Shehan Jeyarjah and Bobak Ha’Eri each draft eight quarterbacks in our latest episode. They draft their five outright best, two transfers and a first-time starting quarterback. With no Caleb Williams or Bryce Young-type leaders among this group, it made for a much more balanced draft. But of course there were a few late-round surprises.
Listen to the full episode onApple Podcasts,Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.
Note: This is an automated transcript and will not be entirely accurate.
Bobak Ha’Eri (00:02.458)
Hey everybody, it’s the College Football Survivor Show. I’m Bobby Caire with my cohost Shahan Jayarajah, National College Football Writer for CBS Sports. We’re always glad to have you with us. Now today, the two of us are gonna conduct a QB draft of sorts, picking who we would want to help, each of our hypothetical college football squads, with the kind of trying to cover several categories.
diversifying and then kind of finding a few reasons to pick quarterbacks, not just the best, best of the best, people who we think might be interesting in various styles. So, but before we dive in, let me remind you that you can find us on X and Tik TOK at CFB Survivor Show, where we have video highlights of the show, run polls and listen to your feedback. Please take a moment if you can to like, rate and subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. We always appreciate that. So.
This is an interesting kind of, interesting scenario you put together because to everyone, Shahan, this is his idea and I love it because it isn’t just like, we’re going to do a quarterback draft, but we have to include a few people in our list. Why don’t you break it down for us?
Shehan Jeyarajah (01:20.198)
So we’re gonna pick eight total and these guys can come off the board by the way in any order, but there are three slots that you do have to fill. Two of them have to be transfer quarterbacks. So we’re not just gonna pick the eight total best, although I’ll tell you what, there are some good transfer quarterbacks who are gonna be very high on our list. And then the last one, we have to pick a first year starting quarterback. Now,
Look, there are guys who maybe started the bowl game. There are guys who maybe played one or two games late in the year. Those guys are still on the board. It’s a first time, full time starting quarterback that you have to pick. And then the other five can be anybody that you like. But the hope with this and the hope with this approach is that we’re not just saying here are the 16 best returning quarterbacks in college football. I think that’s a boring conversation to have. It’s more...
how can we kind of go around the country, look at some of the names that won that are gonna be the best in the country in a year where so many of the best quarterbacks did leave for the NFL, right? We have Michael Panics, we have Caleb Williams, we have Bo Nicks, we have Jaden Daniels, we have Drake May. All of those guys were kind of consensus top 10 to 15 type of things. JJ McCarthy, of course, also a top 12 pick in the NFL draft. All those guys are gone. And.
We are in a reality now where there might not be a quarterback heading into the year considered a top 10 pick in the 2025 NFL draft. I expect that will change, of course. I think that somebody will step up. But because we have such a fresh, clean year, I think it’s a perfect opportunity to kind of run through and touch on as many different people as possible.
Bobak Ha’Eri (03:02.938)
Yeah, like this idea, it’s funny when I was putting together my list, like how am I approaching this? And even though we’ve been talking a lot last couple of weeks, everyone has about the new video game that’s coming out, the EA Sports College football game. And it made me think back to when I was at my height of playing the game, particularly, in the arts and early teens. And I always used to like the fun of creating my own team. And, you know, my alma mater was USC, so you’d have to switch a team to add a team and I’d always just,
Switch out USA wouldn’t have to worry about playing them. But I always used to create like kind of odd West coast teams like the university of Alaska would have a team or maybe, my, my local Cal state Bakers field where I grew up, you know, I give the road runners, the football team. So I’m thinking to myself, if I’m putting together a team and I could grab any of these quarterbacks from these categories, who would I take? And, and that’s was my approach, but at the same time, again, I love the idea of including a pair of transfers and a first time starter. So, you know,
I might just kick us off. I was thinking like, who would be my number one pick? Who’s someone who has talent, but is interesting. And, you know, again, if I’m, if I’m starting a team from scratch, I kind of trust that he knows how to operate in kind of a disastrous situation if there, if the talent level isn’t all there. So you can probably maybe not be surprised under that criteria. Genora Sanders was actually my first selection. Cause I thought about him and like, he played behind one of the worst offensive lines was like 52 sacks broke his back.
in the process of getting sacked by all of those defenders running through. But I mean, I think overall his ability to maintain and prove his worth and maintain his, again, we’re talking about the draft stock is very early now, but to maintain that because of his arm and accuracy, you know, I’m hoping, you know, if we’re looking at what Colorado is doing, you’ll probably see potentially improvement with a full season with Pat Schumer.
You know, but he’s got to do a little bit more of his own to limit sex. But again, he’s got the ability to process things quickly. I think his, his, just his mental ability and the fact that he grew up maybe surrounded by the NFL and all of this stuff is sort of why he can operate so well in situations have quite literally crush another quarterback in his shoes. So that’s why I went a little bit, I went a little bit different, or at least than I thought I was going to at the outset. And I thought, I think just that combination of athleticism.
Bobak Ha’Eri (05:23.61)
Accuracy and touch and arm strength. George Sanders was going to be my first off the board.
Shehan Jeyarajah (05:29.574)
He was high on my board. He was definitely not my number one. I agree what you’re saying about his ability to make things happen out of nothing. Although at the same time, I think that there was a lot of like not making things happen out of nothing, too. He holds onto the ball quite a bit. I don’t could be wrong. I mean, the offensive line struggled a lot, but he caused a lot of sacks to just with his holding onto the ball. He was surrounded by a lot of great wide receivers. And at the beginning of the year when he was playing well played in a
different kind of system too. Now, again, I think that there is a very real chance that he could be a top 10 pick in the upcoming draft, that he could be potentially the first quarterback off the board. I’m not there yet. I think that there may be two guys who I think start the year ahead of him, but it’s not a bad pick at all. I mean, again, he would have been somebody probably in my first three picks I would have considered, but he would not have been my number one. So I’m glad that you left me.
who I think the number one guy in the country is coming into the year. And that’s Carson Beck with the Georgia Bulldogs. It’s funny, we’ve got so used to Georgia under Stetson Bennett just being consistently good that I think we are taking for granted high level quarterback play. And if this was 20 years ago,
Carson Beck would be just on top of everybody’s list, right? Like he is such a throwback almost in a way. Like he’s Matt Ryan, he’s Kurt Cousins, he’s one of these guys who just does everything well as a quarterback. And certainly the big question, like you said, is that we have more examples of a player like Shador Sanders making stuff happen out of nothing. But like Carson Beck was handed a lot and he delivered a lot.
He completed 72 % of his passes, just under 4 ‚000 yards passing. Very impressive 9 .5 yards for pass attempt. That’s pretty crazy to be honest. 9 .5 yards for pass attempt as a primary starting quarterback. 24 touch on six interceptions. I mean, he threw the ball less than some of these other guys on the list, but it’s because of how good they were, right? Like it’s because they didn’t need him to throw a lot more than he did. And I actually think in some ways,
Shehan Jeyarajah (07:47.142)
He’s the type of player that I think would actually benefit from having more touches and throwing the ball more potentially. And they were able to so seamlessly transition this Georgia offense from being a more of a run -based offense with some nice sort of intermediate passing stuff to a truly pass -based offense, despite not having a number one type receiver. Aladdin McConkey at times was that guy, but not necessarily.
Brock Bauer is of course a great player, but not exactly a downfield threat either. And I actually think that in some ways, and I don’t want to ever imply that George is at a talent disadvantage to anybody ever, but I do think that, I mean, imagine him with some of, I mean, even imagine him with some of the receivers that Chidor played with, right? Like imagine Travis Hunter catching passes from Carson Beck. That would be really exciting. I think that he just does a lot of the little things well. I mean, a -
Bobak Ha’Eri (08:36.154)
Mm -hmm.
Shehan Jeyarajah (08:43.814)
Obviously a team that we’ll get to later on this list. Imagine Carson Beck with some of those Texas receivers, right? With some of those Ohio State receivers. I think that he would be putting up sort of like Heisman caliber numbers if he had that kind of team. And Georgia just doesn’t play that way. So he’s not gonna put up 5 ‚000 yards because that’s just not what they do. But I think that he, for my money right now, is the number one quarterback in the country. And so I will take him with my first pick.
Bobak Ha’Eri (09:11.514)
I think he’s a great pick. I think he was my number two. And I went only based on talent around him was I think, again, Colorado’s talent is not going to compare a pound for pound with the talent on the Georgia Bulldogs. But at the same time, especially Beck’s ability to grow over the season and perform best in some of the toughest games. Like he would rise up, his best performances were against typically ranked opponents.
And you know, even losing someone like Brock Bowers or lad McConkey, I think they’re going to reload pretty well. They’re never going to be at a, at a problem. They’ve got some good transfers in, from Stanford that tight end. They’ve got a good receivers and they’re bringing in new receivers. So I think his poise, his ability to scan the field and his, his ability to layer his throws. I think he’s a great pick and he was my number two. And again, I decided to go a little fun and a little riskier with my number one. So I’m glad he went with the safer bet. In fact,
Shehan Jeyarajah (10:06.758)
Heheheheh
Bobak Ha’Eri (10:06.906)
That goes to my number. So my second pick, which is going down to actually the third on my list is also, I thought one of the safest quarterbacks and one that you’ve kind of hinted at already. And that’s Queen Ewers at Texas. I think the pressure of having Arch Manning, I kind of, we were teasing a little bit before the show. I said, you know, watch Arch Manning is good. I’ll pick him and just say that he’s going to make an EA coverage inks now that we know that Ewers is on the cover. And by the way, Colorado guy right in the middle.
I told you, they’re gonna go after that casual fan and put a Colorado player in the middle, but I’m just gonna walk away from that one. But. They should go as far as I was saying, like put Dion on the cover, like a wink. But that said, I think that pressure coming from Archie Manning is only going to push yours to step up a little bit. Because as was said before last season, in the off season, he kind of, he.
Shehan Jeyarajah (10:38.342)
Hey, I picked that one. I picked that one too when we when we did our projections.
Hahaha!
Bobak Ha’Eri (11:02.042)
dedicated himself getting better and he was able to step up his game, which he did. So I think this added pressure of knowing that there’s the chosen one behind him is going to make him better. And I think just his experience, his ability to take advantage of the talent around them. When Jonathan Brooks went down, you know, the team didn’t, you know, there was concerns that Texas wasn’t going to be where it was before it might falter and it didn’t. And I think a lot of that has to do with, with again, yours ability to lead that offense. So.
If he can improve his mechanics, if he can tighten up. And that was just, you know, some of his down to downfield accuracy issues like that. I think those are things that can be addressed. And I think he’s, he’s one of the safer picks out there. I think he is, you know, I don’t know. I don’t want to, I’m not going to compare him to quarterbacks last year, but if I were to pick someone who isn’t the flashest quarterback, but I think is a safe pick, I think Quinn DeWords is that guy.
Shehan Jeyarajah (11:54.246)
Yeah, I... So I’ve talked about before. I mean, Quinny Roers grew up down the street from me. Like, he actually, funnily enough, went to my rival high school. I went to South Lake Carroll. I went to Coppell. And so I’ve been watching him for a long time and he is such an incredible talent. He’s got fantastic arm strength. He makes the game look effortless. I need to see more focus from him.
You know, his play, it definitely improved from year one to year two. And actually that gives me some optimism that it can improve from year two to year three. But it’s just the details, right? Like that’s where he’s been struggling. It’s the footwork stuff. You know, he’s constantly trying to go off his back foot. He’s not planting the way that he really needs to. I mean,
I, we just haven’t seen that with enough consistency. I look at, at a game like, like the College Football Playoff game completes 56 % of his passes, right? Like these are just the things that you see happen. Now, again, like I mentioned, I think that, that Tex did a good job of figuring out what he could do effectively. I remember that big 12 title game that I was at, they just made the game easy for him, right? Like he’s so good at the, the, the close and intermediate stuff and they just leaned on it because they could.
Again, I need to see consistency from him. And he has so much talent around him. He has so much help. His receiving talent in 2024 might actually be better than in 2023 when he lost two guys who were borderline first round NFL draft picks. But that’s the only thing that’s holding me back is I don’t think he’s been a consistent enough player, not just in terms of his actual production and performance, but also just like,
play to play in terms of the details of playing quarterback. Like to me, he is in some ways the opposite of Carson Beck. He’s a lot more talented and I don’t feel like I know what I’m gonna get from him play to play. And again, it improved so much from year one to year two. I mean, year one, the latter half of his season was a disaster frankly. And I don’t think enough people realized that year two took a big step forward. I need to see that year three jump, but I think it’s a good safe pick.
Shehan Jeyarajah (14:13.126)
to put him right here at number three.
Bobak Ha’Eri (14:16.154)
Excellent, who you got as your next.
Shehan Jeyarajah (14:19.654)
I do think that this is where the board starts to get a little interesting. And so with that said, I’m gonna go ahead and take the first transfer quarterback on the board. I’m gonna go with someone who I think is the safe pick of the transfer quarterbacks, and that’s Dylan Gabriel at Oregon. You know, Dylan Gabriel.
comes to Oregon in some ways in a similar way to to Bo Nix as an imperfect player, but one who has very obvious skills. And we saw that Kerry Oklahoma in a lot of ways last year completed almost 70 % of his passes, also averaged nine and a half yards for pass attempt. The issue with with Gabriel has always been the intermediate stuff. He can hit the bombs and he can hit the screens and you just want to see a little more in between. But I think he’s going to have substantially more help.
at Oregon than he ever had at Oklahoma and obviously had, than he had during his time at UCF as well. I mean, they bring in Evan Stewart as a wide receiver. They have so much obviously in reserve already. They’ve got a great offensive line. They play a fantastic defense. And with Will, with Will Stein rather, an offensive coordinator, you’ve got an offensive coordinator who’s proven that he can make the game easy for his quarterbacks. He can find out what they do and maximize it. And so,
You know, from my perspective, like if you’re talking about pure talents, I don’t know that I’d have Dylan Gabriel this high on the list, but I think in terms of transfers and the production that I expect from him this upcoming season on a team that we’ve said we expect to be a top four team in the country heading into the season, I think Dylan Gabriel is sort of the safe pick of the transfers.
Bobak Ha’Eri (16:01.21)
I agree with you 100%. I think especially look, cause my transfer candidates, he was, he was one of my two transfer candidates. It’s like, but he was the safe pick. And then there was the, you know, let’s just go for it over this guy. In fact, he’s my other one is so I think I like him so much, but I don’t feel comfortable enough to put them quite that high. I’m going to get to him. I’m almost certain I’m going to get to him or you’re going to get to him. But, but yeah, I think, I think that’s a great pick and it’s going to be interesting to see.
Shehan Jeyarajah (16:22.758)
Yes.
Bobak Ha’Eri (16:27.61)
the similarities to Bo Nix and the ability he fits in. I don’t know if he’s got the same talent level as Bo Nix, just as raw talent. But I think it’ll be fascinating to see him on his third team. And it’s funny how some of these guys, these grizzled veterans who’ve been on so many teams and grew up in an entirely different state altogether, how they do. But again, the similarities and the strengths that he brings, I’m very curious to see how Oregon unlocks that. I’m not gonna...
quite jumped to a transfer portal yet, but there is one player and this is someone who I’m always surprised because I always feel like. You should be higher ranked in a lot of other positions. Maybe it’s because he didn’t start the beginning of the season. Maybe it’s because he got benched briefly, but I am. I’m a big fan of Jalen Milro. I just I love the way he plays. I like his ability to be a dual threat. I you know he’s yes, he may trust his legs just a little bit too much.
especially under pressure. But I think his ability to respond to being benched and come back up and then turn into just a dynamic player who put Alabama back in the national title picture and really was a key reason of why they were able to make it all the way to the college football playoff. I think that I think he’s a big part of that. And one of the things I think he has a potential to really elevate his game under Kailin DeBoer.
Obviously we saw what the board did with Michael Pennex Jr. And this is there are two different quarterbacks in a lot of ways, but at the same time, I’m very curious to see how these new coaches do and unlock his ability and maybe cater that offense to give him opportunities to speed up his internal clock and maybe be a little bit more consistent and, you know, refine his mechanics and just get better overall. And if he does, I think the potential will match just the raw talent he has there. And he’s.
He’s my next selection. I think he would be a great quarterback to have.
Shehan Jeyarajah (18:27.43)
Yeah, I think that one of the things that happened last year is that there’s well actually to take even a step back from this, people just expect good quarterbacks to be Bryce Young from their first start. Like what Bryce Young did is unbelievable. That doesn’t happen. Even I mean, even I think you look at CJ Stroud, right? Like that same cycle. It is so rare to be a first time starting quarterback and to be good right away. The way that we’ve looked at the sport.
for so much of history is when you have a first year starting quarterback, that’s your transitionary year. That’s the year that you’re trying to figure things out. And then maybe their second year is the year where they make the star turn. We’ve gotten so spoiled with first year starting quarterbacks being not just good, but like Heisman caliber good, right? Like that doesn’t happen usually in college football. And so Jalen Milrow, I think was compared so much, not just to Bryce Young, but to Bryce Young’s first season that...
I don’t think people have taken seriously enough the idea that he not only can improve, but will improve dramatically. I made this comparison a couple times. They’re not identical players by any means. And I think that there’s a way to make this a lazy comparison, but I don’t think I’m going to. It reminds me a lot of Jalen Hurts, where Jalen Hurts comes in year one and he’s not a great passer. Like he’s not.
really ready to be an SEC caliber pastor. I think Jalen Milroy was ahead, now he’s a third year player, but I think he was ahead as a first year starter than Jalen Hurts was. And what they both brought to the table is that they were able to both use their arm and their legs to make things happen for this Alabama offense. And we saw that of course multiple times, but.
I think what you have to like about Milro is that as they figured out what he could do at the quarterback position, he continually got better over the course of the season. I mean, the fact that they got him up to 66 % completion and 10 yards for pass attempt with some of the struggles that he had early is unbelievable. Like that’s great. That’s where you want to be heading into year two. And the other piece that you mentioned, like you said, Kaylen DeBoer coming in as a
Shehan Jeyarajah (20:42.15)
proven quarterback developer, he’s going to figure out what this kid can do at a high level. And also, by the way, they should have a really good offensive line this year with Kaden Proctor coming back from Iowa. So I think that he absolutely, like you said, is one of the more undervalued players in this class. And it would not surprise me at all. Like I’m not going to pick it. But if you told me at the end of the year that Jale Milro is the Heisman Trophy winner, I would not be that surprised.
Bobak Ha’Eri (21:10.106)
Could you imagine if he becomes a Heisman finalist and the amount of QB recruiting, you know, cache that Kalan Dabore is going to have, like, it would be like, I mean, this would turn into like the, what Lincoln Riley kind of had going for him there for a little bit. But if, if you could, if Kalan Dabore can do that and even get close to it, like get him as like, we’re talking to him. Like we talked about Michael Pettix Jr. This last season, like, boy, boy, that, that, that speaks just would speak highly, extremely highly of him. My goodness.
Shehan Jeyarajah (21:17.318)
Right.
Shehan Jeyarajah (21:23.238)
Yup.
Bobak Ha’Eri (21:39.13)
So who’s your next selection?
Shehan Jeyarajah (21:41.478)
Yeah, I’m having to stop myself because I think I’m gonna get too cute if I’m not careful. I think that I just need to pick some of the best quarterbacks on the board. I’m gonna go with a player that I like a whole lot. Somebody who I think has unlimited upside, has the upside of being the best quarterback in this conference. I’m gonna go with Noah Fafida at Arizona.
And so much of Arizona’s potential for next year depends on that passing game. And actually, even you talk about their 10 -win season last year, it depended on switching to Noah Fafita. He wasn’t the opening day starter, but once he took over, this Arizona team hit another level. He threw for over 3 ‚000 yards in just, I believe, 10 starts and proved that as a freshman, I mean, he was ready for prime time. People forget Arizona lost in week two.
to Mississippi State in overtime. And that ended up being a pretty bad Mississippi State team. They played Stanford only within one point. And then when Fafita took over in week five or whatever it is against Washington, nearly beats Washington, nearly beats USC in triple overtime. And then they go and rattle off wins for the entire rest of their schedule. Seven straight wins to close the year. Now, this Arizona team, I don’t think is gonna be as good as last year after some of the losses that they had, but I mean, you just have to trust Fafita.
at a certain point, right? Like you have to trust that he’s going to be able to grow on his great initial season. And like I mentioned, I mean, Shador Sanders is up there as a quarterback in the Big 12. But if Shador doesn’t take a step forward, like no, Fafita can be the best quarterback in the Big 12 this upcoming season. And if he is like, they can maybe make the College Football Playoff.
Bobak Ha’Eri (23:25.178)
Yeah, I think that’s a that’s a good call. He was in my kind of my backbench of like, depending on who you picked who I was going to move up into my, my particular window. I think he’s at his best when he’s under pressure. I mean, we saw again, I love that you pointed that out, like when they threw him into the fire against two of the toughest opponents Arizona had, he nearly pulled it off. And he and the reason the team the air Wildcats lost those games was not really on his shoulders. It was just the sort of a talent differential overall. In fact,
It was, we watched that triple overtime loss to you. I see. We literally watched the vector of two teams moving in opposite directions. It was that moment on the scale where maybe a daily, if they just waited a day and held that game on like a Sunday, maybe that would be the difference. And Arizona would have won because by the end of the season, I think Arizona would have won that game nine times out of 10. I think his, his, you know, again, he has a talent that.
Shehan Jeyarajah (24:01.158)
Yep.
Bobak Ha’Eri (24:20.346)
that surpasses some of his physical limitations because he’s a little undersized. But again, he’s got that control in the pocket. He’s got a good arm and he’s going to end up the fact that the Wildcats kept him and you know, some of it, you know, he has T -Max also there. So they’ve got a good receiver that’s going to be there for him to throw to. I think that’s a big deal. And I think that’s going to keep Arizona in the mix with when Brett Brennan’s first season and he’s going to be a big part of that. And I think that totally warrants.
him being one of the early ones off the board. So my next guy, and this is one where I was kind of thinking to myself, he was a transfer. He transferred away from a school for a guy who ended up being quite good, maybe scared him off, but then he lands at a new school and the coach brings in a couple of quarterbacks to try and to see if he can keep his spot. And he stuck around and only got better. And it’s Jackson Dart.
Former USC quarterback goes to Ole Miss, cause I mean, you know, Caleb Williams, he saw the writing on the wall and maybe he could see like, wow, okay, I’m a quarterback, but that’s a quarterback kind of, I’m not, or at least at this stage of his career. So it turns out maybe he made the right call and like, yeah, this is my swan. I’m not, I’m not going to be the backup here. So it goes to Ole Miss. Lane Kiffin being Lane Kiffin, you know, we all know that he pulled in Oklahoma State’s QB. We thought, wow, is that going to be the starter? And.
Shehan Jeyarajah (25:28.002)
You
Bobak Ha’Eri (25:44.378)
Jackson Dart managed to raise his game up in his second season there. Cut down on his giveaways. You know, again, he didn’t tremendous job in the Peach Bowl this past office for me at the end of last season. So again, he’s returning, he’s got good receivers joining him there. I think his ability to elevate his game is definitely going to see whether or not he how far he goes, like will he be a Heisman candidate in the season is how far he can move because
I know when they went out of that kind of RPO play action heavy offense at lane Kiffin likes to go his, his numbers weren’t as great when they weren’t running those kinds of plays, but I just love his attitude. I love his ability to do it. He seemed to, I just remember once he arrived at Ole Miss, that was around the time. I remember NIL was really getting going. Like they were taking pictures together and you’re kind of like with like stuff and cars in the background and you’re kind of like, my God, we are in the NIL era. and I just, his flash, his ability to just kind of.
Shehan Jeyarajah (26:35.174)
Hehehehehe
Bobak Ha’Eri (26:42.234)
have that level of swagger and the ability to stand up to a challenge when they brought two guys to replace you out of the portal with who he’s got and his ability to lead that team. I really like, I really like Jackson.
Shehan Jeyarajah (26:55.878)
No, it’s a real good pick. I think that he was one heading into last year that I would have considered myself out on. I did not think that he had the goods as a passer. And I don’t think he’s a superstar as a passer still, but clearly he took a big step forward. They threw the ball downfield just a little bit more with him. He took care of the ball at a high level. He still is a dual threat type player.
And now, I mean, the other piece too is that you want to talk about guys with high ups. I mean, this Ole Miss team has the chance to do things that Ole Miss has not really done since post segregation. And so I think that that’s going to be a, I think it’s going to be a huge opportunity for him for that program. And like you said, I mean, the fact that they brought in some extremely good players as transfers. Walker Howard from LSU was a former five star.
Spencer Sanders was a four year starter at Oklahoma State. What a waste of his final season, by the way, dear Lord. But ultimately, he ended up holding on to his job and ended up being a really good player for them in a pretty historic year once again. So I’m excited to see what he does, but I’ll go ahead and move on to my next pick. One thing I do want to point out just before we get going.
is that Shadour Sanders, Quinn Ewers, Jalen Milrow, we’re drafting a lot of Texans here because we are the home of the great quarterbacks. And you know what, why not stay in the great state of Texas? I’m gonna go with Preston Stone from SMU. And Preston Stone, after a slow start to the...
To the 2023 season. I think they lost two of their first four games or something like that They basically took over right and both of their losses were also to power five opponents as well And they just needed some time to kind of figure things out Once they they sustain those two losses they run through the AAC they win their first AAC title since joining the league It’s their first conference title at SMU. I believe since 1983 pretty big deal obviously for SMU
Shehan Jeyarajah (29:06.374)
I will say he did miss the actual AAC title game after suffering an injury, but like this was his team. And when he decided to come to SMU, this was kind of like the hope was that he could, you know, he was a high end four star guy. He had offers from Alabama and a lot of them, and he decided to stay home. And I think that he ended up being a huge player for SMU. And I think that now heading into
the ACC, from the AAC to the ACC, I think that his profile is only going to rise. So I’m going to go with Preston Stone with my, so now I’m up to four picks, three at -large quarterbacks and one transfer.
Bobak Ha’Eri (29:49.85)
That extra C is for championship level play. No, so bad. You know, when we come back, we will now go through the back half of our selections and probably get to some quarterbacks and that are perhaps a little more chance here than others, but we’ll see who we get here on the college football survivor show.
Shehan Jeyarajah (29:53.446)
Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Bobak Ha’Eri (30:11.642)
Alright, so getting back to it, we’ve both had our four picks. I went with four at -larges, you went with three at -larges and one transfer. Now I think it’s time for me to drum up my own transfer pick. And this is a player I just like, even though I know technically he hasn’t performed at the full level that people thought he would at FBS. But now he’s at a team full of talent and that’s Cam Ward. And this is both.
I don’t even know where to begin. This is like this, this next season is going to both demonstrate his ability and for quite frankly, Mario Cristobal’s coaching ability, where if you bring all the talent in, if you open up that wallet and throw money at every possible position that will accept it, can you finally feel the team that brings Miami back to being the you that we all love to hate? You know, I mean, can they do that? Can they, can they reach that pinnacle again? So Cam Ward,
Many of you probably know his story was a FCS star quarterback at incarnate word went to wazoo last season. Didn’t quite have the season. They would have hoped that wazoo, but some that again, you’re not sure how much of it was him, how much of it was a coaching, how much of it was the talent around him at wazoo versus the teams that they were playing. one thing’s undeniable. He has an incredible arm. He has great precision. again, you know,
He was considered a draftable prospect, maybe not, you know, I don’t know how early he probably would have been potentially a mid -rounder. Part of the reason is consistency. And that’s something, can he be less careless with the football? But I think, again, I’m not sure if that’s a product of him, his own talent or just how he was being developed and the people around him. So I love the upside on him. I love the potential for him. And I love this, this.
this program that Miami has built, at least with the talent on the field. And if they can break that barrier with him and some of these other great transfers they brought in, and some of the players they are already there, some of the receivers, the established receivers they have for him, I think Cam Ward has a lot of potential and he would be someone I would pick as my first transfer, kind of more riskier selection.
Shehan Jeyarajah (32:18.982)
I made my first misstep of the draft. I was going to pick Cam Ward with my next pick. I should have picked him before Preston Stone. I think he would have been higher priority for me. I honestly take offense to the idea that he already isn’t a good player. Like the one thing that we need to see from Cam Ward is he turns the ball over a lot. Like a lot a lot. He fumbles, he throws interceptions. Like that’s something he needs to clean up. Also, like you talk about Shador Sanders being a player who had to make something happen out of nothing.
I mean, Kim Ward carried that Washington state offense over the last two years. He is an incredible talent. And also you slided his story a little bit, another Texan by the way, off the board from West Columbia, Texas. But you also forgot to mention that the reason he ended up at incarnate word is that his high school, West Columbia, played an option based offense that barely threw the ball. They basically played the wishbone. And so because of that,
He like never threw in high school. And Eric Morris, then the head coach at incarnate word saw him and was like, wait, his physicals are insane, but nobody knows about him because he doesn’t throw. And ended up signing him, basically hid him. They didn’t say anything about him until he signed. They basically stashed him, which is something you can’t really do anymore in the modern world of recruiting. He ended up at incarnate word. He follows of course, Eric Morris to Washington state and the rest is history.
I love this pick too because you talk about the idea of some of his pros and cons at Washington State. We’re about to see how he plays in structure. And like I mentioned, I mean, he played in an offense that was not geared towards the skill sets when he was in high school. The first time that he had the chance to, he won the award for FCS freshman of the year. I’m very excited about Cam Ward playing in like a real offense under Shannon Dawson.
And yeah, I truly regret not taking him with my last pick.
Bobak Ha’Eri (34:22.01)
Well then who do you have next?
Shehan Jeyarajah (34:23.334)
Good question. So there’s a couple different ways to go. Like do I need to close up that second transfer spot now that, because I thought that I’d have Cam Ward available to me a little later, but unfortunately I fumbled that one. Do I start looking at the limited number of first -year quarterbacks who have a lot of upside, or do I just take best available right now?
And I will say out of the best available for at -large picks, there are several that I’m excited about who have some health questions. That’s the hard part for me. I don’t want to name them as yet, but most of them are pretty obvious who I’m talking about. And the question is like, with the three that I’ve got on the board, am I comfortable at this point going with a player with a lot of downside just from a purely health perspective?
I think the answer is yes. So I’m gonna go with Jalen Daniels at Kansas. A player who was named pre -season Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year last year and basically didn’t play for most of the season. He played the first three non -conference games and then ended up being out for the entire season managing a back injury. And back injuries are scary. Like...
that there’s guys on this list who have had, you know, ACL injuries or something like that, and those suck, but like, you kind of know how to rehab that. A back can just kind of never get better, as the olds listening to this podcast can probably attest to. And the thing is though, if Jalen Danos is healthy, like, Kansas can make the playoff. That’s how good they can be. That’s how high the upside is. When he plays, he is truly one of the
best players in all of college football. There’s no doubt about it. And he plays for a program and in a system under Lance Leipold that gets the most out of quarterbacks. And you look during his 2022 season when, by the way, he also got hurt, completed 66 % of his passes, 18 touchdowns to four interceptions and limited game time. Also a rushing threat, though I expect them to use that aspect a little less because of his injury history. Like he can be...
Shehan Jeyarajah (36:50.79)
Maybe the best college quarterback in the country next year if everything comes together and the other piece too By the way is that Kansas does not have a backup plan last year They had a backup plan Jason Bean was her backup plan They don’t have a backup plan this year their backup quarterback heading into next year is converted or is former walk -on rather Cole Ballard so like That’s that’s what we’re working with right? We’re working with a situation where
It’s Jalen Daniels or maybe it’s nothing. And I think that I trust, I think I trust him, but that definitely requires a certain amount of faith.
Bobak Ha’Eri (37:32.25)
My goodness, that’s Kansas. That is so Kansas. Are we going to get like, are we going to go with retro Kansas in the middle of the season? I hope not. And, and I think that was one of the big hesitations I had with Jalen Daniels was his health. And, because he’s yet to play 10 games in any season as I recall. So we’ll see where that was, where, how he goes. I hope, I hope he’s healthy through the whole season because that, that he is the reason that Kansas.
Shehan Jeyarajah (37:40.11)
You
Shehan Jeyarajah (37:53.702)
Yep. Yep.
Bobak Ha’Eri (38:01.626)
can be an absolutely exciting team. So my goodness, you know, I was looking at who I was going to pick for my next quarterback and I decided I’m going to go with another transfer pick. And again, I’m going to go with someone who maybe I’m, I’m trusting that with the right coaching, he can return to the player he was because he was always a solid player. And I’m kind of surprised that his transfer.
was almost a little bit under the radar and I never quite picked up on it. Maybe it’s because his head coach left and then just did an incredible job at his new team. And that is Grayson McCall because I think NC State has great coaching and can turn a QB around. And he brings in just raw talent. He made it through for 10 ‚000 yards at Coastal Carolina.
You know, almost 70 % of his passing, you know, any touchdowns of 14 interceptions. And he ran for over a thousand yards. So he has the talent. He has that raw ability. you know, he was three times Sunbelt player of the year. He can be that guy. And I think NC state got someone who is under the radar only because some of the bigger transfers that happened around him.
I mean, because obviously we, everyone talks about, where’s, well, how we’re going to go. Riley Leonard went to Notre Dame. you know, obviously we talked about Cam Ward and Dylan, Dylan Gabriel are also great transfers, but I think he’s the one who’s going to be the sneaky one who if NC state, and again, it’s not unrealistic to think the Wolfpack have a shot at not only making the playoff, but being one of the four C’s because of how this system is set up. I mean, as I kind of was, I was tearing the ACC in my own mind, I was like, well,
NC State and Louisville, their teams where if they were to suddenly grab their way in, I would not be shocked. They wouldn’t be my favorites, but I would not be shocked. And if they do, it’s cause Grayson McCall really just clicked when he got to NC State. And I think Dave Doran’s staff would be able to take advantage of that. And he’s one of those guys who I think with the right coaching.
Shehan Jeyarajah (40:06.598)
No, I love this pick. Like you said, he’s one of those players that I felt he was undervalued in the portal in some ways. I will say, like, he looked into transferring the year before, and the word is that he had some, like, minor academic issues that made it unclear whether he would have had some issues transferring. Those appear to be cleared up, but that might have been a factor in why he wasn’t so highly sought after in the portal. And, by the way, like,
Tim Beck had no idea what to do with this dude last year. Like had no idea how to get the most out of one of the most exciting players in the transfer portal. And I think that NC State, like you mentioned, I mean, they managed to put together what a nine win season despite Brennan Armstrong not being anything like they hoped. They played freshman MJ Morris for most of the season. And then remember MJ Morris had that whole weird situation where he basically was like.
Nah, I’m not gonna come back. I’m gonna redshirt myself and then transfer, which was so bizarre, but welcome to the new world of college football. I really like this fit. He’s gonna be working with Robert Ane at offensive coordinator, who is the guy who basically made Brennan Armstrong who he was during his time at Syracuse. So I’m hoping that he can find some of the old magic as well. So.
I like this pick. I think that it’s a good high upside pick as a transfer. And like you said, NC State, a very undervalued team heading into the 2024 season. And you know what? I’m going to close out my five at large picks right now by making that connection. Grace McCall, coached of course by Jamie Chadwell at Coastal Carolina. And I’m going to take Jamie Chadwell’s new quarterback, Kayden Salter over at Louisville. No.
Let me do that again.
Shehan Jeyarajah (42:04.966)
I’m gonna take Jamie Chadwell’s new quarterback and that would be Kaden Salter over at Liberty. Of course, Kaden Salter put together an incredible season during Liberty’s run to the New Year’s six. It didn’t end the way that Liberty hoped, but I don’t really care about that. It wasn’t Kaden Salter’s fault, I know that much. He threw for nearly 3 ‚000 yards, 32 touchdowns, six interceptions, also ran for nearly 1 ,100 yards, 12 touchdowns, like one of the most complete.
players in the class. People may remember he started his career initially committing to Tennessee, ended up getting into some trouble, transferred to Liberty, has been totally kept his nose clean since then. And I think that he heading into the 2024 season is one of the most proven players in college football. Again, you talk about the touchdown production, 44 touchdowns coming back. He still has a lot of talent around him at Liberty. Certainly you expect that.
with their schedule and with the kind of down Conference USA that that they’re going to have a real chance to be in the College of All Playoff once more. I would probably pick against it just because I think that people are going to hold their I think people are going to hold in some ways their 2023 season against them. I think they’re going to have to really dominate their schedule. They can’t just win all their games just because of questions about their schedule. But but Salter is really, really good. And I think that he is the catalyst of that team.
And so for me, that rounds out my top five of at -large quarterbacks.
Bobak Ha’Eri (43:39.994)
really liked that pick. I was tempted, but I didn’t bite ongoing on Kayden Salter. And I was impressed that he stuck around with Liberty because I’m sure you freeze would have been happy to have him join him at Auburn this season. And in a lot of ways, it speaks to Jamie Chadwell’s coaching ability. I mean, when Joe Mowgli pulled him up to be his offensive coordinator at Coastal when he was the head coach of Charleston Southern, I remember like, wow, that’s a, that’s an interesting move. And first of all, I was in that.
That was all those moments where I remember I finally really solidified how sometimes for even a very successful FCS quarterback, your hope isn’t to necessarily be an FBS head coach, but being an offensive coordinator, wherever you can take it, as there’s a pecking order even within those FCS jobs. But every opportunity Chadwell’s had, he’s stepped up and proven that he can put together a great team. And for what exactly, as we were talking about with Grayson McCall, we’re seeing with Caden Salter, and maybe that’s part of why Caden’s staying there. I’m sure, don’t get me wrong, Liberty’s got money, I’m sure.
He’s being, he’s being taken care of, but at the same time, I’ve been absolutely impressed by what he’s done there. For my next pick, I’m actually going to go with my first time starter. I’m going to just break it up a little bit, mostly because it tells you how much faith I have in my final at large pick. But Garrett Nussmeyer at LSU, I think he’s got an opportunity to step in and you know, he’s obviously he’s stepping into some really big shoes.
Daniels is obviously the Heisenwinner, just a tremendous quarterback, a very different type of player. You know, the offensive quarter, yeah, he moved on, but they just, they brought up the QB coach to be the offensive coordinator and Joe Sloan. And I’m sure, you know, they know the offense. They’re not going to, they’re going to change it to suit Nussmeyer’s ability, but they’re not going to do anything that will probably be completely bizarre and will give him problems. I mean, he’s got a good touch and a calm presence. If he can...
improve, you know, get a good deep ball going there. I think there’s a real opportunity for LSU to have a, again, obviously there’s a lot to be, we’ll see where LSU goes this season. I mean, very curious to see how that game against USC is going to go. But I think if I’m picking first time starting quarterbacks, I’m going to go with a safe pick again. All my picks end up being safe. And to me, the safe pick is not so much.
Shehan Jeyarajah (46:00.166)
No, I think that that’s a great pick. I look, I talked about on this program that I felt like LSU and I felt like Jayden Daniels was given a little too much credit for LSU’s offense last year because they were good everywhere, right? Like they were a great, great team. Now they lost some players to the NFL receiver, but I still think they’re going to continue to be stacked at that position. And when you look at their offensive line, I mean, they might have the two...
top tackles in the upcoming class. They are really, really good along the offensive line. And Garrett Nussmeyer, obviously a pocket presence more than a dual threat player like Jaden Daniels was, but his production could be up there in a similar kind of way and maybe even more in some ways as a pastor. I think he gives them a little more versatility from that perspective. And look, I mean, obviously.
the natural thing is to just compare every pocket passer at LSU to Joe Burrow. But like, I think that he has some like downfield Joe Burrow to his game at times. He came in and played mop up duty against Georgia back in 2022 in the SEC title game played really, really well. I think it’s a chance to be pretty special. So I think that that’s a really good pick for your first time starting quarter.
Bobak Ha’Eri (47:16.378)
What do you got next? We got a couple more left. I’m curious to see what direction you’re going to take it.
Shehan Jeyarajah (47:21.702)
Yeah, so I’ve got the funny thing is so I have two things left. You have one. None of us are picking against each other at this point. I have to pick a transfer first time starter and you have to pick your fifth overall quarterback. So that does mean that I can talk a little more openly about my process for making a pick. And I do think though that with my second transfer joining Dylan Gabriel, I’m just going to keep it easy. I think it’s Riley Leonard at Notre Dame now.
Last year, I thought that Sam Hartman was going to be that dude, right? Like I thought that he was going to be one of the best players in the country and that didn’t happen. At the same time, I think that one thing that’s being overlooked is the upgrade from Jared Parker at offensive coordinator to Mike Denbrock, who was the LSU offensive coordinator last year. It’s not small, man. It is not a small improvement when you talk about offensive coordinating and I think that.
with Leonard coming in with the receiving talent that they have with the way that their offensive line is playing with some of the options they have that running back. Riley Leonard can be that final piece in so many ways. And the thing I like about him versus even a Hartman from last year is he does give you a little bit more as a as a dual threat type player. He was able to make things happen. And it’s kind of like we talked about with Cam Ward where
for Duke, like Riley Leonard kind of had to make stuff happen. He kind of had to create things and now he’ll have the ability to keep doing that, but he also has the opportunity to play in structure. So I do think that Riley Leonard has a chance to be one of the biggest hits on the board in this year’s transfer class.
Bobak Ha’Eri (49:07.258)
I like the pick. It’s interesting to see how you pick two of the quarterbacks who kind of two of the three probably top quarterbacks who are the most, I don’t know, injury prone, or at least the ones that had significant injuries where they kind of make you a little hesitant. So that I think was now that we can be more open because we’re not picking against each other, as you pointed out, that was one of the things that was keeping me back on a few quarterbacks. Because I had, for example, Riley Leonard, depending on who you’d picked, I had him behind Will Howard.
Shehan Jeyarajah (49:18.342)
True, true, true.
Bobak Ha’Eri (49:37.274)
if, if somehow both, you know, Grace McCall and Will Howard somehow got picked out of me. and for that same reason, I, it, it like, gosh, Jaden Daniels was pretty, he was in my group of at -large, but he wasn’t, he wasn’t near the top only because again, and I hate being that way. And I hate like say admitting that I get concerned about the health of these players, but that’s one where if I’m, if I’m counting on them for a whole season. So coming to my last at -large pick again,
I had a couple of fun ones, but I decided to kind of put him a little further down like Avery Johnson. He is still a lot to be seen there. He’d almost be a first. I didn’t know where to even place him. I guess because he kind of was with you know, Will Howard. So I’m not even sure where to rank him there exactly. He would have been first time starter, but again I felt Nussmeyer was a little bit of a safer call there only because you know it just Avery Johnson’s got a lot of upside, but I’m not. He’s a little more unknown to me as being a starting quarterback.
Shehan Jeyarajah (50:19.494)
I think he’s a first time starter. I considered him that.
Bobak Ha’Eri (50:33.466)
Connor Wigman again, he’s another guy I’m very curious about at Texas A A lot of people have hoped for him, but he wasn’t someone. Actually, the person who just finished outside of my at -larges at this point was someone who the third quarterback with a lot of injury issues, and that’s Cam Rising. And purely based on how much of a leader he was when he’s healthy. And the fact that he led Utah to two Pac -12 championships and could very well lead him to a Big 12 championship should he stay healthy for this season. And that’s...
Shehan Jeyarajah (50:48.518)
Yep, yep, yep.
Bobak Ha’Eri (51:03.194)
big hope and I really hope he does because he’s a fun player and an exciting guy to watch. So going back to the theme of most of my picks, I’m going to a safe one, but one who is who I think has a chance to really blossom. Because when you look at his number, I mean, it’s one of those players with a box score kind of makes him not look as great as he could be. And maybe he unfairly took the blame for just a bland offense that didn’t take advantage of him. They didn’t chuck it deep as much as they maybe shouldn’t.
Now they’ve got a promising offensive coordinator in Andy Kotelnicki. So I am going with Drew Aller. Drew Aller is my number eight pick. I decided I’m going to go with him because I just think he has got the arm. I think they didn’t feature it enough, but they’re going to change the playbook enough. I think he’s good with ball security. He doesn’t take, if anything, he doesn’t take enough chances.
Shehan Jeyarajah (51:39.398)
you’re gonna do this? You’re really gonna do this? my gosh. my gosh.
Bobak Ha’Eri (51:58.586)
But I’m not sure if this is about the receivers that were around him in the ball and the play calling versus just as talented as a player. And I think with the right system, I think he can be really good. And I think we’re going to see what they hope for at Penn State when he came there. So I’m going to go with Drew Aller. Let me be honest with you. I went into this thinking like, there’s no way I’m going to pick Drew Aller. And then I kind of went through my list and I’m like, well.
Shehan Jeyarajah (52:27.238)
Yeah, it’s flawed. It’s flawed.
Bobak Ha’Eri (52:28.634)
Yeah. Yeah, I’m like, who am I going to pick? And I just, I don’t know. As I said, looking at the others, I think if Kam Rising hadn’t had that big injury issue that I’m really worried about, I would have put him ahead of it. But I’ve right now kind of comparing them all. He’s my, he’s my final at large pick who isn’t already taken.
Shehan Jeyarajah (52:45.926)
Yeah, that’s a that’s something that you can do it’s not something that I’m gonna do but that’s something you can do I I Love that they added Andy cuddle Nikki If James Franklin lets him be him Which is not a guarantee by the way, then I feel good about Penn State’s offense at large I don’t know how exactly I feel even with that context of drew aller in it. I
Bobak Ha’Eri (52:52.794)
Ha ha!
Shehan Jeyarajah (53:14.31)
I mean, important context, they had one good receiver last year and he decided to transfer so that he could play with Peyton Thorn instead. Like that doesn’t make me feel the greatest. And they added Julian Fleming, who I do think is a good player from Ohio State. But like, is Julian Fleming going to be the guy? Is he going to be the guy who is a safety blanket for Drew Aller in this offense? And -
The other piece with this too is that Andy Kudlnicki really does value a dual threat quarterback. We saw that with Jason Vien. We saw that with Jalen Daniels. We saw that I think even back, I think he was the office coordinator for like Tyree Jackson at Buffalo. Like he likes a dual threat quarterback and Drew Aller can’t even like walk straight half the time. Like it’s crazy. And so I hope that you’re right. I mean, you know, obviously my, my previous podcast partner on the show, Doug Gley -Marese is an Ohio guy and
He told me, like Drew Aller is an Ohio guy as well, and everybody wanted Drew Aller, and everybody was excited about Drew Aller, and it just hasn’t happened yet at Penn State, so I don’t think it’s a talent issue specifically, but I just need to know that James Franklin is going to let this offense cook before I can feel like anything’s going to happen. But I think with this fifth pick, it’s not a bad pick.
So I have one pick left, I’m gonna run through some of my honorable mentions before I make my last pick. So again, you mentioned Cameron Rising. If it hits, it’s like again, I don’t know, I mean it’s the no of a feeder tier of best quarterback in the Big 12 making a college football playoff. I think that they’re the favorite anyway to make the college football playoff and something that surely doesn’t hurt is that Utah.
might jump from eight wins to the college football playoff just by adding Cameron Rising. And I do think it will be as simple as that. Will Howard, of course, is a transfer you mentioned. Kyron Drones, if this was like seven picks, I think that he might have ended up on my list. Just I think a total game changer for Virginia Tech. They turned around completely once they put him in the starting lineup as a dual threat player. Jordan McCloud.
Shehan Jeyarajah (55:27.942)
a transfer to Texas State from James Madison. He was the guy who kind of keyed James Madison’s big season last year. And now he’s going to be starting for GJ Kinney at Texas State. He’s going to have a big year. Another group of five quarterback that I love is Byron Brown at South Florida, a first year starter last year, who I think like he is as a dual threat player, incredible. And two more guys who I’m just going to touch on are Connor Wigman at Texas A
who really hasn’t like gotten a fair shot to play because of injuries. And another one who I don’t think hardly anybody knows about is Rocco Beck at Iowa State. They had a good quarterback in Hunter Deckers the year before that who I was pretty excited about and Hunter Deckers got caught up in the gambling investigation. Rocco Beck comes into the starting lineup and they improve the position in a lot of ways. He’s in line for a big year for an Iowa State team that I’ve
been very open, I’m excited about. Who are some of your honorable mentions?
Bobak Ha’Eri (56:30.522)
Well, I touched on them a little bit again, like for me it was Kam rising, Avery Johnson, Connor Wegman, Will Howard as a transfer, my first year quarterbacks, I was debating about picking Dylan Raiola only because of the excitement just buying into that but -
Shehan Jeyarajah (56:44.686)
Yeah, ooh, that would be fun. And I do have my first one, first year quarterback left, so leave that one for a second.
Bobak Ha’Eri (56:51.322)
Okay, well then and then I had one other one there, but those are my those are mine. I I was tempted by a few others. I You know Gosh Brady cook. I just kind of thought was interesting, but I don’t know how much of that is. He’s undervalued and And then you know Seth Hannigan from Memphis He was also a g5 quarterback if I and I didn’t get around to selecting him. But again, I think Especially since Memphis I think is one of the teams that is gonna be battling for that that
Shehan Jeyarajah (57:03.846)
Very undervalued. Yeah, to me, very undervalued.
Bobak Ha’Eri (57:19.61)
12th spot in the CFP or higher, who knows, in that 12th spot for the CFP. I think if Memphis makes it, it’s going to be on his arm.
Shehan Jeyarajah (57:29.094)
No, those are good picks for sure. And actually even on the first year quarterback from the group of five realm, I’m fascinated to watch Malachi Nelson and see if he can be that difference maker at Boise State. That said, my first year quarterback, I’m gonna keep it safe. I’m gonna go with Nico Iamaleava over at Tennessee. The fact that they started Joe Milton last year is crazy. Like I don’t know.
I understand why they did it. They have a sixth year player. So one, they want to like lean on experience and two, they don’t want to throw a Nico out there and kind of mess him up, right? Like we’ve seen this happen over and over again, or somebody’s thrown into the starting lineup before they’re ready, but they were so flawed at quarterback last year.
And with Nico coming in, I think that that changes dramatically. Nico, of course, one of the top quarterbacks, rated by some places as the top quarterback in the country. He comes in, plays the bowl game against a really good Iowa defense and kind of dices them up, you know, 151 yards to touchdown. Only throws the ball 19 times though. They win 35 to zero. He doesn’t have to do too much, but the offense just looks better when Nico is in the lineup. And I think that in an SEC,
that should be super competitive with a Tennessee roster that continues to grow every single year. I mean, why not? Right? Like why not Niko? Why not Tennessee? Why can’t they be one of the breakout teams? They do get both Alabama and Georgia. That’s probably not the most ideal situation, but I think that if you can like pull the upset against Alabama at home on October 19th.
Again, Nico could be seen as one of the ascending quarterbacks in this class and there’s already so much hype and attention around him. I’m really excited to see what he can become.
Bobak Ha’Eri (59:24.794)
Absolutely, I think he was absolutely one of my finalists for that spot and I just went again, safer, which is what I tend to do. This is a fun exercise. So just to kind of, again, I went first, so don’t blame Don’t Blame Jehan for the first pick, but our picks from one through 16, Shador Sanders, Carson Beck, Quentin Ewers, Dylan Gabriel as a transfer, the first transfer off the board, Jelyn Milro, Noah Fafida, Jackson Dart, Preston Stone, Cam Ward.
Shehan Jeyarajah (59:31.206)
Heheheheh
Shehan Jeyarajah (59:37.19)
Yep.
Bobak Ha’Eri (59:53.402)
Jalen Daniels, Grayson McCall, Kaden Salter, Garrett Nussmeyer, Riley Leonard, Drew Aller, and Nico Iyamalyaava. So we have ourselves, I think that’s still a solid group. I think as a solid group of quarterbacks there, a lot of opportunities to see where they go. And as we said, are very good people who were not picked. And both of us acknowledge that we had some that we think could be it, but we just were like, well,
There’s a reason why, and again, we mixed it up with a few categories there. So really excited. This just makes me more excited for the season. I really can’t wait to see who here pans out.
Shehan Jeyarajah (01:00:29.966)
No, well, and I think that you just look at this group like there is not an alpha necessarily like I think that Carson Beck is the best quarterback in the country, but He’s not a number one pick most likely
And I don’t think that his spot is unbeatable. Like there was nothing that anybody could really do this year to be seen as better than Caleb Williams. Like I just don’t think that was ever going to happen. Or even Bryce Young the year before that in a lot of ways. This is a completely wide open year from the quarterback position. And I think that that has a lot to do with why it feels like a very open year in college football.
is because we don’t have an unbeatable unstoppable force at the quarterback position, especially when you look at some of these top teams. I mean, again, like certainly out of, you know, three of the top four heading into the year have a guy on this list with Carson Beckett, Georgia, Quinney Ors at Texas and Dylan Gabra at Oregon, but maybe the best team in the country, Ohio State doesn’t with Will Howard, who didn’t make our list. And any one of those three guys that I just mentioned also might not end up on a postseason one of these lists.
Nothing is set in stone at this point and I think that’s what makes this upcoming season seem so fun.
Bobak Ha’Eri (01:01:46.362)
Absolutely. Well, wanted to just take a second to thank all of you for listening to us and thank our producer, Joey Aliberte. Be sure to like, rate and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can find us on X and TikTok at CFB Survivor’s Show. He’s Shahan Jayarajah. You can find his work at cbssports .com and at Shahan Jayarajah on X and TikTok. I’m Bob Akayeri, part of the group that runs at Reddit CFB. Thanks for joining us. We hope you have a great rest of your week.
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