Quarterback is understandably the most difficult position to evaluate, as players’ success can often rely on factors beyond their natural abilities. That’s not to say that over the past few decades Rivals analysts didn’t think there were several sure-fire bets that had all the potential for greatness, regardless of circumstance. Here’s a look at five quarterbacks thought sure to find success at the college level - and beyond - that just didn’t pan out.
MORE: Rivals.com QB Week | Ranking the QBs in the Big Ten | SEC | ACC | Pac-12
Gilbert realized his childhood dream when he committed to his hometown Texas as a five-star quarterback and top-20 recruit nationally in the 2009 class. His only full season as a starter for the Longhorns, 2010, ended with a 5-7 record. He lost his starting spot early in 2011 and needed season-ending shoulder surgery to boot. Gilbert transferred to SMU in 2012 and had some relative success in two seasons with the Mustangs. After being a sixth-round selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, he failed to find his way beyond the practice squads of several teams and was most recently waived by the Oakland Raiders in May.
Crist was a five-star recruit in a class that also boasted the likes of Terrelle Pryor, Blaine Gabbert and E.J. Manuel, and he finished his senior season as a top-25 player and a Notre Dame commitment in 2008. After playing sparingly as a backup to Jimmy Claussen, he struggled to stay healthy with several major leg injuries despite being an effective starter in between during the 2010 season. He tried to hit the reset button with Charlie Weiss and Kansas in the following two seasons but didn’t have major success. After preseason looks with the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, Crist couldn’t stick to an NFL roster and was done playing in 2013.
The No. 10 player nationally in 2006, Mustain seemed to be a dream come true for his home-state Arkansas Razorbacks. After a highly successful and decorated high school football career, he went undefeated in eight games as a true freshman starter for Arkansas. Between head coach Houston Nutt’s quick judgements to replace starting quarterbacks and then-offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn's departure for Tulsa, Mustain transferred to USC and toiled behind Matt Barkley for the rest of his college career. Mustain had stints in the Canadian and Arena Football Leagues - and even gave baseball a try - but never capitalized on the promise he showed in high school.
2006 was the season of opportunity for Wright. After making a name for himself during his junior and senior high school seasons and getting his feet wet in his first season as a starter with Miami in 2005, lots of eyes were on him to take a step forward as potentially one of the top quarterbacks in college football. Instead, he struggled with the same inconsistencies he showed in the season prior, and his season ended when he needed thumb surgery following a midseason loss to Virginia Tech. After failing to reclaim his starting spot at Miami and going undrafted in 2008, he was given looks by the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers, but he couldn’t make it work with either.
Olson seemed every bit the prototypical pro-style quarterback coming out of high school. With a 6-5, 235-pound build, he was a five-star prospect and threw for 32 touchdowns and nearly 3,000 yards as a senior. He initially aimed to play football at BYU, but after his return from a two-year mission, he transferred to UCLA. The time away from football didn’t seem to do him any favors, as his conservative play in five games during the 2006 season preceded a six-game run as a starter in 2007 where he battled injuries and mediocrity. He had one last shot as a starter in 2008, but a broken foot ended any shot he had left at making good on his potential.
