While he will likely have to wait his turn with Jalen Hurts having decided to complete his career in Norman, there is no doubt that coach Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma have a special talent in Spencer Rattler.
Rattler, who committed to OU in 2017 and signed in December, is widely regarded as the top quarterback prospect in the country for the class of 2019. Whether he lives up to the hype, of course, remains to be seen.
With the current class the final one of the 2010s, here is a look at how this decade’s quarterbacks who were generally regarded as being best at their position in their respective classes fared. The list includes five players who transferred during their college careers.
2010: Phillip Sims, Alabama (Oscar Smith HS, Chesapeake, Va.)
After redshirting his first year in Tuscaloosa, Sims got into eight games as A.J. McCarron’s backup in 2011 and threw for 163 yards with two picks. He transferred to Virginia to be closer to his father, who had a heart condition, and was granted a medical hardship waiver that allowed him to play immediately. He threw for 1,263 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions for Mike London’s Cavaliers. After being ruled academically ineligible and suspended Sims emerged at DII Winston-Salem State where he sat out the 2013 season before throwing for 1,560 yards and 15 TDs in his final season of 2014.
2011: Jeff Driskel, Florida (Hagerty HS, Oviedo, Fla.)
The 2010 Gatorade Florida Player of the year appeared in five games as a freshman for Will Muschamp’s Gators. He was the starter in 2012 when UF went 11-2. A broken fibula limited Driskel to three games in 2013 resulting in an additional season of eligibility. He returned to action in 2014 and ultimately lost the starting role. Driskel left Gainesville to spend his final season as a grad transfer under Skip Holtz at Louisiana Tech, where he threw for 4,033 yards and 27 touchdowns. Driskel, who threw for 3,411 yards and 23 TDs with 20 INTs in 29 games at UF, made his NFL debut with the Bengals in 2018 and threw for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns in nine games. He was a sixth-round selection of the 49ers in 2016, though he was waived prior to the regular season and was claimed by Cincinnati.
2012: Jameis Winston, Florida State (Hueytown HS, Hueytown, Ala.)
After redshirting in 2012 Winston made his collegiate debut Labor Day evening 2013 at Pitt and completed his first 11 passes before finishing 25-of-27 for 356 yards and four touchdowns. It was the first win in a 14-0 and national championship season for Winston and the Seminoles. It was also a season in which Winston threw for 4,057 yards and 40 touchdowns to win the Heisman. A year later, when he threw for 3,907 yards and 25 touchdowns, Winston suffered his only defeat against Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal. At FSU he threw for 7,964 yards and totaled 72 touchdowns (65 passing) with 28 interceptions. The No. 1 pick in the 2015 NFL draft has thrown for 14,628 yards, 88 TDs and 58 INTs in four seasons (21-33 as starter) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
2013: Christian Hackenberg, Penn State (Fork Union Military Academy, Fork Union, Va.)
Hackenberg remained committed to Penn State despite sanctions that included loss of scholarships and a four-year bowl ban, which was later reduced to two years, as a result of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Under Bill O‘Brien he was named the Big Ten freshman of the year after throwing for 2,955 yards and 20 touchdowns. Hackenberg’s final two years were under current Nittany Lions coach James Franklin and he would finish his career in Happy Valley having started all 38 games and throwing for 8,457 yards and 48 touchdowns with 31 interceptions. He was selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft by the Jets. Hackenberg, who did not attempt a pass in his two NFL seasons, is currently with Memphis of the American Alliance of Football.
2014: Kyle Allen, Texas A&M (Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, Ariz.)
Allen started the final five games of his freshman season and threw 13 touchdown passes in those contests, including four in a Liberty Bowl victory over West Virginia. Following a sophomore season in which he threw for 2,210 yards and 17 touchdowns, Allen transferred to Houston. He later cited cultural concerns with the Aggies as a reason for his transfer. After sitting out 2016, he started the first three games for the Cougars in 2017 before being benched. He declared for the NFL draft last year after throwing for 4,283 yards and 37 touchdowns with 18 interceptions in 24 career collegiate games. An undrafted free agent he spent most of the 2018 season on the Panthers’ practice squad before getting a start (two TDs) in the season finale at New Orleans.
2015: Josh Rosen, UCLA (Allen HS, Allen, Texas)
The 2014 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year started right away for Jim Mora Jr.’s Bruins and set numerous team records while throwing for 3,669 yards and 23 touchdowns as a freshman. Injuries limited him to 17 games in his final two seasons at UCLA, including 11 as a senior when he topped 400 yards passing on five occasions. Rosen finished his collegiate career throwing for 9,340 yards and 59 touchdowns with 26 interceptions in 30 games. He was drafted tenth overall by the Cardinals last year and started the final 13 games, throwing for 2,278 yards, 11 TDs and 14 INTs.
2016: Shea Patterson, Ole Miss (IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla.)
Patterson started 10 games in two seasons with the Rebels, including seven in a sophomore season cut short due to a torn PCL. Amid NCAA sanctions in Oxford, Patterson announced he was transferring to Michigan and was ultimately permitted to play without having to sit out a year. Showing no ill effects from his injury he threw for 2,600 yards with 26 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. Patterson will return for his senior season with careers totals that include 5,739 passing yards, 45 touchdowns and 19 picks.
2017: Hunter Johnson, Clemson (Brownsburg HS, Brownsburg, Ind.)
It was a crowded quarterback room at Clemson last spring with Kelly Bryant, the rapidly emerging Trevor Lawrence, Chase Brice and Johnson. The latter got into seven games (234 passing yards) as a freshman in 2017 and departed Death Valley last June for Northwestern where, after sitting out last season, he is in line to take over the quarterback reins from the graduated Clayton Thorson. There is an Evansville connection in the family as Johnson’s brother, Cole, was a receiver who saw limited action for the Wildcats from 2013-16.
2018: Trevor Lawrence, Clemson (Cartersville HS, Cartersville, Ga.)
What a year it was for the 6-foot-6 Lawrence. The early enrollee began classes January 10, 2018 and hoisted the national championship trophy January 7, 2019. He impressed in the spring, took over the starting job from Kelly Bryant on September 29 against Syracuse and never took his foot off the gas. Lawrence finished his freshman season by throwing for 3,280 yards and 30 touchdowns. He threw only four interceptions in 397 attempts.
2019: Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma (Pinnacle HS, Phoenix)
Rattler’s senior season with Pinnacle was cut short when he was held out of game activities for 30 days due being found in violation of the school district’s conduct policy. He remains at Pinnacle and will make his way to Norman in the summer. Rattler is the state of Arizona’s all-time leader in career passing yards.
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