Tag: productive

CFB on Fox rank their preseason top five quarterbacks

Fox’s CFB crew ranked their top five QBs going into the season. 10 different names were mentioned, including Texas’ Sam Ehlinger.

Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff crew has begun preparing for the 2020 college football season by ranking their top five quarterbacks going into the season. A panel of Urban Meyer, Joel Klatt, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinert, Brady Quinn, and Rob Stone all had their say.

Between the six analysts, 10 different names were mentioned, including Texas’ Sam Ehlinger. Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler was the only other Big 12 quarterback mentioned.

  • Urban Meyer: Justin Fields, Trevor Lawrence, Sam Howell, Kendon Slovis, Spencer Rattler
  • Joel Klatt: Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Sam Ehlinger, Spencer Rattler, Kendon Slovis
  • Reggie Bush: Justin Fields, Trevor Lawrence, Sam Ehlinger, Bo Nix, Kendon Slovis
  • Matt Leinert: Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Sam Ehlinger, Kyle Trask, Sam Howell
  • Brady Quinn: Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Ian Book, Sam Ehlinger, Kyle Trask
  • Rob Stone: Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Kyle Trask, Bo Nix, Sam Howell

One thing between the rankings was consistent: Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields will be the top two quarterbacks next season. The two signal-callers met in last year’s College Football Playoff semi-final, with Lawrence getting the last laugh.

Kendon Slovis and Sam Howell are two young names that get mentioned as both showed promise for the next couple of years. Slovis replaced JT Daniels at USC after an injury and thrived under Graham Harell’s air raid offense.

As for Howell, North Carolina head coach Mack Brown tapped into his potential right away, being a top-three quarterback in the ACC last season.

A name ahead of Ehlinger on Rob Stone’s list that brings questions is Auburn quarterback Bo Nix. Coming in as a true freshman, Nix’s expectations were sky high, hoping to lead Auburn to an SEC Championship appearance. He struggled all season, as the Tigers were led by their defense most of the season; all under offensive-minded head coach Gus Malzhan.

Here is a comparison between Ehlinger and Nix’s 2019:

  • Ehlinger: 65.2 completion %, 3,663 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, 10 interceptions
  • Nix: 57.6 completion %, 2,542 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, six interceptions

Ehlinger has shown his worth over his three seasons playing college football, being one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12. Leading Texas to a Big 12 championship appearance and even a win against Auburn’s rival Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, Ehlinger’s experience alone should rank him above Nix.

If he has not already, Ehlinger will breakout under Mike Yurich’s pass-heavy offense. Having capable weapons across the field with Jordan Whittington, Jake Smith, and (possibly) Brennan Eagles should help as well.

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One analyst thinks Sam Ehlinger could be most productive college QB

CBS Sports has polled its staff, asking who would be the most productive college QB in 2020. One analyst has selected Sam Ehlinger.

CBS Sports has polled its staff, asking who they thought would be the most productive college quarterback in 2020. Not necessarily who would be the best or a Heisman favorite, but who would put up the most yards and touchdowns throughout the season.

Some elite-level quarterbacks were taken such as Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields were taken.

USC’s budding star Kevin Slovis was also taken off the board, reigning under Graham Harrell’s air raid attack.

Even Stanford transfer KJ Costello, who will be working with Mike Leach at Mississippi State, was predicted to put up big numbers against SEC West defenses.

When given his chance to select, Chipp Patterson chose Sam Ehlinger to be the most productive in the country next season. A bold prediction while working with brand new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and losing his top two wide receivers to the NFL Draft.

Here is Patterson’s explanation as to why he selected Ehlinger:

The question is for “most productive” not “best” or “most popular,” though I’d feel comfortable with my selection if we were only polling in the state of Texas. Ehlinger is the nation’s leader among returning players for total offense, ranking No. 4 in the country a year ago with 332.8 yards per game. Ehlinger might be dealing with a change at offensive coordinator, but when the stage is the biggest, Tom Herman reflects shades of that Urban Meyer coaching tree with the commitment to putting the game in the hands of the quarterback. The four-year starter is going to carry a heavy load in the Texas offense, and that’s going to help power another year of ranking in the top-five nationally in total offense.

Ehlinger comes into the 2020 season as the best returning quarterback in the Big 12. His 32 passing touchdowns were tied with Jalen Hurts of Oklahoma for the most in the conference last season, with Iowa State’s Brock Purdy’s 27 finishing second.

The difference between Ehlinger and Purdy, however, is the feet of the Texas quarterback. Ehlinger ranked inside the top 10 of the Big 12 in rushing yards, tallying 663 yards on 163 attempts. Add in seven touchdowns and Ehlinger was responsible for 40 touchdowns in 2019.

Bringing in Yurich from Ohio State is expected to improve offensive production all around. Playing against some other offensive juggernauts in LSU, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State this season, the Longhorns could find themselves in a few shootouts if Ehlinger produces the way he is predicted to.

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