College Football: Quarterback U, Who Deserves it?
College Football: Quarterback U, Who Deserves it?
Over the past few seasons, College Football has taken a leap in the importance of the quarterback. Besides Alabama, most big-name schools are led by, top of the line, quarterbacks. The two schools that have dominated this position for the past few seasons are the Oklahoma Sooners and the Clemson Tigers. Over the past 3 seasons, these two teams have had quarterbacks that have combined for 2 National Titles, 2 Heisman Winners, and 3 that were drafted in the first round. It is very easy to make a case for both teams, so let’s dig into who has the edge over the other.
Winning is Everything
To make a case for the Clemson Tigers, the first finger is pointed towards winning. Over the past 3 years, Clemson has taken home two national titles. The first was led by Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has solidified himself as Houston’s franchise quarterback. In three years at Clemson, Watson threw for over 10,000 yards and 90 touchdowns and led his team to a title highlighted by a game-winning drive where he drove down the field for the game-clinching score with only seconds to spare. To fast forward to a more recent event, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence took the nation by storm when he led the Tigers to a convincing 44-16 win over Alabama in the national championship. Lawrence, who took Kelly Bryant’s job during the season, threw for 347 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Crimson Tide, as he led Clemson to a dominating win. If winning is everything in football, the Clemson should have the edge.
Pure Dominance
On the flipside, it is hard to ignore the special talents that Oklahoma has bred and will continue to breed, in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. Mayfield and Murray were Heisman Trophy winners in back-to-back seasons, and were also the 1st overall pick in back-to-back seasons as Baker Mayfield was drafted by the Cleveland Browns and had a historic rookie campaign, while Kyler Murray was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals the very next season (2019). Showing his pure dominance in college, the walk-on warrior transferred from Texas Tech to Oklahoma in 2015, where he went on to throw a total of 119 touchdowns in three seasons and led Oklahoma to a bowl game in every season he was there. Now in the NFL, Mayfield is looking to turn around the joke of the NFL in the Cleveland Browns. As for Kyler Murray, what gets everyone’s attention is how special of an athlete he is. Arguably the fastest quarterback in the draft, Murray displays a combination of foot speed and arm talent that makes him a dual threat that can beat you in many ways. After taking a backseat to Mayfield and only starting one year, Murray threw for 42 touchdowns and ran for over 1,000 yards. While not as many rings as Clemson, the special talents can give them the edge over the Tigers.
My Take
In my opinion, the Oklahoma Sooners deserve the label of “Quarterback U”. The reason I believe this because when it comes down to pure talent and potential, Oklahoma wins. Not only does Oklahoma have the track record of two Heisman’s in the last two seasons, but they also have recruits Spencer Rattler and newly recruited Brock Vandagriff ready to step in as they try to fill the big shoes that Murray and Mayfield left for them. All in all, Oklahoma’s quarterback situation should not be an issue for the next few seasons, and possibly many more after that.
-By: Richie Dordas