College Football: 10 players who will make 2017 the year of the quarterback

Oct 1, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold (14) in action during the second half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold (14) in action during the second half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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The 2017 college football season has the star power to become the year of the quarterback.

Just one year ago, the narrative entering the 2016 college football season was that fans were in store for the year of the running back. Highlighted by the likes of Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook, Christian McCaffrey and a host of others, running backs were supposed to carry the narrative of the season as a whole. While many of those guys were impressive in their prelude to entering the NFL Draft, it now seems as if the 2016 season was merely setting the stage for 2017: The Year of the Quarterback.

One of the predominant narratives for the 2017 NFL Draft is the lackluster nature of the quarterback class. Deshaun Watson, Mitch Trubisky, DeShone Kizer and Patrick Mahomes all have promise, but are all also far from sure things. Looking ahead to the 2017 season in college football, however, the argument could be made that a better class of NFL-caliber quarterbacks will be playing for their respective universities this year.

Players such as Penn State’s Trace McSorley or even Western Kentucky’s Mike White could put up insane numbers in the 2017 season, but that’s merely a taste of what the position has to offer throughout the college ranks. A guy like UCLA’s Josh Rosen also comes to mind, but until he’s healthy and lives up to the hype, he’s excluded from the following list. Given what they showed in 2016 and projecting a bit, these are the 10 players in college football that will make 2017 the year of the quarterback.

Jan 9, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) runs to the end zone for a touchdown against the Clemson Tigers during the fourth quarter in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) runs to the end zone for a touchdown against the Clemson Tigers during the fourth quarter in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

10. Jalen Hurts – Alabama Crimson Tide

The Alabama Crimson Tide starting freshman Jalen Hurts was something both unplanned an unexpected for a number of reasons. Blake Barnett was slated to take the job under center, but faltered out of the gate and opened the door for his fellow freshman, Hurts. The 6-2, 209-pound dual-threat entered the opener against the USC Trojans and guided the Tide to the win behind 6 of 11 passing for 118 yards, two touchdowns and one pick while finding the end zone twice more with his legs.

Once at the helm, Hurts never relinquished his hold on the starting job. Leading Alabama all the way to the National Championship Game against the Clemson Tigers, Hurts finished the season with 2,780 yards, 23 scores and only nine interceptions through the air. What’s more, he added 954 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground to his total as well.

Hurts is certainly a flawed player, but the talent of the freshman is also evident. The whole package was on display in the title game against Clemson as his struggles throwing the football (13 of 31 for 131 yards) limited the Alabama offense, but his late game-breaking touchdown brought his team within minutes of winning Nick Saban another National Championship.

After that experience and with more competition behind him (even with Barnett departing for Arizona State), Hurts should be expected to progress like any young player should. His decision-making, accuracy and efficiency should all improve as a sophomore and, with the talent-factory of Alabama helping him work, he has the opportunity to produce in an enormous way.