From the Orlando Sentinel...
The American Athletic Conference finished last season with two quarterbacks in the top 10 in passing offense: UCF’s McKenzie Milton and Memphis’ Riley Ferguson. Milton is back in 2018 and his return promises that the Knights will have one of the top quarterback positions in the conference.
Here is a look at where each school ranks at the quarterback position:
1. UCF
Buzz: A huge part of the success surrounding the UCF program last season centered on McKenzie Milton, who put together a career-year, one in which the sophomore combined for 4,650 total yards of offense and 45 total touchdowns while earning player of the year honors in the conference. Milton thrived in Scott Frost’s offensive system, now he looks to continue that trend under new coach Josh Heupel. The bigger issue will be the depth behind Milton. Backup Noah Vedral followed Frost to Nebraska with a transfer, leaving sophomore Darriel Mack Jr. as the only scholarship quarterback going into spring.
2. HOUSTON
Buzz: With the Cougars finishing as a middle-of-the-pack in the American in total offense, coach Major Applewhite brought in former Baylor and FAU coordinator Kendal Briles to run the offense in 2018. Briles inherits a roster that features just two scholarship quarterbacks back from last season in D’Eriq King and Bryson Smith, who are expected to battle to replace Kyle Postma and Kyle Allen. Incoming freshman Clayton Tune also figures in the plans, but perhaps in a more long-term capacity.
3. SMU
Buzz: The Mustangs made monumental inroads on offense under Chad Morris, going from dead-last in 2014 to fourth in 2017. New coach Sonny Dykes plans to continue that trend with his version of the Air Raid offense. Ben Hicks was one of only three quarterbacks in the AAC to pass for over 3,000 yards last season. He’ll enter the spring as the front-runner despite Dykes’ assertions to make it an open competition for the job. Former graduate transfer D.J. Gillins could push Hicks as could senior Rafe Peavey.
4. MEMPHIS
Buzz: It’s Year 3 for Mike Norvell at Memphis and for the first time since he took the Tigers job, he’ll have a quarterback competition on his hands. Riley Ferguson is gone following a successful career and the question of Ferguson’s replacement is a murky one heading into spring. Redshirt sophomore David Moore served as back up to Ferguson and is the early favorite for the job along with redshirt junior Brady Davis and redshirt freshman Connor Adair. But Brady White, an oft-injured graduate transfer from Arizona State, could factor in too.
5. USF
Buzz: For the first time since 2014, USF enters a season with a quarterback quandary. Quinton Flowers wrapped up one of the most successful playing careers with the Bulls, taking with him a handful of school and conference records along the way. Junior Brett Kean, who saw limited action as the backup to Flowers, comes into spring as the favorite to replace him along with redshirt sophomore Chris Oladokun. A pair of highly-touted freshmen in Octavious Battle and Jordan McCloud could also push for the job when they arrive in the fall.
6. NAVY
Buzz: Zach Abey was one of just two quarterbacks in the AAC to finish the season with more than 1,000 yards rushing after leading the league with more than 1,400 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns. Abey’s return provides the Midshipmen with a huge lift heading into 2018 as the team finished with the second-best rushing offense in the country. Senior Garret Lewis stepped up last season when Abey went down with an injury.
7. CINCINNATI
Buzz: The Bearcats enter the spring with some stability at quarterback with senior Hayden Moore back following an up-and-down season. Moore comes loaded with experience, having started 21 career games during his career, but he’ll face plenty of opposition this spring. Junior Ross Trail pushed for the job in 2017 and was the backup most of the season. Sophomore Jake Sopko and redshirt freshman Desmond Ridder will contend in spring. Ben Bryant, a 3-star quarterback who flipped his commitment from Wisconsin to Cincinnati, could be a long-term project.
8. TEMPLE
Buzz: Senior Frank Nutile returns to the lead the offense after stepping into the starting role eight games into the 2017 season after Logan Marchi went down with an injury. In his five starts, Nutile combined for more than 1,520 yards passing with 12 touchdowns while leading the Owls to a 4-1 finish including a 28-3 win over FIU in the Gasparilla Bowl. Marchi transferred to East Tennessee State leaving Anthony Russo and Todd Centeio to battle for the backup role this spring along with incoming freshman Trad Beatty; a key piece of Temple’s 2018 recruiting class.
9. TULSA
Buzz: Tulsa bottomed out with a disappointing two-win season in 2017 as the team tried to move on after the departure of quarterback Dane Evans. Redshirt freshman Luke Skipper (6 starts) and sophomore Chad President (6) split starting duties last season. The duo combined for more than 2,500 yards of offense. President suffered an ACL injury in the season-finale and will most likely miss spring practice will he recovers, leading Skipper to headline the group along with incoming freshman Davis Brin who arrives in fall. Zach Smith, who transferred in from Baylor, will sit out the 2018 season per NCAA rules.
10. UCONN
Buzz: The Huskies went through an offseason of change as offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee left to go to Arkansas. Enter John Dunn, an NFL assistant coach, who will try and revive an offense that ranked near the bottom half of the AAC in total offense. Bryant Shirreffs is gone after exhausting his eligibility following a career that saw his start 30 games. Senior David Pindell, who started three games last season, headlines one of the most contested quarterback battles in spring along with redshirt sophomore Jordan McAfee, sophomore Marvin Washington and freshman Steven Krajewski.
11. TULANE
Buzz: No program in the conference suffered as much attrition at the quarterback position as Tulane thanks to a trio of defections as Glen Cuiellette, Johnathan Brantley and Khalil McClain left via the transfer route. Senior Jonathan Banks started the majority of the games in 2017, accounting for more than 2,300 total yards of offense for the Green Wave which saw its best season since 2013. Freshman Christian Daniels, who arrives in the fall,will battle with sophomore Dane Ledford for positioning too.
12. EAST CAROLINA
Buzz: Uncertainty swirls around the quarterback position at East Carolina heading into spring practice. Gardner Minshew, who started five games for the Pirates including the final three of the season, left the program as a graduate transfer while Thomas Sirk (7 starts) exhausted his eligibility. Incoming freshman Holton Ahlers has been touted as the top quarterback out of the state of North Carolina and he’ll push for the starting job along with sophomore Reid Herring, who was the third-stringer behind Minshew and Sirk. Redshirt freshman Kingsley Ifedi, a 3-star dual-threat option, is also an option.
The American Athletic Conference finished last season with two quarterbacks in the top 10 in passing offense: UCF’s McKenzie Milton and Memphis’ Riley Ferguson. Milton is back in 2018 and his return promises that the Knights will have one of the top quarterback positions in the conference.
Here is a look at where each school ranks at the quarterback position:
1. UCF
Buzz: A huge part of the success surrounding the UCF program last season centered on McKenzie Milton, who put together a career-year, one in which the sophomore combined for 4,650 total yards of offense and 45 total touchdowns while earning player of the year honors in the conference. Milton thrived in Scott Frost’s offensive system, now he looks to continue that trend under new coach Josh Heupel. The bigger issue will be the depth behind Milton. Backup Noah Vedral followed Frost to Nebraska with a transfer, leaving sophomore Darriel Mack Jr. as the only scholarship quarterback going into spring.
2. HOUSTON
Buzz: With the Cougars finishing as a middle-of-the-pack in the American in total offense, coach Major Applewhite brought in former Baylor and FAU coordinator Kendal Briles to run the offense in 2018. Briles inherits a roster that features just two scholarship quarterbacks back from last season in D’Eriq King and Bryson Smith, who are expected to battle to replace Kyle Postma and Kyle Allen. Incoming freshman Clayton Tune also figures in the plans, but perhaps in a more long-term capacity.
3. SMU
Buzz: The Mustangs made monumental inroads on offense under Chad Morris, going from dead-last in 2014 to fourth in 2017. New coach Sonny Dykes plans to continue that trend with his version of the Air Raid offense. Ben Hicks was one of only three quarterbacks in the AAC to pass for over 3,000 yards last season. He’ll enter the spring as the front-runner despite Dykes’ assertions to make it an open competition for the job. Former graduate transfer D.J. Gillins could push Hicks as could senior Rafe Peavey.
4. MEMPHIS
Buzz: It’s Year 3 for Mike Norvell at Memphis and for the first time since he took the Tigers job, he’ll have a quarterback competition on his hands. Riley Ferguson is gone following a successful career and the question of Ferguson’s replacement is a murky one heading into spring. Redshirt sophomore David Moore served as back up to Ferguson and is the early favorite for the job along with redshirt junior Brady Davis and redshirt freshman Connor Adair. But Brady White, an oft-injured graduate transfer from Arizona State, could factor in too.
5. USF
Buzz: For the first time since 2014, USF enters a season with a quarterback quandary. Quinton Flowers wrapped up one of the most successful playing careers with the Bulls, taking with him a handful of school and conference records along the way. Junior Brett Kean, who saw limited action as the backup to Flowers, comes into spring as the favorite to replace him along with redshirt sophomore Chris Oladokun. A pair of highly-touted freshmen in Octavious Battle and Jordan McCloud could also push for the job when they arrive in the fall.
6. NAVY
Buzz: Zach Abey was one of just two quarterbacks in the AAC to finish the season with more than 1,000 yards rushing after leading the league with more than 1,400 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns. Abey’s return provides the Midshipmen with a huge lift heading into 2018 as the team finished with the second-best rushing offense in the country. Senior Garret Lewis stepped up last season when Abey went down with an injury.
7. CINCINNATI
Buzz: The Bearcats enter the spring with some stability at quarterback with senior Hayden Moore back following an up-and-down season. Moore comes loaded with experience, having started 21 career games during his career, but he’ll face plenty of opposition this spring. Junior Ross Trail pushed for the job in 2017 and was the backup most of the season. Sophomore Jake Sopko and redshirt freshman Desmond Ridder will contend in spring. Ben Bryant, a 3-star quarterback who flipped his commitment from Wisconsin to Cincinnati, could be a long-term project.
8. TEMPLE
Buzz: Senior Frank Nutile returns to the lead the offense after stepping into the starting role eight games into the 2017 season after Logan Marchi went down with an injury. In his five starts, Nutile combined for more than 1,520 yards passing with 12 touchdowns while leading the Owls to a 4-1 finish including a 28-3 win over FIU in the Gasparilla Bowl. Marchi transferred to East Tennessee State leaving Anthony Russo and Todd Centeio to battle for the backup role this spring along with incoming freshman Trad Beatty; a key piece of Temple’s 2018 recruiting class.
9. TULSA
Buzz: Tulsa bottomed out with a disappointing two-win season in 2017 as the team tried to move on after the departure of quarterback Dane Evans. Redshirt freshman Luke Skipper (6 starts) and sophomore Chad President (6) split starting duties last season. The duo combined for more than 2,500 yards of offense. President suffered an ACL injury in the season-finale and will most likely miss spring practice will he recovers, leading Skipper to headline the group along with incoming freshman Davis Brin who arrives in fall. Zach Smith, who transferred in from Baylor, will sit out the 2018 season per NCAA rules.
10. UCONN
Buzz: The Huskies went through an offseason of change as offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee left to go to Arkansas. Enter John Dunn, an NFL assistant coach, who will try and revive an offense that ranked near the bottom half of the AAC in total offense. Bryant Shirreffs is gone after exhausting his eligibility following a career that saw his start 30 games. Senior David Pindell, who started three games last season, headlines one of the most contested quarterback battles in spring along with redshirt sophomore Jordan McAfee, sophomore Marvin Washington and freshman Steven Krajewski.
11. TULANE
Buzz: No program in the conference suffered as much attrition at the quarterback position as Tulane thanks to a trio of defections as Glen Cuiellette, Johnathan Brantley and Khalil McClain left via the transfer route. Senior Jonathan Banks started the majority of the games in 2017, accounting for more than 2,300 total yards of offense for the Green Wave which saw its best season since 2013. Freshman Christian Daniels, who arrives in the fall,will battle with sophomore Dane Ledford for positioning too.
12. EAST CAROLINA
Buzz: Uncertainty swirls around the quarterback position at East Carolina heading into spring practice. Gardner Minshew, who started five games for the Pirates including the final three of the season, left the program as a graduate transfer while Thomas Sirk (7 starts) exhausted his eligibility. Incoming freshman Holton Ahlers has been touted as the top quarterback out of the state of North Carolina and he’ll push for the starting job along with sophomore Reid Herring, who was the third-stringer behind Minshew and Sirk. Redshirt freshman Kingsley Ifedi, a 3-star dual-threat option, is also an option.
