Many believed that going into last season it would be the “year of the quarterback” with players like Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Sam Darnold, and Josh Rosen 2017 was a season with very solid QB play. This coming season though, I believe could be dominated by Freshman quarterbacks.
All over the country there are many incoming freshman that can come in start day one, and make an impacts, while other may take over mid season. In fact, There are 3 QB’s in the Rivals top 5 players in the 2018 class.
JT Daniels will be a very interesting name to watch in LA at USC. Daniels will have a very good shot to come in and be the starter for the Trojans week one. Hailing from just south of LA he had a historic career at Mater Dei, and could very well be the next great USC QB. He mixes great arm strength with accuracy and is also very mobile.
Another QB to watch will be Trevor Lawrence at Clemson. He may not be the starter at the beginning of the season but if he gets a chance, which I think he will, he won’t waste it. He is the number one overall player on Rivals for the 2018 class, and this is for very good reason. He has great size standing at a massive 6’6 and if you watch the guys highlights you will not be disappointed, he makes some amazing plays that I can’t wait to be showcased on a College field.
The next guy is a bit of a wildcard, Georgia’s Justin Fields. Field’s is a very special player, he is a legit dual threat, with great speed and pinpoint accuracy. The problem for him is that he will most likely start the season being a quarterback that lead his team to a national championship appearance last year, in Jake Fromm, and did very well. Despite this, I think Field could have the talent to overtake the starting role, if things line up well for him, and if he does he will take the College Football World by storm.
Another player that could have a large impact of the CFB landscape may be Matt Coral. He will be playing for the Ole Miss Rebels this fall and is a bit of dark horse compared to the other names I’ve mentioned. He is ranked significantly lower but I think he could very well out play his rank. At Ole Miss he will be surrounded by possibly the best receiving corps in the nation. This will help him grow immensely as a quarterback.
Overall 2018 could show us some great quarterback play especially from some young gunslingers, I can’t wait to see how these guys pan out.