By: Tim Rodriguez

Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler is as talented as they come. His arm strength, athleticism, and accuracy are all above the threshold you would want in a franchise quarterback. However, his time at Oklahoma has left some to be desired by those evaluating his draft status. Going forward, Rattler will have to show that he’s wired like an NFL quarterback. Being consistent and making smart decisions are the things that matter this year for Rattler. Everyone knows about the traits already, and they aren’t going anywhere.  

Concerns 

Spencer Rattler is immensely talented, but as of right now, is more hope than anything right now. Rattler’s traits show up in spades, but the consistency is not there yet, especially when it comes to decision-making. Last week’s matchup with Tulane is the perfect example. On his home field against an incredibly subpar opponent, a potential number one overall pick should be expected to play well, at the very minimum. Unfortunately, Rattler threw two interceptions, with one being a completely unnecessary ball in double coverage. Rattler has another opportunity this weekend vs Western Carolina to show out against the lesser competition. The up and down roller coaster of the Spencer Rattler experience is something that may turn off several NFL teams.

Something else that has come into question about the Sooners’ star is his character and leadership qualities. Many of those criticisms come from his time on a Netflix show called “QB1” which chronicles the senior seasons of three top quarterbacks each year. Rattler appeared on the show before enrolling at Oklahoma and many believe that the way he carried himself was off-putting and not the way you would expect a quarterback to act. There was also a suspension thrown in there which raised even more questions. While a quarterback is inherently a leader, it’s hard to judge Rattler based on things he did in high school, especially when many of them are perceptions of him as opposed to actual incidents. However, Rattler cannot answer any character or leadership questions about himself this fall. The only thing he can do is show that he can make good decisions with the ball and play consistently enough to warrant a high draft pick being used on him.

The ultimate investment 

Taking a quarterback with a first-round pick is a massive investment, even more so with the number one overall pick. The first pick is a golden ticket and does not come around that often for teams. Getting that pick typically requires losing at least 13 games. When making that type of investment in a player, coaching staff and front office needs to be sure they can trust that player with the keys to their franchise, as well as their jobs. The young, talented, highly drafted quarterback will almost always outlast the coach that drafts him. Blake Bortles, Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Jared Goff, Mitchell Trubisky, Ryan Tannehill, and Sam Darnold all outlasted the coaches that drafted them before the organization finally decided that they were no longer an option. When a team makes an investment in Rattler, they will certainly need quite a few questions answered. Take the Houston Texans for example. Houston is most likely going to pick first and currently has a circus surrounding disgruntled quarterback Deshaun Watson. With much uncertainty around Rattler, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the new-look Texans opt for a safer option like Nevada’s Carson Strong, or even pushing quarterback to 2023 and taking one of the excellent defensive players that this class has to offer.   

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By: Cody Molla (@Cmolla1)

Football is back! NFL preseason is wrapping up, NCAA Football is kicking off and soon the real NFL season starts. This 2021 NFL season will feature seven coaches making their head coaching debut in the NFL. Nearly a quarter of the league will be under the new direction on the field. Many of these new guys have previous NFL coordinator experience and coaching experience in the NFL. One in particular however has none. Urban Meyer, new Head Coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Meyer has a historic collegiate coaching career. One of the most prolific coaches in recent history and ever in college football. In 17 seasons Meyer has a record of 187-32. A winning percentage of .853 across a few years at Bowling Green University, University of Utah, University of Florida, and Ohio State University. We all know his success from the last two stops. To summarize his career, he won two BCS titles at Florida, won the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship with Ohio State, became the first coach to lead a BCS non-AQ conference team to a BCS bowl at Utah, coached a Heisman Trophy winner at Florida with Tim Tebow, and coached a number one overall pick in the NFL draft with Alex Smith.

The biggest question is how will his previous college success translate to the NFL and what does it mean for future NFL coaching candidates? Meyer’s success or failure will have an impact on future coaching candidates across the NFL. Meyer is notorious for the spread offense. It’s what he ran at all of his college stops. We know the NFL game is not like the college game. Does Meyer try and force the spread offense as Chip Kelly did in his NFL tenure? Does he adapt to the NFL game? Either way, the Urban Meyer coaching experience will impact how the NFL views coaches purely from the college ranks. We will dive into three coaching candidates from the college ranks that could make the jump to the NFL in a near NFL coaching carousel.

Lincoln Riley ”“ Oklahoma

Riley has been a head coach for four years in his young career. He took over as head coach at OU in 2017. He has compiled a record of 45-8 good for a .849 winning percentage. In his first three seasons, Riley and the Sooners lost in the semifinal of the college football playoff. Last year was his first bowl win in the Cotton Bowl, it was not part of the college football playoff.

Despite his limited experience as a head coach, his hat was in the ring for becoming the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys prior to the 2020 season. Riley is currently 37 years old. The NFL has not shied away from young coaches and Riley is one of the candidates for a future NFL job. Sean McVay took the Rams to the super bowl at age 33, the youngest age ever for an NFL coach. The Browns recently hired Kevin Stefanski who is 37 as well and went to the playoffs in his first season. The Arizona Cardinals also hired Kingsbury before turning 40 and after having a losing record as a college head coach!

The reason Lincoln has been linked to the Cowboys job was because of his close ties with Jerry Jones. The two got close after Riley had done some recruiting of Jerry’s grandson John Stephen Jones. Besides his connections, Riley has groomed some successful college players who have become bright stars in the NFL. Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray played under Riley at OU. Both of them won the Heisman trophy then became number one overall picks in the NFL draft the next year. Continuing the success at quarterback is Jalen Hurts. Not as much buzz in his NFL game as the other two but he is likely to start for the Eagles in his second year as an NFL player after playing for Riley at Oklahoma to close his college career. The Eagles were also rumored to be interested in Riley going into the coaching search knowing Hurts success with Riley in the past.

For the immediate future, Riley has the Heisman favorite as his quarterback in Spencer Rattler. Another successful college year is ahead for the Sooners and Riley which will likely leave him a top candidate for the NFL in 2022. I doubt he leaves for the NFL in 2022. However, come 2023 and the years after I can see him making the jump to the NFL. He will always be a candidate for the Dallas Cowboys.

Based on what I’ve seen in hard knocks Mike McCarthy is not going to be the head coach much longer. Even with a winning season, it’s Super Bowl or bust for Jerry Jones. If Jerry sees a way to improve the team he will do it, replacing the head coach is very easy for him.

Riley seems to be enjoying his time at OU and will likely want to win a championship before making the jump. Riley is one of the best quarterback coaches in the nation right now and seems to have a knack for coaching players to be successful at that position in the NFL.

Matt Campbell ”“ Iowa State

Campbell was a candidate that intrigued a few NFL franchises in the last hiring season. He reportedly turned down a large offer from the Lions. He was also rumored to be of interest from the New York Jets.

Campbell has never had NFL coaching experience but has been a college head coach since 2011. He was given his first head coach job at the University of Toledo in 2011. He coached there till 2015 and went 35-15. He was the head coach for two bowl game wins, one his first game as the interim head coach in 2011 and one as the official head coach in 2014. In his last two years with the Rockets he was tied for first place in the MAC.

Campbell was named head coach at Iowa State in 2015 and has been there ever since. An impressive season last year included winning the Big 12 conference, a win in the Fiesta Bowl, for a 9-3 season, and a nine by their name to finish the year. Campbell is 35-28 at Iowa State. After struggling his first year the Cyclones have had a winning season every year since.

Campbell is a three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year Winner. He likely plans on being at Iowa St. for some time after turning down the contract from the Lions he signed an extension through 2028 with the Cyclones. I think he will be at Iowa St. until they are the team to beat in the Big 12.

Last year was their breakout season. The roster has lots of young talent that Campbell has recruited to his program and will likely want to see that building of a program pay off. The Cyclones are a strong team and for the next few years Campbell will continue to build his resume at Iowa St. He will also continue to be a candidate in the back of NFL minds. He is likely not willing to make the NFL jump for another year or two but may soon after that.

Jim Harbaugh- Michigan

Harbaugh has had success in the NFL and college ranks as a head coach. His only tenure as an NFL head coach was in 2011-2014 with the 49ers. Harbaughs NFL experience with the 49ers may have ended sour but it was sweet the first three seasons.

The 49ers would make three straight NFC Championships, winning one in 2012 where the lost in the Super Bowl to the Baltimore Ravens. It is impressive that their season ended three straight years to the Super Bowl champs. He compiled a record of 44-19-1 in the regular season and a playoff record of 5-3.

His college head coaching career started back in 2004 at the University of San Diego. At the time a Division One FCS school where he went 29-6 in three seasons.  Following the success at San Diego, he was hired by Stanford.

At Stanford, Harbaugh struggled to win games in 2007 and 2008. The Cardinal finished in 7^th and 6^th in the conference. However, with the emergence of Andrew Luck, Stanford became a conference title contender and finished second in 2009 with an 8-5 overall record then second again in 2010 with a 12-1 record and Orange Bowl win.

From Stanford, he made the jump to the NFL. After the NFL he returned to coach at his alma mater The University of Michigan. Hired in 2015, Big Blue was expected to compete for national championships. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been that way for Harbaugh. Harbaugh has only won one of five bowl games. The lone win was a Citrus Bowl victory in 2015.

Harbaugh has been average at Michigan. Never making a conference title game appearance and an 0-5 record vs rival Ohio State. We all thought the program at Michigan would explode onto the scene yet it has yet to detonate and even flare. Three ten win seasons and four times finishing in the top 20 rankings isn’t good enough in these circumstances. A rather disappointing 2020 season left Harbaughs status in the air.

With many NFL jobs opened up the return was widely thought to happen. Jim comes with a fiery, combative, and demanding personality. Because of this, he rubs people the wrong way and his stays at his previous stops have been cut short. Is this something NFL executives are holding against him?

His football knowledge and experience certainly qualify him as a head coach candidate for NFL teams. I think a bounce back year at Michigan would be satisfying enough for Jim. He certainly would love to do it to make Paul Finebaum eat his words and keep quiet.

Harbaugh is a name we hear every coach search season I think he finally returns back to the NFL after this year. He has a wide range of connections from his own NFL playing days, his coaching days, and his brother. It would be cool to see the brothers square off in another Super Bowl down the line!

Honorable Mention  

PJ Fleck- Minnesota

Luke Fickell- Cincinnati

Pat Fitzgerald- Northwestern

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By: Tim Rodriguez

The world of college football was vastly different in 2017 than what we know now. There was no talk of super conferences. Any type of NIL deal seemed like a fairytale. The transfer portal was gaining steam but was nothing like it is in 2021. That season was fairly normal. The most out of the ordinary thing to happen then was brewing in Orlando, Florida. The University of Central Florida took the college football world by storm. Scott Frost’s bunch steamrolled their competition and found themselves sitting at 13-0 when the dust settled. In their bowl game, the Knights put away an Auburn team that had beaten both teams competing for the national championship. That’s when the trouble started. Being the only undefeated team in the country, as well as beating the team who put the only blemishes on Alabama and Georgia’s records, the Knights declared themselves “co-national champions” with the Crimson Tide. 

Was it weird and kind of desperate? Yes, but that should not take away from how special that UCF team was. Their lowest scoring games of the season were two 31 point performances. The captain of this ship was a 5-11 Sophomore out of Hawaii named Mckenzie Milton who simply dominated the AAC. Despite losing Frost and some key contributors, Milton was still playing well in 2018, regardless of the dip in his numbers. However, disaster struck on November 23rd. In a blowout win against state rival South Florida, Milton went down with one of the most gruesome leg injuries we had ever seen. Milton suffered ligament, nerve, and artery damage after dislocating his right knee. Almost three years later, Milton is back and in a position to win the starting job at Florida State. 

Now as a member of the Seminoles, the transfer quarterback finds himself next to a familiar face. Former AAC rival Mike Norvell made the move from Memphis and is set to begin his second season coaching the once-storied Seminoles. Norvell has seen firsthand what Milton can do. In three games vs Norvell’s Tigers, his new quarterback posted 961 yards and five touchdowns, to just three interceptions. Norvell’s Tigers lost all three matchups. Now, Milton looks to lead Norvell’s team to a bounce back season in the ACC, but first, he has to win the job. His competition, the uber-athletic Jordan Travis, will not go quietly and kiss the “ring”. Milton’s name may live in college football lore, but he has had to go out and compete every day for this starting job. While Milton is the favorite to win the job, nothing has been handed to him because of who he once was. 

How much is left?

The best part of Milton’s game was unquestionably his athleticism and ability to make “off-platform throws”. Upon watching two games of his 2018 film, it’s evident that a healthy Mckenzie Milton is a top-tier college football quarterback. The question just remains of how much of that athleticism is left. For a team that still has questions on the offensive line, his ability to play off-script would add a boost to an offense that sorely needs it. However, the most important thing that Milton brings with him to Tallahassee is an expansion of Mike Norvell’s playbook. 

With the combination of quarterbacks that FSU trotted out in 2020, the offense looked like a shell of itself compared to its time at Memphis. Norvell was unable to run his preferred form of offense with the Noles last season due to a lack of competent quarterback play. Jordan Travis struggles to hit the simple “gimme” throws and Chubba Purdy played like how you would expect a true freshman on a bad team to play. The addition of Mckenzie Milton allows Florida State to run RPO’s like Norvell always intended and can keep the quarterback run plays (Draws, zone reads, etc.) that they were running for Travis in 2020. An added bonus is that if Milton is the starter, Norvell can still use Travis in certain packages. 

Perhaps the best thing that Milton will bring to the Seminoles is simply a calming presence that comes with experience and maturity. Turning 24 this year and having faced adversity like few others, his experience, leadership, poise, and mentality will bring a new feel to a team in desperate need of some positivity. Almost three years ago, he was not entirely sure that he’d ever had both legs again, let alone play football. For him, this is the easy part. That poise and maturity were showed on the field as well though, before his injury. A perfect example is his 2018 game against Florida Atlantic. Early in the first quarter, Milton overshot his receiver on first and ten on a double-move that would have been an 80-yard touchdown. Most young quarterbacks would get down on themselves and start to press. Milton, however, stood calmly in the pocket on the next play and delivered a twenty-yard strike to his receiver. It was dropped but was a perfectly placed ball low to the ground to protect his target from an incoming hit. That’s the type of poise and professionalism that Florida State is getting in 2021 if Milton is the starter. 

Regardless of who takes the field under the bright lights of Doak Campbell Stadium when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish come to town, it’s more than just a game for Mckenzie Milton. September 5th is a culmination of everything he has spent most of the last three years working towards. When it appeared as if his dream was taken from him, Milton put his head down and did everything he could to become his old self again. While it remains to be seen what’s left of the former eighth place Heisman finalist put his head down and did everything possible to recapture the magic of his 2017. While it remains to be seen what he looks like, the last version we saw of him was miles better than the quarterback play that Florida State fans have been subjected to in recent memory.

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The 2021 college football quarterback group entertains numerous decade like talents. There are QB prospects who yield traits that may exceed intangibles possessed by any professional signal caller. All in all, some of the current college QBs are bound to be All Pro players within the first few years of the NFL. 

1. Spencer Rattler 

The top quarterback in the nation is surely the player that wears number 7 for the Oklahoma Sooners. Spencer Rattler was phenomenal in 2020. His 28-7 TD to INT ratio and 172 passer rating justifies the comparisons he garners to the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield. Rattler reportedly threw a pigskin 52 yards off his backfoot! 

2. Sam Howell 

NFL fans will hope the UNC QB that gets picked in the top 10 next year has a better pro career than that of former UNC field general Mitchell Trubisky. Sam Howell tossed 38 passing touchdowns as a freshman, while possessing a 61.4 completion %. His passing numbers are the cream of the top, but his pro potential does not compare as well to Rattler’s freakish arm talent. Rattler and Howell are unquestionably the 1-2 QBs in the CFB QB rankings.

3. D’Eriq King 

D’Eriq King, the senior QB for the Miami Hurricanes, lands at No. 3 on the list. King didn’t quite elevate his game from his 2018 season (2,982 passing yards, 36 passing TDs), but his talent remains clear. King, who stands only 5’11, looks the part of Kyler Murray, but he’s not near the same speed. King has similar arm strength and some sneaky speed to the Cardinals QB. 

4. Matt Coral

The Ole Miss QB that also stands at a mere 6’1 is the fourth best QB in the CFB nation. Matt Coral flexed an impressive 70.9 completion percentage, while throwing 29 touchdowns to 19 interceptions. His all around talent is clear that he deserves to be a Top 5 QB prospect, but nothing is off the charts, nor does his size impress enough to edge out his competitors. Coral is still arguably the top SEC QB to enter the 2021 season.

5. Carson Strong 

Carson Strong is a coach’s dream, but he plays for Nevada. Strong is accurate (70.1% in 2020), efficient (160.6), and he stands at 6’4. Strong also displays a strong pocket awareness and he does a superb job of letting the play develop. He does have a poor knack to rush the football when pressured, however. He will need to do a better job of handling pressure and making more plays out of nothing, if he wants to keep many NFL coaches interested. 

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