Top 10 college football quarterbacks going into 2017 spring practice
By John Buhler
We’re about to see many of college football’s best teams host their annual spring games. Here are the 10 best quarterbacks heading into spring practices.
As it is every spring in the college football world, a handful of great quarterbacks leave campus to pursue their NFL dreams. This year, guys like North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky, Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson have all decided to leave college early to play professionally.
That being said, there are still more than a handful of great quarterbacks coming back to school in 2017 to take the reins of the college football world. Heading into 2017 spring practice, let’s take a look at the 10 best college quarterbacks in the game today.
Jalen Hurts
Quarterback, Alabama Crimson Tide
Let’s be totally honest here. The SEC is not in a great place at the quarterback position. It is losing three of its best signal callers to the NFL in Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly, Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs and Texas A&M’s Trevor Knight.
That being said, there are a few quarterbacks returning to the SEC with a great deal of promise. While Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald may be the most talented of all of them in 2017, it’s impossible to overlook Alabama Crimson Tide sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts.
As a true freshman in 2016, Hurts helped the Crimson Tide go undefeated in the SEC and play for a national championship against the Clemson Tigers. He was better than a game-manager last season, as Hurts was able to make plays with his legs to extend drives. Hurts played some of his best games when Alabama needed him most; his performances against LSU and Mississippi State immediately come to mind.
In his true freshman season, Hurts completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 2,780 yards, 23 touchdowns and nine interceptions. As a runner, Hurts scrambled for 954 yards on 191 attempts for 13 rushing touchdowns.
Accuracy, mobility and playing in big games are all in Hurts’ favor for a potentially spectacular 2017 campaign. However, he must get better at throwing the football down the field. His 7.3 yards per attempt from last fall is not where it needs to be from him this upcoming season. The SEC will not be a great quarterback conference, but Hurts is in the driver’s seat after an impressive freshman season.