Ad Disclosure
Quarterback is the most important position in football, which is evident with the four remaining teams in the College Football Playoffs. The semifinals include the last two Heisman Trophy winners, as well as two signal callers that rank among the elite in their respective conferences.
No one is surprised by the performances of Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, who won college football’s top award after entering as a preseason Heisman favorite, or Jameis Winston, who won the award in 2013. But for Alabama’s Blake Sims and Ohio State’s Cardale Jones, their statuses as starting quarterbacks were far less obvious.
Sims found himself in a QB battle with Jacob Coker entering the season and was expected to share snaps with the redshirt junior. But the dual-threat passer brought a different dynamic to Nick Saban’s team that has helped the Tide roll through the SEC.
Jones entered the season as the No. 3 quarterback behind Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett. But both players suffered season-ending injuries, which gave the redshirt sophomore the opportunity to take the reins of the Buckeyes offense.
There is an obvious disparity among the four remaining quarterbacks, but the talent level is high for each player. Mariota had the best season in college football, despite a less talented Oregon roster than in recent years past. Winston faced similar challenges with an FSU team that has remained undefeated despite surviving potential late-game upsets numerous times.
Sims and Barrett both possess an abundance of talent at other positions that has led to their immediate success. Alabama has the nation’s top receiver in Amari Cooper, among a depth chart full of offensive talent at the skill positions and o-line. The senior picked up where AJ McCarron, Greg McElroy and John Parker Wilson left off by leading an offense full of former blue chip prospects.
Jones’ success is an even more direct correlation of the system. As mentioned, he was the third player to take snaps for the Buckeyes in 2014. Miller entered the season as a serious Heisman candidate before injuring his shoulder prior to Week 1.
Barrett dominated in his absence before suffering his own injury in Week 13. Now, Jones is seeing a strong output in Ohio State’s offense, recording 257 yards and three touchdowns on 12-of-17 passing in the Big Ten Championship, his lone start of the season.
While all four quarterbacks possess a great deal of talent, there is a disparity among them. Oregon and FSU rely on the success of their respective signal callers, while Alabama and Ohio State have proven that they can both see success with several different players under center.
A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky
