Blake Barnett was Alabama's starting quarterback against USC on Sept. 3. By month's end, he'd lost the job and left the program. He has said he'll enroll at Arizona State, though it's believed Lane Kiffin, the Bama offensive coordinator who's moving to Florida Atlantic, wants Barnett to join him there. Two more Crimson Tide quarterbacks – Cooper Bateman and David Cornwell – have announced their intentions to transfer.
Texas A&M’s starting quarterback in Game 1 of 2014 was Kenny Hill. He’s at TCU. The Aggies’ starting quarterback in Game 1 of 2015 was Kyle Allen. He’s at Houston, though there’s thought he’ll follow Tom Herman to Texas. When Allen struggled, the Aggies turned to Kyler Murray. He’s at Oklahoma, where he’ll presumably play behind Baker Mayfield, once a walk-on at Texas Tech. Trevor Knight, the Sooners’ quarterback before Mayfield, now starts for A&M. Got all that?
Florida’s No. 1 quarterback entering September was Luke Del Rio, who’s 22 and still a redshirt sophomore, having made stops at Alabama and Oregon State. The Gators’ quarterback in the conference title game was Austin Appleby, formerly of Purdue. Appleby was one of two SEC quarterbacks who’d begun as a Boilermaker, the other being Danny Etling of LSU.
Jarrett Stidham, who started for Baylor before transferring to — but not playing for — McLennan Community College, has announced he'll enroll at Auburn. According to 247 Sports, the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 quarterbacks of the 2015 class were Barnett, Murray and Stidham; all three have since relocated. No. 28 was Lamar Jackson, who just won the Heisman Trophy. Still with me?
It’s unclear what Stidham’s arrival will mean for incumbent Sean White, a redshirt sophomore. Also unclear is whether Auburn backup John Franklin III, who signed with Florida State and transferred to East Mississippi CC, will grace a fourth campus with his presence. And here, after pausing for breath, we turn to D.J. Shockley and ask: What would his learned advice be to neo-quarterbacks who can’t wait to hit the collegiate equivalent of free agency?
“I’ve actually had that discussion with guys,” Shockley said. “I say, ‘Do you think you can play? Do you believe enough in your ability? Do you believe you can make it a hard decision for the coaches? What does your opportunity look like elsewhere, and not just at this particular moment?’ ”
To this want-it-all-and-want-it-now generation of quarterbacks, Shockley might seem a relic on the order of the rotary phone. He signed with Georgia in 2001 as Mark Richt’s first major recruit. He redshirted as a freshman. He spent the next three years as understudy to David Greene, who led the Bulldogs to 42 victories — then an NCAA record — over four seasons. Shockley would get the occasional series but never a start. Every winter brought speculation that he would leave. Every winter he resisted the urge.
“I felt tremendous pressure,” Shockley said. “From teammates, family members, even my dad. Coaches were calling my dad out of the woodwork.” (Donald Shockley was D.J.’s coach at North Clayton High.)
What schools did he consider? “Maryland, North Carolina, Florida State.”
How close did he come to bolting? “There was a time after my sophomore season. I had a day or two to decide – we were about to start bowl practice – was I going to go?”
Why didn’t he? “Ultimately I wanted to play for coach Richt, wait my turn, be loyal and be there for the guys I came in with.”
Shockley’s turn finally arrived in 2005. He threw five touchdown passes against Boise State in the season opener. He would be MVP of the SEC championship game upset of LSU. He will forever believe his patience was rewarded in full.
A quarterback of millennial vintage might ask, “Patience? What’s that?” Shockley, who’s 33, isn’t judgmental about the torrent of transfers. He is, however, pragmatic.
“It just depends on the kid and his outlook on life,” Shockley said. “But competition is going to be everywhere. I’d think, ‘If I go somewhere and sit out and a new guy comes in, I’m in the same situation as at Georgia.’ But guys believe (transferring) is the fastest way to the NFL.”
Shockley wound up in the NFL, albeit as a backup, after being picked in the seventh round by the Falcons. Today he does TV work and offers postgame analysis on the Falcons’ radio network. His bit of analytic insight about competition being everywhere figures to be borne out again soon.
Greyson Lambert transferred to Georgia after being demoted at Virginia. He started every game for the Bulldogs in 2015 save one. (The Florida assignment fell to Faton Bauta, who soon left for Colorado State.) Lambert began this season as the starting quarterback but was displaced by freshman Jacob Eason, the No. 2 pro-style quarterback among 2016 recruits. Georgia has a commitment from Jake Fromm of Houston County, the No. 3 pro-style quarterback of 2017.
Even the one Alabama quarterback who’s staying – freshman Jalen Hurts, the newly minted SEC offensive player of the year – can’t rest easy. Tua Tagovailoa of Honolulu has pledged his services to Bama. He’s the nation’s top-ranked dual-threat quarterback. (Hurts was No. 3 in his class.) Would Tagovailoa be willing to wait the way Shockley did? Would Fromm? Would any latter-day quarterback?
“At the end of the day, it’s your life,” Shockley said. “You’re the only one living it. You can’t let pressure from other people have a bearing on it. You have to live it.”
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