him out there and say 'Hey, go win a game' next year."
Louisville
Change is the theme for the Cardinals as they head towards the 2014 season. Not only is Teddy Bridgewater gone at quarterback, but Bobby Petrino is set to reprise his role as head coach at Louisville. Returning sophomore Will Gardner is expected to take over starting duties, although senior Brett Nelson and redshirt freshman Kyle Bolin out of Lexington will push him for the job in the fall. Gardner backed up Bridgewater in 2013, completing 8-of-12 pass attempts for 112 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He’s a work in progress, according to Petrino.
"[Gardner] certainly has a better grasp of the offense, but he has to make better decisions — distribute the ball better, be more accurate on his passing," Petrino said. "But I really like the way he's coachable. I like his understanding of the game of football, and he's got the ability to make all the different throws that we need."
Central Florida
UCF is coming off a year in which they achieved much more than anyone could have predicted. The Knights captured the inaugural American Athletic Conference championship, upsetting Louisville along the way, and they topped Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl. Blake Bortles meant as much to his team as any quarterback in the country. The candidates to replace him include sophomore Justin Holman, redshirt freshman Pete DiNovo, and incoming freshman Tyler Harris. Holman’s college experience, a whopping 14 pass attempts, gives him the early edge.
