Top 5s: Breakthrough QBs

Okay, NOW, hopefully I will begin blogging on an almost daily basis. I said the same thing about 15 days ago and that turned out not to be the case. But alas, I have some ideas about what I can type about and now that spring practices are right around the corner, perhaps the college football world will begin turning again. But until then, let's examine some positions under center that could surprise in 2008.



5. Matt Grothe-Yes, it is true; Grothe has not fully developed as a passer. Yet. Which is why in his junior year, he should make the necessary strides to become a fully-equipped two-tool passer.

Look, the guy finished 76th place in passing efficiency. He threw as many touchdowns as he did interceptions. The Sun Bowl was a debacle (even though it wasn't all his fault). The guy just hasn't been a very good QB over the past few years. His dual-threat nature put him above a few of his peers, but USF has not had much of a passing game to actually work around. But now, with weapons returning like Carlton Mitchell, Taurus Johnson, and Jessie Hester Jr., expect the passing game to really take the next step and improve. Grothe has been doing the little things better each and every week it seems and he certainly has the physical attributes to become a fine passer.



4. Jacob Bower-This is assuming he wins the job at Tulsa. He used to play at BYU, obviously, but that would be John Beck sitting upon the shoulders of Jacob Bower.......Which, I suppose, explains why he decided to transfer. But anyway, the job is up for grabs and it's up to Gus Malzahn to decide who best fits the offense.

First things first though, he must try to usurp the spot from David Johnson who might be considered as the favorite to take the job. Johnson has been a backup for a few seasons and is probably the most comfortable in the offense. But don't be surprised if Bower finds a starting spot on the team. In junior college, he lit up the competition at Bakersfield.



3. Cody Hawkins-He may not have the strongest arm on the planet, but the guy knows where to put the football as it comes out of the sling. Hawkins is fortunate enough to be mentored by his dad and QB guru himself, Dan Hawkins. And I'll slug the next person who makes a "This Idn't Intramurals!" joke. Seriously, I will. Quoting Stewie, "That is sooooo fresh, do you write your own material? Got any good Titanic jokes while we're at it? You're sooooo funny!"

Well, I'm getting off-topic. Hawkins will only be a sophomore but the fact remains that Colorado is back on the road to contending in the Big 12 North. With Nebraska obviously going to be better, Kansas coming from nowhere, and Missouri being a lock for one of the top 15 teams in the country, don't expect Colorado to win the North this year. But with one season of seasoning and getting the Freshmanitis knocked out of him, don't expect a sophomore slump.



2. Kirby Freeman-.........THAT Kirby Freeman?

Yep. In case you didn't hear, he transferred to Baylor during the offseason and, thanks to an NCAA waiver, is eligible to take the field and start for Art Briles. Let's see, undeveloped QB + Art Briles = fireworks. That is a mathematical law. Freeman was pretty heralded coming out of high school and while he wasn't supposed to be Bernie Kosar, he wasn't planning on becoming a poor man's Brock Berlin. The guy has talent even if it hasn't been found and besides maybe Steve Spurrier or Norm Chow, Briles might be the guy you want coaching QBs. At least if what he did with Case Keenum/Blake Joseph, Branndon Stewart, and Kevin Kolb is any indication of what he's capable. I might be getting ahead of myself because Kirby still has to beat out Blake Szymanski for the starting job (I'm assuming he will).



1. Kodi Burns-Again, he has to win the job first, but this is assuming that he does. The reason? Tony Franklin. Franklin came in to install a spread offense a few weeks before the Chick-fil-A Bowl and it worked, believe it or not.

Brandon Cox is finally gone and he didn't fit the mold of what Franklin was looking for. Even though Chris Todd is waiting in the wings and poses a threat to Burns, Burns is like an Omar Haugabook with more potential. That's exactly what Franklin needs (he ran the offense at Troy). The SEC types that pride themselves on smashmouth football might be in for a dose of something new. Burns basically ran a lot of those zone read options that you see at West Virginia against Clemson and it all depends on the personnel. Expect Auburn, whose west coast offense under Tuberville had been getting more and more anemic as the seasons progressed, to really take off on offense. I read something from Matt Zemek that was pretty interesting. I disagree, but he says that Auburn's taking baby steps is a bad sign.