Five quarterback battles to watch

Replacing an established quarterback who exhausted his eligibility is an exhausting process for most college football coaches.

Spring practice evaluations are an important bridge toward replacing a veteran quarterback. The problem is that is many coaches are counting on high school quarterbacks to fill the void and must wait for those prospects to graduate.

Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez, who is seeking a replacement for one-year starter Matt Scott, is without high-profile Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School quarterback Anu Solomon this spring while Solomon works toward his graduation. Penn State coach Bill O’Brien has the same situation; Fort Union (Va.) Military Academy’s Christian Hackenberg won’t compete until the fall for the vacancy created by the loss of senior Matt McGloin.

Some programs have experienced players who spelled injured starters in the past, such as USC rising sophomore Max Wittek, who started in place of Matt Barkley at the end of the 2012 season.

Many of these emergency replacements are not guaranteed the starting job, however, because they are not proven over the long haul, and promising newcomers are deserving of a shot.

Here’s a look at the five programs with coaches who have difficult decisions to make at quarterback.

USC

Starter gone: Matt Barkley

Synopsis: Wittek, a 6-foot-4 strong-armed quarterback, started in place of the injured Barkley against Notre Dame and Georgia Tech but did not provide USC coach Lane Kiffin much confidence with his five interceptions in those games. Max Browne, the nation’s top quarterback recruit, graduated early from Sammamish (Wash.) Skyline High School and will try to stake a claim in the spring. Redshirt sophomore Cody Kessler is another highly-touted prospect who attempted only two passes last season in a mop-up role. Browne is a 6-5 quarterback with mobility who exudes confidence, but he is an untested leader at the collegiate level. Kiffin has the resources to replace Barkley, but the intangibles of the quarterback position are a significant question mark.

Florida State

Starter gone: E.J. Manuel

Synopsis: Jameis Winston, a redshirt freshman, has the least collegiate experience of the quarterbacks vying for the opportunity to replace Manuel, but his athleticism outweighs that. He was also regarded as one of the top high school quarterback prospects in the Class of 2012. Winston is a pitcher and outfielder for the Seminoles who was drafted in the 15th round by the Texas Rangers in the 2012 major-league draft. He reportedly threw a football 70 yards when he was in the 10th grade. Clint Trickett, son of assistant head coach Rick Trickett, threw 336 yards against Clemson in 2011 but hardly got any reps last season with Manuel as the starter. Sophomore Jacob Coker is also an athlete, excelling in basketball and running a Wing-T offense in high school. Florida State will miss Manuel’s leadership but this competition should be wild and fun.

Oklahoma

Starter gone: Landry Jones

Synopsis: Jones’ heir apparent is Blake Bell, a 6-foot-6, 254-pound junior who has not completed a touchdown pass in his college career but has run for 24 out of Oklahoma’s “Belldozer” package. Although Bell has been Jones’ backup the past two seasons, he has not proven the value of his passing. He will get some competition from redshirt freshman Trevor Knight and sophomore Kendal Thompson during the spring and fall. Oklahoma’s coaches are particularly intrigued by Knight, who was a consistent standout as the scout team quarterback last season. Oklahoma co-offensive coordinator Jay Norvell has marveled at Knight’s leadership capabilities. Bell has the most experience and will get first crack at starting, but don’t be surprised if Knight is inserted early in the season to see what he can do in live competition.

Penn State

Starter gone: Matt McGloin

Synopsis: Penn State must start anew after having McGloin as the quarterback for most of the last three seasons. A promising development for the downtrodden program was McGloin’s 3,271 passing yards and 24 touchdowns in Bill O’Brien’s pro-style offense. Recruits are enamored with O’Brien, who coached Tom Brady with the New England Patriots. Newcomer Tyler Ferguson, one of the top junior college quarterbacks in the nation, is enrolled and competing against sophomore Steven Bench in spring drills. The competition will be intense in the fall with Christian Hackenberg on campus. Hackenberg fits O’Brien’s needs as a dropback passer. He has good size at 6-foot-4 and 212 pounds and has a strong arm with good pocket mobility. Bench, McGloin’s backup last year, has told the media that he is determined to win the job and considers his experience at the major-college level an asset.

Kansas State

Starter gone: Collin Klein

Synopsis: The Wildcats are in good shape after losing Klein, a Heisman Trophy finalist, with coach Bill Snyder’s likely options being sophomore Daniel Sams and JC transfer Jake Waters. Sams played in eight games last season, and was most notably efficient on the ground, running for 235 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 7.3 yards per rush. Waters excelled at Iowa Western Community College, throwing for 3,501 yards and 39 touchdowns with only three interceptions in 333 attempts. Waters is enrolled and battling Sams and others during spring practice. Sams’ talent is intriguing with his ability to offset defenses with his running ability and he has a full year of experience working with K-State’s personnel as the scout team quarterback.