Pac-12 Spotlight: Post-spring QB situations

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

With spring football now complete at most campuses around the Pac-12, a few programs that entered the spring with questions at quarterback are exiting with answers. Let’s take a look at the quarterback situations for each program in the conference heading into the summer.

RELATED: Big Ten QB situations | SEC | ACC

Starter: Khalil Tate

Backups: Rhett Rodriguez, Jamarye Joiner, Grant Gunnell, Kevin Doyle, Luke Ashworth

Coach Kevin Sumlin and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Noel Mazzone have not named the starter yet, but unless there is a complete meltdown, Tate is going to run the Wildcats’ offense in the 2019 season. In the spring game, Tate threw one pass before getting rested for the remainder of the scrimmage.

After Tate, the order is muddied. Rodriguez would probably be second-in-line but he didn’t look outstanding during the spring. This is Tate’s team and with another year under this coaching staff, he could be special again.

Starter: Undecided

Contenders: Jayden Daniels, Dillon Sterling-Cole

With the departure of Manny Wilkins, the quarterback job was wide open heading into spring practice and the ASU coaching staff wanted a two-man race coming out of those workouts. That’s what the Sun Devils got with Daniels, who put up prolific numbers in high school, and Sterling-Cole looking to battle it out heading into the fall. Sterling-Cole could have the slight advantage because he has some college experience playing in the system that changed little from last year, but Daniels might be too talented to stand on the sidelines for long.

Starter: Chase Garbers

Backups: Devon Modster, Spencer Brasch, Jack Newman, Robby Rowell

The Cal coaching staff has not selected a starting quarterback yet, but Garbers played in all 12 games last season, threw 260 passes and is considered to be the leader for the job. The former four-star looked the best during spring ball, he’s physically bigger, looks more confident and is ready to lead. It won’t be that easy, though, because Modster, a UCLA transfer, and Brasch, a talented freshman, are coming there to play.

Starter: Steven Montez

Backups: Tyler Lytle, Sam Noyer, Blake Stenstrom, Josh Goldin

This one is as clear-cut as possible. Montez is entering his third year as the full-time starter and he can potentially break some school passing records this season. He’s been starting for the Buffaloes since his redshirt freshman season when Sefo Liufau got hurt. Last year, Montez threw for 2,849 yards with 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions. In coach Mel Tucker’s first year, he’s looking for stability at the QB position and he’s got that with Montez.

Starter: Justin Herbert

Backups: Tyler Shough, Cale Millen, Bradley Yaffe

If Herbert left Oregon after last season like many expected, he could have been in line tonight to be selected as one of the first picks in the NFL Draft. Herbert threw for 3,151 yards with 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions last season, and he will be one of the top quarterbacks in college football next season. The future at that position in Eugene looks bright as well since Shough had a strong spring and will enter the season as Herbert’s backup.

Starter: Jake Luton

Backups: Tristan Gebbia, Aidan Willard, Nick Moore, Jack Colletto

It looked like a foregone conclusion that Gebbia, a former four-star and Nebraska transfer, would step into the starting role for the Beavers this season but Luton was granted a sixth year of eligibility this offseason and he looked like the better player during spring ball. In eight games last season, Luton threw for 1,660 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. Gebbia is talented and this job is not locked up but Luton looks like the leader heading into the summer.

Starter: K.J. Costello

Backups: Davis Mills, Jack West, Jack Richardson

Rarely does an ultra-talented former five-star quarterback find himself still on the bench entering his junior season, but that’s where Mills is because Costello has locked up the starting job and was fantastic last season. The former four-star has a tremendous grasp of the offense and he threw for 3,540 yards with 29 touchdowns and 11 picks last season. The Stanford QB situation is in great hands with Costello and then Mills waiting in the wings.

Starter: Dorian Thompson-Robinson

Backups: Austin Burton, Cameron Griffin

Thompson-Robinson learned under the gun his freshman season and his body language as a leader and his grasp of the offense looked much improved during spring ball. The former four-star quarterback who threw for 1,311 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions last season was pushed by Burton during spring practice. But Thompson-Robinson has elite ability and could look a lot more comfortable in his sophomore year.

Starter: JT Daniels

Backups: Jack Sears, Kedon Slovis, Brandon Perdue, Trevor Scully

There was an open competition in spring practice and a new offensive coordinator in Graham Harrell, but there’s no reason to think Daniels, the former five-star, won’t retain his starting job heading into next season. Daniels does need to work on some things – clearly, after last season’s disappointing start to his career – but the new offense should play into his strengths. Sears is not being counted out yet and Slovis had a surprisingly good spring but this definitely still looks like Daniels’ offense.

Starter: Tyler Huntley

Backups: Jason Shelley, Cameron Rising, Jayden Clemons, Zach Hymas, Drew Lisk

Utah has three quarterbacks on the roster who could all make a tremendous impact in the Utes’ offense, but this still looks like Huntley is the starter especially since he has been so comfortable with new offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig. Huntley has dealt with injuries, so the backup position remains a toss-up with Shelley and Rising, a Texas transfer, who is still waiting on the NCAA ruling to see if he’s immediately eligible. Utah is in great hands at this position and there could be some interesting competition heading into the summer.

Starter: Undecided

Contenders: Jacob Eason, Jake Haener, Colson Yankoff, Jacob Sirmon, Dylan Morris

There might not be a team in the nation with more high-end quarterback depth than Washington as Eason was a five-star prospect coming out of high school, Yankoff, Sirmon and Morris were four-stars and Haener was a high three-star recruit.

In replacing Jake Browning, Eason, who transferred from Georgia, has been the No. 1 quarterback over the last two weeks and then Haener has been in the second spot. Yankoff and Sirmon have improved but don’t seem to be in the running for the starting job at this point. Eason is expected to be the guy.

Starter: Undecided

Contenders: Anthony Gordon, Trey Tinsley, Cammon Cooper, Gage Gubrud, Gunner Cruz, John Bledsoe, Aaron Angelos

Replacing Gardner Minshew is not going to be easy, but Washington State has a lot of talented quarterbacks on the roster and we know coach Mike Leach is not going to stop throwing the ball all over the field.

Gordon had the best spring of any of the quarterbacks and he finished with a great spring game when he threw for 234 yards and three touchdowns. Tinsley was solid but was tentative at times later in the spring and Guburd was slowed by injury. Cooper made progress but there is a lot of talent ahead of him. This competition will go through the summer and into fall camp but Gordon might have an edge.