8 Quarterbacks To Watch This Season For The College Football Newbie

By Victoria Robertson on September 15, 2015

Fans of football appreciate the sport in all forms, from the nostalgic, high school games all the way to the NFL.

But college football takes a certain amount of dedication to stay up on, especially for those of us that are just starting to appreciate the sport and have no idea where to even start.

So for those of you that fall under this “newbie” category, here are eight quarterbacks you’ll want to watch out for this season.

1. Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett, Ohio State

Ohio State is making headlines, but the quarterback situation appears to be the subject line of choice. Everyone is interested in who the starting quarterback will be, or if the two candidates will be continually swapped throughout the season.

Considering the team is defending a national championship title, and is already 2-0 for the season (even with the QB swaps), this is going to be a line-up football fans will want to pay attention to as the season continues.

So will it be Jones (who seemed to struggle during his last start) or will it be Barrett (the relief that clinched the win)? Or will the two be intermittently changed on a play-by-play basis?

So far, their odd tactic is working, but I’m sure the Ohio State QB debacle will continue making headlines and conversation amongst college football fans as the season continues.

2. Vernon Adams Jr., Oregon

After transferring this season from Eastern Washington University, Adams had a difficult season opener for Oregon following a hard hit in the fourth quarter and a subsequent hand injury that has fans worried.

However, even with a rough start and a worrisome injury, Adams is going to be a quarterback football fans will want to watch as the season progresses, especially as he attempts to fill the shoes of Heisman Trophy winner, Marcus Mariota.

3. Kevin Hogan, Stanford

With a slow-starting offense in their first game at Northwestern, Hogan had a bit to prove in the following game against UCF, and he did just that leveling out the record at 1-1.

Hogan passed for three touchdowns and a career-high 341 yards. It’ll be interesting to see if this initiative continues with the rest of the season.

Following a tragedy from last year (his father’s passing in December), Hogan was rumored to transfer for his senior year, but it seems as if he made the right choice in finishing out his career as a Cardinal.

4. Connor Cook, Michigan State

Against the Oregon Ducks in his last game, Cook completed over 60 percent of his passes, but eventually relied on the defense to pull out a win giving Michigan State a 2-0 record to start off this season.

Of course, it isn’t the win that’s worth noting, but Cook’s disappointment in himself, as no QB wants to rely on the defense to pull out a win.

So long as Cook is noting his faults, such as the 0 for 3 pass attempts he went for to round out the game, and utilizing his hindsight, this is going to be a great season for the Spartans.

5. Deshaun Watson, Clemson

Already considered a viable Heisman Trophy candidate (before the football season even started), Watson is a sophomore QB to watch this season.

While Clemson may or may not rise to the occasion this season, Watson certainly has so far, ending the season opener with two touchdowns and 194 yards and a completion of 18 out of 22 passes.

While he may have started last season as a backup, this season he is going to be in the spotlight, and deservedly so. It’ll be interesting to see how he does moving forward.

6. Christian Hackenberg, Penn State

Continuously discussed as an NFL draft top pick, fans are disappointed in Hackenberg’s less than amazing season opener with Penn State.

He completed 11 out of 25 passes, with only 103 yards and an easily avoidable interception.

However, despite the bad start, Hackenberg will be a QB to watch this season, even if just to see if he can rise to the occasion, or will fall flat in the home stretch.

7. Everett Golson, Florida State

The previous Notre Dame QB seems to be doing just fine without the school, which is too bad for the fighting Irish, especially following current QB, Malik Zaire’s, broken ankle as a result of the team’s season opener.

But with the Irish behind him, Golson opened this season as a Seminole throwing for 302 yards and four touchdowns as well as passing completions of 19 of 25. In fact, in general, there wasn’t a bad move on his part throughout the game. And if that continues, watching him this season is going to be a blast.

8. Wes Lunt, Illinois

As an Illini myself, I know better than anyone how disappointed Illinois football has been the past few years. While Lunt is certainly not making top QB lists by any means, I’m throwing him in here as my wildcard.

In the Illinois season opener, Lunt passed for 316 yards and completed 33 of 46 passes. He ended with one touchdown and one interception.

Considering the start to last season, this isn’t only a win for the record, but a win in terms of moving forward, as maybe Illinois fans have something to look forward to in Lunt this season after all.

So whether you’ve strictly been a pro-football fan for the past few years or the last football game you saw was probably senior year of high school, keep these eight college QBs in mind as college football season kicks off, and you’ll be an expert in no time.

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