Quinn, Brohm and Smith highlight 2006 QB class
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McShay
By Todd McShay
Scouts Inc.
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Vince Young, Matt Leinart and Michael Robinson are gone. So are Brodie Croyle and D.J. Shockley. But that doesn't mean there's a lack of talented quarterbacks in 2006. Here are the preseason rankings for the nation's top returning signal callers.

1. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame, SR, 6-4, 228
The light finally came on under first-year head coach Charlie Weis last season. Quinn completed nearly 65 percent of his passes for nearly 4,000 yards, while throwing 25 more touchdowns (32) than interceptions (seven). Another strong campaign as a senior could land Quinn the Heisman Trophy, not to mention the top spot in next year's NFL draft.

2. Brian Brohm, Louisville, JR, 6-4, 221
Prior to his torn ACL, Brohm completed 68.8 percent of his passes with 19 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Brohm's recovery is reportedly ahead of schedule. If that's true, the junior gives Louisville a legitimate chance of getting to a BCS bowl game this season.

3. Troy Smith, Ohio State, SR, 6-1, 209
Smith's impact is undeniable, as witnessed last season when he accounted for 27 total touchdowns (16 passing and 11 rushing). If he can remain healthy and out of trouble, Smith could emerge as college football's most explosive dual-threat quarterback in 2006.

4. Pat White, West Virginia, SO, 6-2, 191
If not OSU's Smith, then White is the next best candidate to earn "dual-threat quarterback of the year" honors this season. With more experience and improved accuracy, White could attain the 2,000-yard passing/1,000-yard rushing plateau as just a redshirt sophomore this year.

5. Drew Stanton, Michigan State, SR, 6-3, 223
In 2005, Stanton finally was able to stay healthy for an entire season. Now he must steady his season-long production in order to earn Heisman consideration and get his coach, John L. Smith, off the "hot seat."

6. Chad Henne, Michigan, JR, 6-2, 222
Last season, when RB Mike Hart and the Wolverines' offensive line were plagued with injuries, Henne showed that he wasn't a quarterback who can carry a team on his shoulders. With a healthier and more consistent supporting cast, though, Henne should be able to regain his 2004 form as a junior this fall.

7. Kyle Wright, Miami, JR, 6-4, 217
Wright experienced the usual highs and lows of a first-year starting quarterback in 2005. However, it became increasingly clear that he possesses the physical and mental tools to develop into a star before his career is over at Miami. Wright will be best served if his coaching staff burns the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl game film vs. LSU and focuses on the positives from other performances against Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Virginia.

8. Kevin Kolb, Houston, SR, 6-3, 222
Kolb has flown under the radar despite passing for 9,155 yards and 55 touchdowns in 36 starts the past three seasons. Cutting down on his interceptions from a year ago (15) should finally result in Kolb's earning the respect he deserves.

9. Jordan Palmer, UTEP, SR, 6-5, 231
Palmer has been one of the key cogs in UTEP's remarkable turnaround under head coach Mike Price. Over the course of the past three seasons, he's thrown for 7,489 yards and 62 touchdowns. If he can recover from a fractured ankle suffered in the GMAC Bowl and eliminate some of the mistakes from a year ago (19 interceptions), Palmer will rank among the elite quarterbacks in the nation.

10. Drew Weatherford, Florida State, SO, 6-3, 218
Weatherford took his lumps as a first-year starter in 2005, but that experience should make him a better quarterback in the long haul. His biggest challenge is to improve on last season's touchdown-to-interception ratio of 18-to-18.

The next best 15:
11. Chris Leak, Florida, senior
12. Drew Tate, Iowa, senior
13. JaMarcus Russell, LSU, junior
14. Trent Edwards, Stanford, senior
15. Colt Brennan, Hawaii, junior
16. John Beck, BYU, senior
17. Rudy Carpenter, Arizona State, sophomore
18. Matt Ryan, Boston College, junior
19. Tyler Palko, Pittsburgh, senior
20. Willie Tuitama, Arizona, sophomore
21. Sam Keller, Arizona State, senior
22. Zac Taylor, Nebraska, senior
23. Brandon Cox, Auburn, junior
24. Bret Meyer, Iowa State, junior
25. Rhett Bomar, Oklahoma, sophomore

Troy Smith 3rd?

I'm sorry, but I think he's the best all-around QB in the nation.

Im sorry...

but...

I would have to agree with you.

I just don't understand the Brady Quinn hype. He had a good game against USC and some crappy defenses so all of a sudden he's the best QB in the nation? No one knows how good Brohm will be coming off ACL and even he's ahead of Smith? Bullshit. Ohio State was a top 5 team because of Troy Smith and his playmaking skills, and they'll be playing in a BCS bowl this year because of it. He looks just like McNabb out there on the field.

That is a whack list. If Quinn was the QB for Rutgers and not the Irish, he probably wouldn't even crack the top 10. Ever since Weis arrived, everyone, especially the media has been jerking ND. I think Troy Smith probably should be #1 and Leak and Tate are ranked way too low.

I would also agree that Stanton is ahead of Henne right now. Hopefully Henne has made some strides in the offseason and can bounce back from his sophomore slump.

The Brady Quinn hype is justified people. Check it out, usually you'll here me ripping Notre Dumb every chance I get, but this kid is for real. 32 TD and 7 INT, over 430 yards 4 times last year, under 225 only once, and even that game he did what it took to get the win.
Stovall wasn't as good as Quinn made him out to be last year, nor is Smardija or however the crap you spell his useless name. Those guys will be NFL busts, while Quinn will be a top 10 QB for a decade.

Leak might not even start. People down south say that Tebow has a GREAT chance of passing him up. Tebow led the second team to an impressive victory in the spring game.

Somebody has to draft Leak though. In the right offense, he's still got plenty of talent. He's the best high school QB in history, and while that doesn't always translate, some NFL OC will certainly think he can make something out of him. He's not like others that are strictly option QB's. He's got a gun. If you're going to point fingers at Florida for falling short in recent years, you'll have to point several elsewhere before you get to him. Their running game was horrible. I think Leak, surrounded several of the other freshmen (play Hornsby at WR instead or in addition to DB), can have more success than Tebow could THIS YEAR. Certainly Tebow as a senior should be better, but no need to waste Leak this year.

The best HS QB in History? Where did you get that...I would like to see whoever said that.

I know he was #1 coming out of HS his senior year...

The Brady Quinn hype is justified people. Check it out, usually you'll here me ripping Notre Dumb every chance I get, but this kid is for real. 32 TD and 7 INT, over 430 yards 4 times last year, under 225 only once, and even that game he did what it took to get the win.
Stovall wasn't as good as Quinn made him out to be last year, nor is Smardija or however the crap you spell his useless name. Those guys will be NFL busts, while Quinn will be a top 10 QB for a decade.

Yeah, he plays in the fun n' gun offense though. Imagine if LC opened it up and Henne was running that kind of show, I'm sure he'd put up similar if not better numbers. Just because you put up huge numbers doesn't mean you're a good QB. Remember Kliff Kingsbury and B.J. Symons at Texas Tech? Symons threw for 600 yards and 7 TDs one game. Don't get me wrong, Quinn is good, but people are saying he's the #1 QB in the country and will be the #1 pick in the NFL draft. I just don't see it.

Moodini...I think you ahve your maize and blue blinders on here...

Quinn is a stud. Period.

The best HS QB in History? Where did you get that...I would like to see whoever said that.

I know he was #1 coming out of HS his senior year...


If you look at national high school football record books, he's right there with Wake Forest QB Ben Mauk for most of them. If I remember right (could be wrong) I think Leak played for a top level team and Mauk was a lower class, therefore Leak got more credit.

Leak threw for 15,593 yards and 185 TD for Independence High School in Charlotte, NC.

Mauk threw for 17,364 yards and 178 TD for Kenton High School in Kenton, OH.

I couldn't find records beyond 2004, so someone may have passed those, but these two were #1 and #2 in those two categories all-time. They both came out in the same class and Leak was the higher ranked prospect, which is why I went ahead and called him the best HS QB of all time.

Here's a little more about his prep career (including 3 straight state titles) that I found:

PREP: Set national and state prep quarterback records during his four year career, while leading his team to three consecutive state championships (2000, 2001, 2002) and 46 straight wins as a three-year captain and four-year starter…Threw a national high school record 185 touchdown passes… Second in national prep history with 15,593 career passing yards…Led Independence to a No. 3 ranking as a senior and No. 6 as a junior in USA Today's Super 25 Poll… Named Parade's 2003 Player of the Year… Won the prestigious Ken Hall High School Player of the Year Award as a senior… Named No. 1 player by The Sporting News, USA Today and Tom Lemming as a senior…Student Sports National High School Player of the Year…A SuperPrep All- America who was considered North Carolina's No. 1 prospect…USA Today's Offensive Player of the Year in 2002… Charlotte Touchdown Club 2003 National Player of the Year…Columbus, Ohio Touchdown Club 2003 National Offensive Player of the Year…Atlanta Touchdown Club 2003 National Offensive Back of the Year…2002 National Quarterback of the Year Award by the National Quarterback Club of Washington, DC…Owned 16 state individual records at the end of his prep career including total offense, passing yards, attempts, completions and touchdown passes…Two-time North Carolina AP Player of the Year (2000, 2002), including a unanimous pick his senior season, and runner-up in 2001…The first two-time winner of the North Carolina's Mr. Football Award… Selected as the North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year three consecutive seasons…Named to the Class 6A All-State Team three consecutive seasons (2000, 2001, 2002)…MVP of state championship game three consecutive seasons…MVP of the 2003 Army All- American Bowl…Offensive MVP of the North Carolina Shrine Bowl…Honor student…

jethro...I hope you know I wasnt trying to call you out on that...I just was wondering if you made determined that or if someone else talked about it. I appreciate the stats to back your claim. Hard to disagree.

"Iverson the quarterback passed for 1,423 yards with 14 touchdowns. Iverson the runner gained 781 yards with 15 touchdowns. Iverson the kick returner scored five touchdowns, four on punts. Iverson the defensive back intercepted eight passes."
Best HS player ever! lol

Moodini...I think you ahve your maize and blue blinders on here...

Quinn is a stud. Period.

We'll see in the NFL. He'll be a jick, just wait and see.

State has a more difficult conference schedule. They have to play Michigan. Meanwhile, Michigan just plays State. Certainly a tougher SOS for State. Not Michigan's fault.