For the installment of the Hotline’s series on Pac-12 quarterbacks in 2018, I turned to someone who ventures deep into the QB weeds — so deep, in fact, that he can assess QBs who have yet to set foot on campus.
That would be Pac-12 Networks analyst Yogi Roth.
A former collegiate receiver who worked with USC’s quarterbacks during the Carroll era, Roth breaks down video of starters, backups and recruits. He does it for work, and he does it for pleasure.
We spoke for 45 minutes earlier this week and produced a podcast that is geared for those interested in conference quarterback minutiae.
(Part one of the series, in which the Hotline ranked the top QB classes this century, is here.)
Roth and I chatted about broad storylines for Pac-12 quarterbacks in 2018 — it’s a transition year for the position — and about the depth charts at every school.
Yep, every team was discussed in one fashion or another:
* Will incoming freshmen Cammon Cooper (Washington State) and Jack Tuttle (Utah) challenge for starting spots?
* Is UCLA transfer K.J. Carta-Samuels the bridge to the Dorian Thompson-Robinson era? Might Oregon State transfer Jack Colletto compete with Jake Luton?
* Is Sam Noyer reader to challenge Steven Montez in Boulder. Could Davis Mills do the same to K.J. Costello at Stanford and Brandon McIlwain to Ross Bowers at Cal?
* What happens to Washington if Jake Browning gets hurt, and to Oregon if Justin Herbert goes down?
* Are Arizona State’s Manny Wilkins and Arizona’s Khalil Tate ready to make the jump to elite-level pocket efficiency?
* Might we see JT Daniels, a few months removed from his junior year of high school, as the Week One starter for USC?
There are momentous voids. There are proven playmakers, and there are even a few potential Heisman contenders.
It’s a fascinating mix that will play out over six months, and perhaps longer.
Consider this a gateway to the issue.
*** Here’s the podcast page on iTunes, which feature both the discussion in full and the team-by-team breakdowns.
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