It has happened before...

[welchog]

For those forelorn about a changing of the QB guard next season and what that my hold to our dreams of success, take this into consideration.

In 2010, we lost one of the most prolific QBs in Hog history.  A QB who set records many felt would not fall for decades, let alone years.  We were riding off a 10 win season and our first ever (and only) BCS bowl game.

So how much did we fall in 2011 breaking in a new starting QB?  We didn't.  That year's QB broke the previous starters record of yards in a game by 101 (only Hog QB to reach the 500 yd club), became only the second Hog QB to reach the 3000 yd mark for a season, eventually broke the previous starters career passing record (both only started two seasons), and became only the second Hog QB to pass for 5 TDs in a game and pass for 20 or more TDs in a season.  We improved to 11-2 (only losses were to Bama and LSU both on the road), won our bowl game (New Year's Cotton Bowl), and the future looked even brighter for 2012...until April 1.

I don't know who it is going to be, but with the talent on the roster right now, I would not think we are doomed by any stretch.

[Pulled(PP)pork]

hell, if bama can just reload, we can


PP

[311Hog]

On paper this is the most decorated group of 4 QBs i think the UA has ever had (in terms of HS rating etc.).  So the talent is there, it is now up to the players/coaches to develop and the football gods of course to get the breaks needed to pull off a magical season.

[swinemaster]

I think the way Tyler performed when thrown into the fire on the road at Auburn combined with a good effort against Ole Miss the next week showed us all that we weren't going to miss much at QB when Ryan left.

We haven't seen anything like that out of AA so it has to be a major question mark at this point.

Hoping for results like in your OP though.

[pigmailyen]

All bets are off until April 1 passes w/o incident.

[Biggus Piggus]

The odd thing about this situation is that the roster will include no quarterback that the offensive coordinator recruited.

[LZH]

All bets are off until April 1 passes w/o incident.

Yikes. Don't even..........

[code red]

Some folks will take this the wrong way.  But.  Bobby Patrino is a pretty dang good QB developer as well.  That had loads to do with Tyler's success.

[pignparadise]

1964 Freddie Marshall lead us to the National Championship. In 1965 Unproven Jon Brittenum lead us to within a yard of another one. But you say he was surrounded by National championship talent, well in 1967 three quarterbacks led us to a 4-5-1 record. In 1968, newcomer Bill Montgomery led us to a 10-1 season and a Sugar Bowl win over Georgia

[jry04]

Three of our QBs have offers from Alabama, 4 of them were 4* recruits. Three of them will have been on campus under Enos for at least a spring and a full season, with Town being the only one who wasn't, but he went through spring ball with USC. I like our chances of at least one being a quality QB next season.

[bigdaddyhawg]

I think AA is going to step well into his brother's footsteps.

[Hoggish1]

Three of our QBs have offers from Alabama, 4 of them were 4* recruits. Three of them will have been on campus under Enos for at least a spring and a full season, with Town being the only one who wasn't, but he went through spring ball with USC. I like our chances of at least one being a quality QB next season.

Very reasonable.  I also like that Enos is dealing with the transition and not Cheney.  WooPig!

[urkillnmesmalls]

Tee Martin.  They had enough returning to be ranked 10th pre-season, but when Peyton left, I don't recall anyone penciling them in as NC with a completely unproven QB.  He had 8 completions out of 16 attempts up until 1998.  ( STOERNOVER!!! )

So...there's always hope.      

[LZH]

Tee Martin.  They had enough returning to be ranked 10th pre-season, but when Peyton left, I don't recall anyone penciling them in as NC with a completely unproven QB.  He had 8 completions out of 16 attempts up until 1998.  ( STOERNOVER!!! )

So...there's always hope.      

Well said.

[longpig]

I think AA is going to step well into his brother's footsteps.

Agree, got a feeling that kids a baller.

[choppedporkextrasauce]

I'm shocked that a quarterback who graduated has been replaced before. Who knew that could happen. 

of course Matt Jones left and Robert Johnson was equally successful.
Barry Lunney left and the legend of Pete Burk was born. 

Kevin Scanlon replaced Ron Calcagni

Quinn Grovey replaced Greg Thomas.

Brandon Allen will be replaced by Austin Allen? Rafe Peavey? Ty Storey? Ricky Town? Stay tuned.

[AirForceHog]

I am excited at the potential for each one of these QB's. I am in the camp of the best man for the job. Spring practice is going to be good.

[redeye]

The odd thing about this situation is that the roster will include no quarterback that the offensive coordinator recruited.

Cole Kelley, but he's not expected to compete for the job next year.

Btw, next year will be the 3rd consecutive season that Alabama started with a new QB.

[AirForceHog]

I guess it doesn't matter to Alabama. Game manager?

[Biggus Piggus]

Cole Kelley, but he's not expected to compete for the job next year.

Btw, next year will be the 3rd consecutive season that Alabama started with a new QB.

Enos did not recruit Kelley.

[ghostzapper]

Tee Martin.  They had enough returning to be ranked 10th pre-season, but when Peyton left, I don't recall anyone penciling them in as NC with a completely unproven QB.  He had 8 completions out of 16 attempts up until 1998.  ( STOERNOVER!!! )

So...there's always hope.      

Don't forget Weinke's neck injury.  Quite the fortunate team were the Vols.

[goodguytex]

My biggest concern are the olinemen and RBs we are having to replace. Especially on oline.... If the QB, especially a green one, is having to run for his life all the time, it's pretty hard to get set and make good throws, run the offense like is needed.

I will be more interested to see how the oline develops under Coach Anderson, and how the TBs develop to replace what we have lost with AC. I hope RW3 is fully recovered and ready to step in and carry the load at RB. KW coming back would be a huge plus too. I hope he will.

[HogShat]

Some folks will take this the wrong way.  But.  Bobby Patrino is a pretty dang good QB developer as well.  That had loads to do with Tyler's success.

I bet Garrick Mcghee would take it the wrong way... IIRC Crash acted like he hated TW most of the time.

[Bacons Rebellion]

1964 Freddie Marshall lead us to the National Championship. In 1965 Unproven Jon Brittenum lead us to within a yard of another one. But you say he was surrounded by National championship talent, well in 1967 three quarterbacks led us to a 4-5-1 record. In 1968, newcomer Bill Montgomery led us to a 10-1 season and a Sugar Bowl win over Georgia

I was thinking about those seasons of long ago when I read the OP, plus some others like Scanlon's season. But most of it has to do with the team around that new quarterback. That 1967 4-5-1 had a future NFL quarterback. So did the 1971 team, Ferguson's first, which also took a step back.

Our problem isn't going to be JUST a new quarterback -- it's that we have a new quarterback behind three new offensive linemen, AND new running backs. That's a lot of bricks that have to fall into place for next season.

That said, I admit I have learned to kind of enjoy these sorts of seasons, when I'm not looking for 10 wins but I can expect and watch improvement. CBB's first 1 1/2 season (and maybe the first few games of this past year), we all had that deep fear that just maybe we would be in the cellar for a long time, and that's gone for me now.

[DeltaBoy]

Tee Martin.  They had enough returning to be ranked 10th pre-season, but when Peyton left, I don't recall anyone penciling them in as NC with a completely unproven QB.  He had 8 completions out of 16 attempts up until 1998.  ( STOERNOVER!!! )

So...there's always hope.      

Yep

[HawgTrough]

Three of our QBs have offers from Alabama, 4 of them were 4* recruits. Three of them will have been on campus under Enos for at least a spring and a full season, with Town being the only one who wasn't, but he went through spring ball with USC. I like our chances of at least one being a quality QB next season.

I have a feeling that at least one will transfer out when they get an idea of where they fall on the depth chart. Possibly two. 

[NaturalStateReb]

The odd thing about this situation is that the roster will include no quarterback that the offensive coordinator recruited.

That is odd.  Usually the advantage of having guys waiting for a start is that they really know the playbook when their numbers get called.  I wonder how much this is true with the transition to Enos.  They would have had a least a year, so that's gotta help.

[JayBell]

The hope is the combination of unprecedented talent at the position and the competition between them will make one guy rise above the rest.  I don't think it's an unreasonable expectation.

None of the four have college experience, but they're all very talented and will have to push themselves to stand out.  If they can do that, they'll show some fortitude and attitude needed from a starting quarterback.

[JayBell]

The good thing is you won't see Bielema pull the same thing Sumlin has done repeatedly.  Once Arkansas names a starting quarterback, which probably won't happen until sometime in the preseason, they're going to stick with that guy.  That can give the new starter the confidence he needs to lead what's actually a really talented offensive unit, despite the losses of 6 starters.

It can be a good and bad thing.  It's a good thing as long as the quarterback is healthy and performing.  It can hurt the team occasionally, like when Bielema refused to pull Allen despite his obvious injury against Missouri in 2014.

[JayBell]

Wilson had the benefit of Adams, Wright, Childs, Gragg and Green all returning for their senior seasons, while Hamilton, Johnson and Wingo were in their junior seasons.  That was still an experienced unit.

Arkansas' next quarterback will be in a similar boat.  Hatcher, Morgan, Reed, Hollister, Cornelius, Mitchell, (hopefully) Walker and Sprinkle will all be upperclassmen.  He's not going to be asked to do as much on his own as Allen had to so often during his career.

[urkillnmesmalls]

Wilson had the benefit of Adams, Wright, Childs, Gragg and Green all returning for their senior seasons, while Hamilton, Johnson and Wingo were in their junior seasons.  That was still an experienced unit.

Arkansas' next quarterback will be in a similar boat.  Hatcher, Morgan, Reed, Hollister, Cornelius, Mitchell, (hopefully) Walker and Sprinkle will all be upperclassmen.  He's not going to be asked to do as much on his own as Allen had to so often during his career.

This is a BIG KEY.  Huge.  I can attest.  I started out with 2 stud Sr. WR's to throw to.  It looked like I was destined for greatness.  They graduated, and my greatness went with them. 

Manziel was NEVER going to be Manziel without a WR with equal talent to Evans to bail him out constantly.  We'll have a collective group of WR's that should make the QB's job MUCH easier than what BA experienced up until a few games into this year when he finally had a few threats that were reliable. 

BA looked like a different QB this season because he could throw on time, and rely on his receivers to be where they were supposed to be.  Prior to that, he held the ball too long due to doubt. 

[SooiecidetillNuttgone]

The sky is falling!
The sky is falling!

This thread feels like it should be in Jump Ball.

Rah-Rah-Rah!  Get behind the team!
Things won't be too bad!  Just you wait and see!

We'll see.  On paper, we have some talented OL that have had a year or two to grow into D1 college linemen.  BB has a track record of good OLs.
This transition wouldn't be so disconcerting if we wouldn't have had so many pieces disappear all at once.

I expect a transition that will be bumpy early but clicking by mid-season.
I think expecting more than 7 wins this season is a recipe for heartburn and heavy drinking.

In the future, I'm hoping that we won't have an exodus like this without some players in the wings that have at least seen the field.  I hope this can be a spark for BB to get some backups on the field late in games.

[oldbear]

One of the things I like better about the college game than professional sports is watching the kids move on and new ones take over. Yes, it causes ups and downs, but it also allows new stories and successes. I love the way Coach B recruits and develops players to be a success on and off the field. I love the way the offer sheets of incoming players include schools that we should be recruiting against and that several kids we recruit have offers from schools like Stafford and Duke and higher academic schools.

I really believe that we are building a consistently strong program that will, from time to time, compete for conference and national championships. If we as fans will let stability take hold and the brand keep growing, I really believe we will have some very special years and that the bad years will be 6 to 8 wins. I also believe the bad years will be more and more rare.

We should sit back and enjoy and be fans. I really think it will be a great ride.

[woodhog14]

Tee Martin.  They had enough returning to be ranked 10th pre-season, but when Peyton left, I don't recall anyone penciling them in as NC with a completely unproven QB.  He had 8 completions out of 16 attempts up until 1998.  ( STOERNOVER!!! )

So...there's always hope.      

Tee Martin also had a Top 10 defense to help out. 

[hogsfan31]

I'd say any of the QBs on campus right now have all the potential in the world. Otherwise they wouldn't be on scholarship. I have complete faith this staff, esp Enos, will start the one who is capable and ready to lead this team.

[bphi11ips]

One of the things I like better about the college game than professional sports is watching the kids move on and new ones take over. Yes, it causes ups and downs, but it also allows new stories and successes. I love the way Coach B recruits and develops players to be a success on and off the field. I love the way the offer sheets of incoming players include schools that we should be recruiting against and that several kids we recruit have offers from schools like Stafford and Duke and higher academic schools.

I really believe that we are building a consistently strong program that will, from time to time, compete for conference and national championships. If we as fans will let stability take hold and the brand keep growing, I really believe we will have some very special years and that the bad years will be 6 to 8 wins. I also believe the bad years will be more and more rare.

We should sit back and enjoy and be fans. I really think it will be a great ride.

The longer you've watched Razorbacks football, the more likely you are to be optimistic about the future.  There's a reason that older media have a healthy respect for Arkansas.  There's institutional memory of Arkansas' s national "relevance", as people now like to say, from 1960 through 1990.  Nothing repeats itself like history.

For the first time in 25 years, Arkansas has a head coach the equal of Frank Broyles, Lou Holtz and Ken Hatfield.  Bobby Petrino may be a genius OC, but as a head coach, he Peter Principle's at Louisville.  And then there's the character flaws that go beyond the April Fool's jokes. 

Bret Bielema's greatest strength may be as a roster manager.  Three years into his tenure at Arkansas, we can see for the first time in many years the potential for consistency.  I wasn't around to see the early part of Frank Broyles' tenure, but I have to believe the trajectory feels a bit like it did then.  The biggest difference in 2016 is that the level of competition is brutal, but for me, that's part of the fun.  And the part that makes an NC a very real possibility.

[razorbackkid]

Regardless of who the next starting quarterback may be, he will have a bunch of experienced men to toss the ball to.

That's gotta be worth something and the chemistry t'wist the tosser and catcher may be more important than the dude that throws it the furrest. 

[TebowHater]

https://twitter.com/BarrettSallee/status/686913553564057600

[GoldenCOHog]

For those forelorn about a changing of the QB guard next season and what that my hold to our dreams of success, take this into consideration.

In 2010, we lost one of the most prolific QBs in Hog history.  A QB who set records many felt would not fall for decades, let alone years.  We were riding off a 10 win season and our first ever (and only) BCS bowl game.

So how much did we fall in 2011 breaking in a new starting QB?  We didn't.  That year's QB broke the previous starters record of yards in a game by 101 (only Hog QB to reach the 500 yd club), became only the second Hog QB to reach the 3000 yd mark for a season, eventually broke the previous starters career passing record (both only started two seasons), and became only the second Hog QB to pass for 5 TDs in a game and pass for 20 or more TDs in a season.  We improved to 11-2 (only losses were to Bama and LSU both on the road), won our bowl game (New Year's Cotton Bowl), and the future looked even brighter for 2012...until April 1.

I don't know who it is going to be, but with the talent on the roster right now, I would not think we are doomed by any stretch.

That's because RM and TW were awesome--best Hog QB's of my lifetime by far.  Put TW with the 2014 defense and we win a Natty.  Bank it. 

[urkillnmesmalls]

That's because RM and TW were awesome--best Hog QB's of my lifetime by far.  Put TW with the 2014 defense and we win a Natty.  Bank it.

Who was he going to throw to?  Hatcher.  Can you even name another WR that was key on that team without looking it up? 

[urkillnmesmalls]

Tee Martin also had a Top 10 defense to help out. 

Right, just like Bama has had in probably all of their last 4 NC's.  The gloom and doomers are already trying to convince everyone that we're going to stink at QB.  They've got to have something to base their pessimism on!