In part II of our look at the spring quarterback battles, we take a look at the rest of the top spring quarterback battles.
Part I
California
Interviewees: Allan Bridgford, Austin Hinder, Brock Mansion, Zach Maynard
Resumes: Bridgford was a huge recruit but after redshirting in 2009, missed all of 2010 after undergoing shoulder surgery. Hinder redshirted last year and was also a big recruit. Of the quartet, Mansion has the most experience after starting most of the second half of last season but just couldn't produce consistently on the gridiron. Maynard is the wildcard of the bunch as he has experience and something the other three lack: mobility. Maynard is a transfer from Buffalo where in 2009 he threw for over 2,600 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 15 picks while also rushing for 300 yards. With the Golden Bears breaking in a new running back and offensive line, Maynard's natural playmaking ability could win him the nod this spring. An interesting note on Maynard is that he is the half-brother of receiver Keenan Allen.
Who gets the job?: Maynard
Missouri
Interviewees: James Franklin, Tyler Gabbert, Ashton Glaser
Resumes: The early departure of Blaine Gabbert to the NFL puts the Tigers in a hole at his old position. There are certainly a lot of candidates to fill his cleats but there is little experience amongst them. Between the top three candidates, only Franklin has attempted a collegiate pass. Franklin backed up Gabbert last year and finished with 106 yards passing, one touchdown, and one pick. Franklin is by far the most mobile of the trio and is the frontrunner to win the job. Gabbert is the little brother of Blaine and not just by age. Gabbert is just six feet tall and 190 pounds. Glaser is a dual-threat like Franklin and while this will be his third spring for the Tigers, he is little more than a backup.
Who gets the job?: Franklin.
Notre Dame
Interviewees: Dayne Crist, Tommy Rees, Andrew Hendrix, Everett Golson
Resumes: Golson is the newest in the bunch but is athletic enough that he is looking to play basketball for the Fightin' Irish. Golson will most likely not wrestle the job away from anyone but could see the field in some capacity. Hendrix redshirted last season but thoroughly impressed the coaching staff while leading the scout team. While Hendrix is the quarterback of the future, the starting job should come down to either Rees or Crist. If you remember, Crist started last season and was pretty good until going down with a season ending knee injury against Tulsa. Crist finished the year with over 2,000 yards passing, 19 total touchdowns, and just seven picks in the eight games he played. After Crist went down, Rees stepped in and won every game he started. Rees finished with 1,106 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and eight picks. Of the two, Crist is the more athletic and has a much bigger arm while Rees seems to be a bit more cerebral and gets rid of the ball faster.
Who gets the job?: Rees.
Ohio State
Interviewees: Joe Bauserman, Taylor Graham, Braxton Miller
Resumes: You may notice that Terrell Pryor is not listed above but that is because this quarterback battle is for the first five games of the season, after which Pryor is sure to reclaim his starting job. Bauserman was the backup to Pryor last year. Before arriving in Columbus, Bauserman was in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system. He is a strong armed passer but has attempted just 47 passes in 24 games with the Buckeyes. Graham is another pure passer and is probably the best of the bunch. The most exciting quarterback of the trio has to be Miller who enrolled early. Miller was the number one dual-threat quarterback in the nation and is the most similar to Pryor in terms of skill and athleticism. While Miller is the future of the program, it is very possible that he is redshirted so that he can be Pryor's heir.
Who gets the job?: Graham (until Pryor comes off suspension).
Washington
Interviewees: Nate Montana, Keith Price
Resumes: Montana is the son of NFL great Joe Montana and has a simliar skill set. He is an intelligent passer who went 27-1 as a starter in high school, so he certainly knows how to win. However, Montana has not attempted a collegiate pass after redshirting his first season with the Huskies. Price is more of a dual-threat and was the backup to Jake Locker last year. Price doesn't have a ton of experience under his belt but did step in for an injured Locker against Oregon. In that game, Price threw for 127 yards and a score. Whoever wins the job will have plenty of playmakers surrounding them like Chris Polk and Jermaine Kearse.
Who gets the job?: Price.
Wisconsin
Interviewees: Jon Budmayr, Curt Phillips
Resumes: It is a known fact that a Wisconsin quarterback is never really a viable fantasy option but they are the game managers that make the Badger ground machine go. Gone is Scott Tolzien and his surgical precision. Phillips served as Tolzien's backup last year and is back but will be limited this spring after tearing his ACL in November. Phillips has good size at 6'3, 225 pounds and is athletic enough to bring dual-threat capabilities. Budmayr doesn't necessarily pass the eyeball test at just six feet tall and hasn't played much in the past three years after missing his senior year of high school with an injury. However, with Phillips questionable for the spring, Budmayr should get the bulk of the reps and will only need to be solid, not spectacular.
Who gets the job?: Budmayr.
Other Notables:
Arizona State
With concussions likely ending the career of Steven Threet, the 6-foot-8 Brock Osweiler is the front-runner. True freshman Michael Bercovici will get a look too.
Minnesota
The athletic MarQueis Gray will get the first crack at it, but he's not a lock.
Navy
Kriss Proctor has seem plenty of reps as Ricky Dobbs back-up, he's the favorite to win the job.
Nebraska
Taylor Martinez seems like a no-brainer, but watch out for true freshman Jamaal Taylor and Bubba Starling.
Nevada
Who replaces Colin Kaepernick and can he match his performance? Doubtful. Senior Tyler Lantrip and redshirt freshman Cody Fajardo are the top candidates.
Purdue
Rob Henry will enter and exit spring practice as the starter, but the quarterback competition won't begin in earnest till this summer when we see how Robert Marve has recovered from knee surgery.
Texas
The competition is open this spring, but it's still Garret Gilbert's to lose. Case McCoy is the top challenger
Texas Tech
The Red Raiders have quite a few guys to pick from but early on it appears that Seth Doege is the frontrunner.
TCU
Much like the Red Raiders, TCU has quite a few guys competing for snaps but the job looks to be headed to last year's backup, Casey Pachall.
UCLA
The UCLA offense stunk last year but what makes this battle interesting is incoming freshman Brent Hundley. Hundley is an excellent fit for the Pistol offense and while the battle will be close between him, Kevin Prince, and Richard Brehaut, eventually the job will fall to Hundley.