Breaking down 10 true freshmen who've started at QB this season
It’s no secret that quarterback is the most important position in football, with fan bases' expectations based on the play of the man under center. But over the past few years, a new trend has emerged, with schools being more willing to hand the reins of the offense off to younger prospects, more specifically, true freshmen.
This year, a number Power Five teams have had true freshmen start at least a game at quarterback, so we decided to take a look and rank the top 10 youngsters on how they’re playing while also taking a look back at their standing as recruits.
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As a recruit: Lawrence burst onto the national recruiting scene as a freshman in high school and had offers from programs all over the country. He committed to Clemson as a junior over Georgia, Tennessee and several others.
What he’s done this year: Lawrence’s story is well-documented, but it’s worth mentioning again that he came into college behind a senior quarterback that led his team to the College Football Playoff and after four games had taken over the starting position. That kind of thing doesn’t just happen normally, and it shows the type of talent that Lawrence brings to the table. On the season, Lawrence has 868 yards passing for 11 touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 68 percent of his passes.
Analyst's take: “This is what was expected of Lawrence. It is not normal for true freshmen to come in and start at quarterback for any program, much less a program like Clemson. But Lawrence is not normal. He is a special talent, so what he is doing at Clemson is no real surprise.
"The expectations were lofty - and likely too high for him this season - but what he is doing shows all why he was the No. 1 prospect in America from start to finish on Rivals. He is a freshman quarterback with the ability to lead the Tigers back to the National Championship Game. The type of throws he is making and the type of plays he is making was expected. There are not many freshmen that can be said about.” – Chad Simmons, Southeast Recruiting Analyst
*****
As a recruit: Purdy’s recruitment took off after an excellent senior season put him on the radar of several major programs. He landed offers from UCF, Alabama, Texas A&M and Boise State, among others, officially visiting those four programs as well as Iowa State. Ultimately, he was sold on the chance to play for the Cyclones and committed on National Signing Day in February.
What he’s done this year: It took an injury to the Cyclones starter and ineffective play for Purdy to make his way from back-up to first-stringer, but once he got a shot Purdy wowed. He led Iowa State to a win against Oklahoma State on the road and then followed that up by starting and leading the school to an upset victory over then-Top 10 ranked West Virginia. Through two games he has 572 passing yards and seven touchdowns with two interceptions while completing 75 percent of his passes and also rushing for 122 yards and a score.
Analyst's take: “The emergence of Purdy in Iowa State's last two wins over Oklahoma State and West Virginia has been one of the biggest surprises in the first half of the season. The Cyclones had not scored more than 26 all season and then - Bam! - Purdy gets the starting job and they put up 48. In the shocking win over West Virginia, Iowa State scored 30. He's been outstanding running and throwing the ball, and even though it's a small sample size so far, Purdy is definitely outplaying his ranking.” – Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Analyst
*****
As a recruit: Bowman committed to the Red Raiders over Ole Miss, Houston and several others the summer prior to his senior season.
What he’s done this year: Bowman quickly stepped in and impressed in Lubbock, with his play getting better on a weekly basis before he suffered an injury in the school’s loss to West Virginia last month. It’s obvious he’s an ideal fit in the Red Raiders offense and looks like the latest great scouting job by Kliff Kingsbury and his staff. On the year, Bowman has 1,680 yards passing with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 69 percent of his passes.
Analyst's take: “Obviously, Bowman looks like he’s well on his way to outplaying his ranking, and is following in the footsteps of former three-stars and current NFL starters Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes, who got their starts at Texas Tech. He did win an MVP award on the Rivals Camp Series last spring, but it’s clear we should have put more stock into his abilities than we did.” – Woody Wommack
*****
As a recruit: Initially a class of 2019 recruit, Daniels committed to USC as an underclassman and reclassified to the class of 2018 and signed with the Trojans in February.
What he’s done this year: Daniels has been the man from the opening snap of the season and while he’s had some ups and downs, he’s also flashed his elite talent. The Trojans are 4-2 on the year and Daniels has thrown for 1,529 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 58 percent of his passes.
Analyst's take: “Daniels earned the starting job this preseason after skipping his senior year of high school, and that was no surprise since he's such a talented quarterback. USC's offense early in the season has been a real head-scratcher, because no one could argue the talent isn't there. I don't think the play-calling has been very good, and it hasn't put players in a position to use their strengths as often as I'd like to see. It's amazing with so much talent that USC is averaging only 25.6 points per game.
"Daniels' stats have not been great, but I do think he looked much better - and the offense did as a whole - against Colorado. He threw it 35 times, had three touchdowns and things ran smoother. His ranking was pretty high, and he's incredibly talented, but his numbers are not playing out that way just yet.” – Gorney
*****
As a recruit: Hartman committed to Wake Forest during the summer prior to his senior year. The Demon Deacons were his only Power Five offers.
What he’s done: Hartman took over the starting job after a suspension to Kendall Hinton opened the door, and he’s performed well, given the circumstances. He threw for 378 yards in his first career start, and while he hasn’t played to that level since, it’s clear he’s talented and should be the man leading the program in the years to come. On the year, he has 1,259 yards passing with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. He’s completing 55 percent of his passes and has also run for 200 yards and a touchdown.
Analyst's take: “Hartman moved into my region late, but I was familiar with him from the camp circuit, where he was always impressive. So far, he’s been a little inconsistent, so he’s right about what I expected, but it wouldn’t be a shocker to see him outplay his ranking in the seasons to come.” – Wommack
*****
As a recruit: Martinez was a top priority for several major programs, and he made an early commitment to Tennessee. But after Butch Jones was fired, Martinez re-opened his recruitment and eventually landed at Nebraska, where the newly hired Scott Frost viewed him as the ideal fit for his new offense.
What he’s done this year: Martinez won the starting job out of fall camp, proving that Frost was a man of his word when he said Martinez would have every opportunity to win the job. Even though he’s struggled with injuries and the Huskers have yet to win a game, Martinez has still been impressive, throwing for 1,167 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions while also rushing for 290 yards and three touchdowns. The Huskers have suffered a few heartbreaking losses so far this year, but Martinez still looks to be the future at QB.
Analyst's take: “I was surprised to hear Martinez won the starting job heading into the season opener, since Tristan Gebbia had more seasoning and is pretty skilled as well. So I thought it would be a quick learning experience for Martinez going into the season.
"He's had his ups and downs, just like all freshman starters, throwing for six touchdowns and five picks while completing more than 62 percent of his passes. What helps Martinez a little bit is that he has some serious weapons at receiver in JD Spielman and Stanley Morgan, Jr. A top 100 guy should probably be producing more, but it's a very difficult spot to step in immediately and start dominating.” – Gorney
*****
As a recruit: Fortin made an early commitment to Texas A&M, but backed off that pledge following the coaching change in College Station and eventually landed at North Carolina.
What he’s done this year: Fortin has been waiting his turn, and he earned the starting nod last weekend against Virginia Tech. Unfortunately, his time as the starter lasted just a half before he went down with an injury. The job was set to be his long term, but now he’s out for an undetermined period of time.
Nevertheless, Fortin made this list over Rutgers’ Artur Sitkkowski because of his potential going forward. In his limited action, he showed the ability to run as well as pass, throwing for 97 yards and running for 44 more against a tough Virginia Tech defense.
Analyst's take: “Fortin is a kid who missed most of his senior season due to a leg injury in Game 2, so he was not seen much last year. He has always been a quarterback that made good decisions and had that leadership quality, so to see him come in and pick things up quickly is no surprise. He is such a hard worker, a bright young man and he is one who has made the most of his time in Chapel Hill since enrolling early.
"He has taken limited snaps in two games so far, but based on his ability to make things happen in and out of the pocket he has gotten off to a strong start. It is not easy for any freshman to come in and play, so what he has done, especially coming off an injury, is at least a little surprising.” – Simmons
*****
As a recruit: Annexstad wasn’t even the starter at his high school team heading into his senior season, so recruiting interest was tough to come by. However, Minnesota offered him a chance to make the team as a preferred walk-on and he chose that opportunity over a potential scholarship at Pitt.
What he’s done this year: Annexstad won the job out of fall camp and he hasn’t looked back since, leading the Gophers to a 3-3 record while the Gophers' running back situation has been in flux. On the year, he’s thrown for 1,142 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 53 percent of his passes. Annexstad is still developing, but to go from two-star walk-on to true freshman starter in the Big Ten is pretty impressive.
Analyst's take: “Annexstad outperformed his two-star ranking simply by winning the job. The IMG Academy alum showed up at Minnesota as a walk-on, so it’s not as though programs were beating down his door. Still, being named the starter of a Big Ten program is a massive accomplishment. We likely under-ranked Annexstad slightly. Then again, so did everybody else – including a number of college coaching staffs.” - Rob Cassidy, Florida Recruiting Analyst
*****
As a recruit: Thompson-Robinson had several scholarship options, even before starting his first game as a high school quarterback. His recruitment came down to Oregon, Michigan, Alabama and UCLA. He chose the Bruins during the spring of his junior year and stuck with the school, even after a coaching change.
What he’s done this year: Thompson-Robinson was thrown into the fire after starter Wilton Speight was hurt early in the year and he’s slowly improved ever since. His numbers don’t really jump out – he has 1,073 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions – but he will have every opportunity to be the quarterback of the future for the program.
Analyst's take: “The notion that UCLA's offense was going to ramp up and score at will with coach Chip Kelly coming in has absolutely not happened and the unit has looked downright bad for long stretches this season. The Bruins are still averaging just 21.5 points per game, and that's after scoring 37 last week at Cal.
"Thompson-Robinson is completing only 59.8 percent of his passes and he has a 4-to-3 touchdown/interception ratio, but I still think he's the quarterback of the future in Kelly's offense. With his running ability mixed with his talent throwing the ball down the field, Thompson-Robinson has special qualities. Kelly and the staff now just have to put playmakers around him.” – Gorney
*****
As a recruit: Rivers committed to Illinois over Iowa State at the start of his senior season.
What he’s done this year: Rivers has appeared in three games so far this season, with his best showing coming in Illinois’ close loss to USF. On the year, he’s thrown for 422 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He’s still the backup to fifth-year senior A.J. Bush and could redshirt, but he’s very much viewed as the quarterback of the future in Champaign.
Analyst's take: “Rivers was actually at the same camp as Bowman during the spring of 2017 and nearly won the MVP award after showing great arm strength and impressing. As a mid-three star, the jury is still out on his ranking, but he’s showing some of the skills this season that impressed us when he was a prospect.” – Wommack
