For many years, Conference USA has been a league that has had an incredible amount of success at the quarterback position. Fast forward to 2018 and the league is very top heavy. The league’s top six quarterback units are rock solid; the bottom eight could be considered unproven at best.
Let’s take a look at where each quarterback stacks up amongst his conference peers:
Brent Stockstill, MTSU: When Stockstill is healthy, he’s the best quarterback in Conference USA by a wide margin. He returns for his fifth year in 2018 looking to get the Blue Raiders back into a bowl game after missing out in 2017. For his career, Stockstill has thrown for 8,939 yards and 77 touchdowns. Expect a big year in 2018.
DeAndre Johnson & Chris Robison, FAU: Jason Driskel put up solid numbers in 2018 throwing 15 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Lane Kiffin can coach offensive football as good as anyone in America. Whether it’s the dual threat Johnson or the pocket passer Robison behind center in 2018, Kiffin will put each in a great position to succeed.
Mason Fine, North Texas: Fine threw for 4,052 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2017. In fact, he was the Conference USA Player of the Year. My only reservation: the West division of Conference USA will be much stronger in 2018. Fine can escape the pocket very well, but he struggles against teams with a solid pass rush. If he improves in this area, he could easily become the Conference USA MVP.
Kwadra Griggs and Jack Abraham, Southern Miss: Griggs found success in 2017 throwing for 16 touchdowns and two interceptions. However, he did miss three games due to injury which is why Jay Hopson went out and signed JC transfer Jack Abraham. Abraham, a Louisiana Tech transfer, had a strong spring and is considered by some to be the front runner to start. The Golden Eagles always have talent at wide receiver. With strong play at quarterback Southern Miss will be contending for a Conference USA Championship once again.
A.J. Ederly, UAB: Ederly had a strong year managing a UAB offense that was built around the run game in 2018. Ederly completed 61% of his throws with 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He also added another 13 touchdowns on the ground. With Ederly at quarterback and Spencer Brown at running back, the Blazers have one of the best rushing attacks in the league. Ederly is a perfect fit for the UAB offensive scheme.
J’Mar Smith, La Tech: Smith has loads of talent, no mistake about it. Smith showed flashes of that talent in 2017 when he produced over 3,300 yards of total offense and 22 touchdowns. J’Mar must improve his accuracy in order to take the next step as a quarterback. The fourth-year junior has the ability to be a dual threat but must be willing to take a hit in order to truly be a factor on the ground. With a moderate amount of improvement in 2018, Louisiana Tech will be the favorite to win the West division of Conference USA.
Alex Thomson, Marshall: When Chase Litten made a surprise jump to the NFL, Marshall began looking for a quarterback. Thomson comes to Huntington, WV as a grad transfer from Wagner. In his three years at Wagner, Thomson threw for 3,832 and 25 touchdowns. Many believe that Thomson is the next great Thundering Herd quarterback.
Steven Williams, ODU: Old Dominion took a step back in 2017, finishing at 5-7 overall. A majority of the struggles can be directly pointed to the quarterback position. Steven Williams finished the season as the starter winning two of the team’s final three games. For the season, Williams finished with 1,528 yards and six touchdowns. Turnovers were an issue with 11 interceptions. Williams is a dangerous dual threat guy who could surprise many teams around Conference USA in 2018.
Hasaan Klugh & Chris Reynolds, Charlotte: Charlotte has been awful on the field for many, many years. However, Klugh has been one of the few bright spots. Klugh threw for 1,525 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2017. He also rushed for 532 yards and another nine touchdowns. In order for the 49ers to improve on their one win season in 2017, Klugh must limit the turnovers after committing 15 last season. Reynolds has an opportunity to factor into the equation due to the fact that the 49ers will go to a more pro-style offense in 2018, and he is a more polished passer.
Drew Eckels, Steven Duncan, & Davis Shanley WKU: Mike White is finally off to the NFL after a very successful collegiate career. While the Hilltoppers took a step back in 2017, Mike Sanford is excited for year two as the head coach in Bowling Green. Sanford is looking for a more athletic quarterback to run his system in 2018. Eckels, a senior, had a strong spring and appears to have a slight lead over Duncan and Shanley heading into fall camp. Regardless of the outcome, expect a new look offensively from Western Kentucky in 2018 that is centered more around the quarterback run game.
Christian Alexander, Kaylan Wiggins, & James Morgan, FIU: Butch Davis can coach, the Panthers won eight games in his first year at Florida International. Alex McGough was drafted into the NFL, and the Panthers are now searching for an answer at quarterback. All three quarterback candidates have talent and will duke it out in fall camp. Alexander and Wiggins had strong springs, whereas Morgan will arrive this fall as a transfer from Bowling Green. One thing is for certain, the offense will utilize the quarterback run much more in 2018 with all three guys having the ability to tuck it and run. If Davis can get decent quarterback play, FIU will once again find itself in a bowl game behind a strong defense.
Sam Glaesmann, Miklo Smalls, & Jackson Tyner, Rice: The Owls won one game in 2017 and had possibly the worst quarterback unit in the entire country. None of the three quarterbacks who saw action threw for over 650 yards or more than three touchdowns. The result: David Bailiff was fired, and Mike Bloomgren was brought in as the new head coach. Bloomgren, formerly the offensive coordinator at Standford, will look to create an offense that has a bit of nastiness about it, especially in the run game. While there is no clear cut frontrunner, the quarterback that displays the ability to not turn the football over will likely win the job.
Bryce Rivers, Frank Harris, Cordale Grundy, and D.J. Gillins UTSA: Frank Wilson seems to have brought his quarterback woes with him from LSU to UTSA. While Dalton Sturm was serviceable, he lacked the ability to beat teams through the air, and it ultimately resulted in the Roadrunners missing a bowl game in 2017. Rivers will enter the fall as the starter after throwing for 121 yards and one touchdown in the spring game. Harris suffered an ACL injury this spring and will likely miss all of 2018. Keep an eye on JC transfer, Cordale Grundy, along with SMU transfer, D.J. Gillins.
Kai Locksley & Ryan Metz, UTEP: The Miners did not win a game in 2017, and it resulted in Sean Kugler losing his job. Dana Dimel was hired from Kansas State to bring an offensive mindset to El Paso. While Ryan Metz threw for 652 yards and three touchdowns in 2017, Locksley has to be the favorite to win the job. The former Texas signee was the 13th ranked quarterback in the 2015 recruiting class and would give the Miners an athletic quarterback that would fit Dimel’s system perfectly.
Stay tuned to BleedTechBlue.com as we continue to preview the 2018 season throughout the summer. Join us for only $9.95 a month. We are the #1 source for Louisiana Tech Athletics.
