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College football rankings: Sam Howell, Spencer Rattler and the top 20 quarterbacks of 2021

By Cody Williams

Dec 27, 2019; Annapolis, Maryland, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Sam Howell (7) runs during the fourth quarter against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2019; Annapolis, Maryland, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Sam Howell (7) runs during the fourth quarter against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tanner Morgan, Minnesota Golden Gophers. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Tanner Morgan, Minnesota Golden Gophers. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

17. Tanner Morgan, Minnesota

After Minnesota’s dream 2019 season, Tanner Morgan was a rising star in the college football ranks and a quarterback who was getting some early buzz as a potential first-round pick for the NFL Draft — even in last year’s class. Unfortunately, the 2020 campaign was an exceptionally difficult one to navigate for Morgan and the Golden Gophers at large.

You could make the argument that few teams were as negatively affected week-in and week-out by COVID than P.J. Fleck’s program. It seemed like every week brought a handful of key starters who were sidelined either due to a positive test or contact tracing. That often left the offensive line at a substandard level and the wide receiver corps looking quite shallow, which hurt Morgan.

Morgan’s completion rate dropped 8.1 percent from 2019 and, after throwing for 3,253 yards and 30 touchdowns in 13 games the previous year, he threw for only 1,374 yards and seven scores last season over seven games. And now he’s losing Rashod Bateman to the NFL, a player who was clearly his most talented weapon.

All that being said, I have faith in Morgan. He may not be the first-round caliber quarterback that he was getting crowned as but he’s talented and efficient under normal circumstances in terms of health and the roster. Minnesota has a strong group of weapons even after losing Bateman and 2021 should be a strong bounce-back year for the quarterback.