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

7. Shane Buechele – Texas Longhorns

Charlie Strong had to have high hopes for his future with the Texas Longhorns after the debut effort of Shane Buechele as their starting quarterback in 2016. Against a Notre Dame defense that we’d soon find out was horribly lackluster, Buechele amassed 280 yards and two touchdowns through the air to go with 33 yards rushing and another score in the victory over the Fighting Irish.

Of course, Strong and Buechele’s success was much harder to find throughout the rest of the season for the Longhorns. However, the then-freshman still showed plenty of promise for Texas throughout the campaign. His debut season ended with him having thrown for 2,958 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while showing flashes with his legs, though it only resulted in two scores.

Because of the 5-7 season for Texas, though, Buechele has a great deal of hope heading his way in Austin in the form of new head coach Tom Herman. The former Houston head coach and Ohio State offensive coordinator has a promising track record of developing quarterbacks and putting them in a position to succeed. Buechele has the tools as both a passer and athlete for Herman to mold him into a special player at Texas.

Of every player on this list, Buechele is likely the biggest unknown with the highest variance of outcomes for his 2017 season. However, now having Herman in his corner combined with the flashes he showed as a freshman are enough to inspire a great deal of confidence in the player he could well become.