How good are the quarterbacks Purdue will face in 2019?

It’s a mixed bag over a 12-game schedule. The Boilermakers will face four teams with starters back. The other eight foes figure to feature a grad transfer as the starter or a first-time starter. Check it out.

STARTER BACK

Iowa: The Hawkeyes have one of the best quarterback situations in the Big Ten with Nate Stanley back. The 6-4 senior stands tall in the pocket and is a classic Hawkeye signal-caller. He is entering his third season as a starter, throwing for over 5,000 yards and 50 TDs in his career. Purdue won’t face a better passing quarterback all season, but it has already beaten him twice. Stanley has hit 37-of-65 career passes (57 percent) vs. Purdue for 451 yards with two TDs and an interception.

PICK: Nate Stanley

Indiana: The Hoosiers welcome back 12-game starter Peyton Ramsey, a junior. Tom Allen says he’s the man. But keep an eye on redshirt freshman Michael Penix and Utah transfer Jack Tuttle, a redshirt freshman. They will push for the job. Ramsey is a dual-threat. Can he make the IU offense more explosive down the field, which is what new offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer wants? Ramsey threw for 345 yards in a loss to Purdue in 2018 and ran for 37. Penix is a former four-star recruit who has a strong arm but is coming off a knee injury. Tuttle is a former touted recruit with a big arm who was granted immediate eligibility in the spring. Still, Ramsey is the man … for now.

PICK: Peyton Ramsey

Minnesota: This is an unconventional dynamic with sophomores Tanner Morgan and Zack Annexstad providing a mixed bag of results last season. Morgan played in nine games in 2018 and started the final six (4-2 record) when the Gophers finished strong. Annexstad opened as the starter, going 3-4 and is healthy after missing most of the second half of 2018 with injury. Annexstad has the better arm, while Morgan is niftier with his feet. Look for Annexstad to win this job coming out of camp, just like he did last year. But Morgan also figures to play. He led the Gophers past Purdue in 2018, throwing for 139 yards in a romp vs. the Boilermakers.

PICK: Zack Annexstad

Nebraska: Sophomore Adrian Martinez is one of the fastest-rising stars in college football. The 6-2, 220-pounder won the job in camp in 2018, the first time a true freshman started an opener under center. Martinez never looked back, hitting 64 percent of his passes for 2,617 yards and running for 629 yards. He is a perfect fit for Scott Frost’s go-go offense. He may be the best quarterback Purdue faces in 2019 after causing the Boilermaker defense fits last year with 323 yards passing and 91 yards rushing.

PICK: Adrian Martinez

LIKELY GRAD TRANSFER

Illinois: This quarterback spot has been a black hole for years in Champaign. That may be changing. The Illini have some intriguing options beginning with Michigan grad transfer Brandon Peters, a four-star recruit from Avon, Ind., who is a 6-5, 230-pound strong-armed signal-caller who at one time was wanted by Purdue. He has two years of eligibility. And there is another four-star on campus in true freshman Isaiah Williams, who at 5-9, 170, brings a speedy/athletic element to the offense. Peters and Williams are the main combatants for the job. Sophomore Matt Robinson, a 6-1 dual-threat, and 6-3 redshirt freshman Coran Taylor also are on campus.

PICK: Brandon Peters

Maryland: There is talent, but lots of unknowns as the Mike Locksley era begins. Kasim Hill, the 2018 starter, has transferred. Virginia Tech grad transfer Josh Jackson could be the guy. Jackson--who has two years of eligibility--broke out as a redshirt freshman in 2017 and opened 2018 as the starter for the Hokies before suffering a season-ending injury in the third game. He started 16 consecutive games and went 11-5 in Blacksburg. Junior Tyrrell Pigrome is a nifty option with proven skills. True freshman Lance LeGendre is a four-star talent to watch. Bottom line: More is needed from the pass game no matter who wins the job. Don’t expect a starter to be named until deep into camp.

PICK: Josh Jackson

Northwestern: Let the Hunter Johnson era begin in Evanston. The Clemson transfer sat out last season and is ready to sit on Clayton Thorson’s throne. (Thorson was a thorn to the Boilermakers, hitting 58 percent of his career passes (74-of-127) for 902 yards with four touchdowns and three picks in four games--all wins vs. Purdue.) Johnson, a sophomore who was 2016 Indiana Mr. Football, brings a fat scrapbook and big expectations even though he has thrown just 27 career passes. NU’s hopes are tethered to the 6-2, 206-pound Brownsburg, Ind., native. Senior Trent Green is back, along with junior Aidan Smith.

PICK: Hunter Johnson

TCU: This is a big concern, as the Horned Frogs got largely middling play from under center in 2018. The down-field passing game was missing. Shawn Robinson was inconsistent, got hurt and transferred to Missouri. The staff is sorting though six QBs. Junior Mike Collins (who began his career at Penn) has been meh. Redshirt freshman Justin Rogers is still battling back from a 2017 knee injury. Rogers may be the favorite, but Kansas State grad transfer Alex Delton will be a factor. And true freshman Max Duggan could get a quick baptism. There also is Georgia transfer Matthew Downing, a freshman. But Delton—a 6-0 senior who has starting experience—may be the guy. He can run, but his passing is spotty. A wild card: Ohio State transfer Matthew Baldwin, who has yet to receive a waiver for immediate eligibility. But he will miss the start of camp with injury. This job won’t be settled until camp.

PICK: Alex Delton

Vanderbilt: The program lost an all-time great in Kyle Shurmur. Ball State grad transfer Riley Neal looks like the heir. He is a 6-5, 220-pound strong-armed passer who could ease the loss of Shurmur. A redshirt senior with over 7,000 career passing yards, Neal is accurate and experienced. But don’t count out junior Deuce Wallace, who played a bit in 2017 after being suspended in 2018. In fact, he may have left spring drills a bit ahead of Neal. Whether it’s Neal or Wallace, both would inject more QB running than Shurmur. Redshirt freshman Allan Walters is a long shot.

PICK: Riley Neal

LIKELY FIRST-TIME STARTER

Nevada: The Wolf Pack must replace a quality starter in Ty Gangi, who threw for over 3,000 yards in 2018. Nevada head coach Jay Norvell—who wants to run an Air Raid offense—is auditioning several candidates headed by Christian Solano, Carson Strong and Malik Henry of “Last Chance U” fame. The 6-1 Solano, a senior who is the most mobile and athletic of the options, may be the favorite. He backed up Gangi the last 2.5 years. Solano has one career start, going vs. Fresno State last season.

PICK: Christian Solano

Penn State: Big shoes to fill with Trace McSorley gone. The transfer of Tommy Stevens—a native of Indianapolis—to Mississippi State compounded matters. Seems he wanted a guarantee he would be the starter. When Stevens didn’t get it, he bolted to join former Nittany Lion OC Joe Moorhead in Starkville, Miss. What’s it mean? Sophomore Sean Clifford is the quarterback. Who? Exactly. The 6-2, 220-pound Clifford played in four games last season. The backup? Sophomore Will Levis.

PICK: Sean Clifford

Wisconsin: After three years as the starter with over 5,400 yards passing, Alex Hornibrook has left Madison for Florida State as a grad transfer. Few tears were shed despite his vast experience, as he had 33 picks to go with his 47 TDs while in Madison. Now, all eyes are on true freshman Graham Mertz, one of the most hyped signal-callers in Wisconsin annals. He arrived in time for spring drills and looked good. Junior Jack Coan is battling for the post. He won’t concede it to the ballyhooed Mertz. Coan made four starts in 2018 and could open the season as the No. 1 man. With Hornibrook out (head), Coan started in a triple OT win at Purdue last year, throwing for 160 yards and two TDs. But by the time Purdue plays visits Madison in late November, Mertz could be the starter. Stay tuned.

PICK: Graham Mertz

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