The quarterback talent in the Pac-12 conference took a hit on Sunday when it was reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel that former Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels is planning to transfer east to LSU, where he will immediately compete in spring ball for a chance to start for coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers in the fall.
Daniels is the latest Pac-12 quarterback to leave the conference this offseason, and he’ll likely be replaced at Arizona State by former Alabama backup quarterback Paul Tyson, one of a whopping seven new quarterbacks expected to start for Pac-12 teams this fall.
Some of the “new faces” aren’t new to college football, including Oklahoma transfer Caleb Williams, who is set to replace Kedon Slovis at USC, as well as Purdue transfer Jack Plummer (Cal), and of course Oregon is set to host a battle between Ty Thompson and Auburn transfer Bo Nix to replace Anthony Brown.
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Washington may have a new gunslinger as well, with Indiana transfer Michael Penix competing with returners Dylan Morris and Sam Huard, while Incarnate Word superstar Cameron Ward is the new top dog at Washington State, replacing Jayden de Laura who transferred to Arizona to give the Wildcats some stability under center after last year’s debacle.
All this to say – it’s going to be a wild year for offense on the west coast. The Pac-12 has struggled to retain high level quarterback play in recent years, with Justin Herbert being a notable exception, and the rise of the transfer portal and of course NIL opportunities likely means even more movement is coming in the following years.
Whichever teams are able to adapt to steady change, while acquiring high level talent of their own via the portal, will remain near the top of the standings year in and year out.
Oregon fans will hope that new coach Dan Lanning, who so far looks very willing to adapt, can continue to do so over his first few seasons in Eugene.
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