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Spring flings: 6 intriguing quarterback competitions

In this Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016, photo, Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant (2) warms up during the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football game against Ohio State in Glendale, Ariz. The only downside about having a player such as Deshaun Watson is that it can be hard to convince an elite recruit to come sit behind him for a year or two. That leaves the Tigers with no clear replacement. The holdovers are promising, but not Watson-level talents. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
In this Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016, photo, Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant (2) warms up during the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football game against Ohio State in Glendale, Ariz. The only downside about having a player such as Deshaun Watson is that it can be hard to convince an elite recruit to come sit behind him for a year or two. That leaves the Tigers with no clear replacement. The holdovers are promising, but not Watson-level talents. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri) In this Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016, photo, Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant (2) warms up during the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football game against Ohio State in Glendale, Ariz. The only downside about having a player such as Deshaun Watson is that it can be hard to convince an elite recruit to come sit behind him for a year or two. That leaves the Tigers with no clear replacement. The holdovers are promising, but not Watson-level talents. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

By Associated Press 4 min read

College football teams can be divided into two groups during the spring: Those with quarterback competitions and those without.

The ones without are usually kind of boring. There might be position battles all over the depth chart, but nothing quite piques interest like an opening at QB1.

Two of the most intriguing quarterback situations this spring might not qualify as genuine competitions.

You would think leading Alabama to the national title game as a freshman would make Jalen Hurts a lock to start for the Crimson Tide as a sophomore. Not quite. Hurts’ progress stalled late last season, and blue-chip recruit Tua Tagovailoa enrolled early, giving coach Nick Saban something to consider.

At Ohio State, fifth-year senior J.T. Barrett returns with a stacked resume and big-time talent behind him. Redshirt freshman Dwayne Haskins, third-year sophomore Joe Burrow and freshman early enrollee Tate Martell could all be pushing for starting jobs most anywhere else.