62
SEISMIC
Quarterbacks are on the move now more than ever before, with new transfer rules creating the closest thing cUARTERBACKS IN quest
of playing time have the
transfer carousel humming.
Blocked by Tua Tago vailoa
at Alabama, Jalen Hurts
announced his move to
Oklahoma in January. That
created a sudden logjam
in Norman, where Austin
Kendall—who was ranked
ahead of Hurts in the recruiting class of 2016—had spent
the past two years backing up Heisman Trophy winners.
The Sooners had initially refused to grant Kendall a waiver
to play right away as a transfer, but Hurts’s arrival changed
their minds, so he’s off to fill the opening at West Vir-
ginia. Graduate transfers can play immediately and, as of
June 2018, any player who sees time in four or fewer games
can claim that season as a redshirt year. That rule paved
the way for the departure of Kelly Bryant, who guided
Clemson to the College Football Playoff in ’17. He started
the first four games of his senior season before losing his
job to freshman Trevor Lawrence, who then took the Tigers
to the national title. So Bryant claimed a redshirt and left
for Missouri, where he was assured of being QB1. The new
ease of obtaining waivers has increased the odds that a
highly recruited QB from one major program could face
his former school when it matters most. Two five stars who
couldn’t unseat Jake Fromm at Georgia are now running
teams that, like the Bulldogs, have CFP potential: sopho-
more Justin Fields (Ohio State) and junior Jacob Eason
(Washington). And, of course, that also applies to Hurts,
who three years after leading the Tide to a championship
could very well face the Tide for a championship. It’s a
wild, strange world out there for big-time QBs, and love
the transfer trend or hate it, there’s no arguing it adds
intrigue. Good luck keeping up. ±Q
1. JACOB
EASON
Georgia to
Washington15. GAGE
GUBRUD
Eastern
Washington
to Washington
State(^115)
15
13
Quarterbacks
transferring
from one
Power 5
program to
another in 2019
who could start
at their new
schools.7
Quarterbacks
who have
transferred
from a program
that has made
a playoff
appearance in
the past two
seasons.33
Percentage
of four- and
five-star QBs
from the class
of 2017 who
have already
transferred
after just two
seasons.