3 Teams Name A Starting QB Ahead Of Their Season Opener
By: Tony Thomas
August 20, 2019
This week, 3 teams officially declared a starting QB ahead of their season openers.
Auburn: Bo Nix, 6-2, 204, has been named the starter for the August 31st opener vs.Oregon in Arlington, TX. Nix will be the first freshman to start for Auburn since 1946. According to http://espn.com, Nix was a 4-star recruit ranked #23 on the ESPN 300 for 2019.
Oklahoma: Jalen Hurts, 6-2, 219, has been declared the starter by HC Lincoln Riley. Hurts is a graduate transfer from Alabama. His career numbers with the Crimson Tide: 5626 yards passing, 48 TD’s and 12 INT’s, and 1991 yards rushing and 23 TD’s. Those numbers speak for themselves, and Hurts is a winner. Also, his attitude and leadership abilities are exactly what you want in your starting QB. The Sooners open the season September 1st against the Houston Cougars and their new head coach Dana Holgersen.
Ohio State: Justin Fields, 6-3, 223, will be the starting QB when the Buckeyes open the season August 31st vs. Florida Atlantic. Fields, a transfer from Georgia, saw limited action with the Bulldogs in 2018: 27 of 39 passing, 328 yards and 4 TD’s, and 42 carries for 256 yards rushing and 4 TD’s. According to http://espn.com, Fields was the #1 recruit in the ESPN 300 for 2018. The one pressing question about Fields: how will he perform in big games on the biggest stage? We shall see.
In contrast, there are also teams who have NOT declared a starter at quarterback with just over a week to go before the start of the season:
The Washington Huskies quarterback battle is still raging. Many presumed it would be Jacob Eason, the transfer from Georgia. But he has yet to separate himself from the competition. The Huskies open the season August 31st vs. Eastern Washington.
Arkansas is still evaluating their quarterbacks, although Nick Starkel threw 3 TD’s in the last scrimmage while Ben Hicks struggled, according to Trey Biddy of http://hawgsports.com. The Razorbacks open the 2019 season August 31st vs. Portland State.
No one has stood out enough to win the quarterback job for the Vanderbilt Commodores. According to Keith Farner of http://saturdaydownsouth.com, the decision “will come down to the wire.” The ‘Dores open their season August 31st at home against the Georgia Bulldogs.
Mississippi State is the other SEC team who has yet to make a decision on a starting quarterback. The Bulldogs open the 2019 season against Louisiana (Lafayette) in New Orleans on August 31st.
Thanks for reading.
Material for this article sourced from: http://sports-reference.com
