Inside the Numbers: Pac-12 quarterbacks
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The first was former five-star Matt Barkley for USC in 2009.
Like Rosen, Barkley came in with a lot of hype and delivered in his first game
under center, completing 15-of-19 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown with no
interceptions against San Jose State. Barkley would go on to complete 64 percent
of his passes for 12,327 yards and 116 touchdowns in his four-year career and go
on to be a fourth round NFL Draft pick.
The second was current California starter Jared Goff, who is
now in his third year as the Golden Bears' starting quarterback. Goff came out
of high school rated four stars and ranked as the No. 140 overall player in the
2013 class. In his freshman season, Goff set the Cal single-season record for
passing yards and then broke his own record as a sophomore. This past weekend, he
opened his third season at quarterback by completing 24-of-32 passes for 309
yards and three touchdowns in a blowout of Grambling State.
What do these two have in common with the three freshmen who started openers
this past weekend? They were also early enrollees who had the benefit of
familiarizing themselves with the playbook and the classroom during the spring
before winning the job as freshmen.
14
Quarterbacks committed to Pac-12 schools in the 2016 class
K.J. Costello
Four of the 14 are rated four-stars, with Stanford commit K.J. Costello ranked the highest at No. 28 in the class and the No. 2 pro-style
quarterback. Other four-stars include Arizona State commit
Arizona commit Devon Modster.
Cal, Utah and Oregon have two quarterbacks committed in the 2016 class.
Besides Green, Oregon just added a commitment from former Nebraska three-star
quarterback commit Terry Wilson on Sunday after he took an official
visit to Eugene. The Utes have commitments from three-stars Kahi Neves
and Tyler Huntley, while Cal has commitments from three-stars
Armani Rogers and Max Gilliam.
The only Pac-12 school without a quarterback commitment in the 2016 class is
Washington, though with Browning grabbing the job early in his career the
Huskies' need at the position and ability to attract a top-flight quarterback in
this class is diminished.
251.6
Average number of yards thrown by Pac-12 quarterback commits last weekend
The 14 Pac-12 quarterback commits in the 2016 class lit up stat sheets across
the country. For some, it was a season-opener; others it was Week 2. The overall
top performance has to go to Gilliam, Cal's three-star commit, who threw for 343
yards and seven touchdowns Friday night in a 53-26 win.
Other performances of note include Costello, the Stanford commit who is the
highest ranked quarterback recruit in the Pac-12's 2016 class. The 6-foot-4,
218-pound passer completed 18-of-23 passes for 423 yards and five touchdowns.
UCLA commit Matt Lynch threw for 243 yards and three touchdowns while
rushing for another 76 yards. Washington State three-star commit
Cody Brewer had 293 yards and two touchdown passes, adding another
score on the ground.
Two other notable performances were that of Green, the Oregon commit, and Oregon
State commit Mason Moran. Green did not start Week 1 and has been in a
battle for the job since transferring from Minnesota last winter. He came off
the bench this past weekend for Allen (Texas) High to throw for 210 yards and
three touchdowns, while rushing for 53 yards and two more scores. Moran did not
practice all week after getting stitches in his hand, but led his team to a
22-10 win over Scottsdale Chaparral Friday night, throwing for 90 yards and
rushing for 111 yards and a score.
5
Pac-12 teams whose starting QB is in his final year of eligibility
Arizona State's Mike Bercovici, Oregon's Vernon Adams Jr.,
Stanford's Kevin Hogan, USC's Cody Kessler and Utah's
Travis Wilson are all playing out their final collegiate seasons, while
Goff is currently projected as a high draft pick next spring and could bolt for
the NFL after this season as well.
Just because these teams are expected to have an open quarterback competition
going into the 2016 season, however, does not mean we will see another wave of
true freshmen starting quarterbacks in the conference next year. Rivals100 class
of 2015 quarterback Brady White came to Tempe with his sights set on
succeeding Bercovici as the Sun Devils' starter. Redshirt junior Jeff Lockie
was narrowly beat out by Adams, and will be the heir apparent at Oregon again in
2016. At USC, former five-star Max Browne and former four-star Sam Darnold are awaiting their opportunities.
The rarity of a fresh-out-of-high-school signal caller being able to make the
leap so quickly -- and beat out upperclassmen who have been in the system longer
-- is the reason why 2015's trio is so unique, and why only two others have done
it this century.
1
Quarterback committed to the Pac-12 in the 2017 class
Braxton Burmeister
Of the 13 class of 2017 quarterbacks who have already made commitments to Power
Five schools, only four-star La Jolla (Calif.) Country Day's Braxton Burmeister has pledged his services to a Pac-12
program. The No. 153 overall
player and No. 8 dual-threat quarterback in the class committed to Arizona on
Nov. 13, 2014, shortly after completing his sophomore season.
Quarterbacks usually go off the board quicker than other positions on the field due to their importance and how few each team recruits in a given
class. The early returns on the quarterback class out West, though, and
especially in the state of California, are not as strong as we are used to
seeing. The highest ranked uncommitted 2017 quarterback in the West is
Honolulu's Tua Tagovailoa at No. 38 in the Rivals100. Calabasas'
Tristan Gebbia, as the No. 4 pro-style quarterback, is the top prospect
at the position early in the Golden State. Meanwhile, Las Vegas four-star
Tate Martell has already pledged his services to Texas A&M.
Josh Helmholdt
Midwest Recruiting Analyst
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