Finding college football's next Mitch Trubisky: 10 breakout candidates

Eric Galko

Finding college football's next Mitch Trubisky: 10 breakout candidates image

Last year, Mitch Trubisky rose from a somewhat obscure first-year starting quarterback replacing Marquise Williams at North Carolina to a quarterback NFL teams couldn’t get enough of. Trubisky was college football’s most surprising star a season ago, and catapulted into a top-five choice in the NFL draft.

Anticipating the next quarterback to emerge from minimal media attention to become a household name name is difficult, but these 10 quarterbacks have the stage set to have a similar rise as Trubisky's.

MORE: SN's top 25 quarterbacks for 2017

This list doesn’t include the Sam Darnolds or Lamar Jacksons of college football, but quarterbacks who could rise to their level of prestige across the college football landscape.

Let's take a look:

10. Steven Montez, Colorado

Montez replaces graduated Sefo Liufau, but already made a remarkable impression in the Pac-12 from just three games in 2016. He went 2-1, showcasing tremendous velocity and a smooth release to drive the ball on the perimeter and on mid-range passes. He even showed running upside, as demonstrated in his game against Oregon, when he rushed for 135 yards on top of his 333 passing yards.

The redshirt sophomore is certainly a project, and will need to make major strides in his first full offseason as the team’s starting quarterback. But his arm talent has caught the eyes of NFL evaluators, and he could emerge as one of the most productive Pac-12 quarterbacks in a conference that includes Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen and Jake Browning.

9. Kyle Allen, Houston

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A former five-star prospect, Allen was one of three quarterbacks to leave Texas A&M in 2015. He opted to transfer to Houston, hoping to learn from the quarterback expertise of Tom Herman — and ride the Cougar wave into the national spotlight.

While Herman is gone, new coach Major Applewhite remains a strong quarterback mentor in his own right. Allen offers wild arm talent and pocket passing upside, but needs to rein himself in as a passer before he can emerge as a legitimate prospect — both for college awards and NFL consideration — in 2018 (or 2019). He first has to win the job from D’Eriq King, but with returning receivers Steven Dunbar and Linell Bonner, along with returning running back Duke Catalon, Allen has the weapons and offensive system to burst onto the scene in what could be his first full season as a starter.

8. Justice Hansen, Arkansas State

Hansen initially signed with Oklahoma, but after redshirting — and not seeing an opportunity to start on the horizon — the former four-star quarterback transferred to Butler Community College before making the transition to Arkansas State. Hansen immediately earned the starting job for the Red Wolves and flashed the upside that made him a top-rated recruit coming out of high school.

With a full offseason as Arkansas State’s starter — and his NFL frame and arm strength capability — Hansen has the potential to emerge as the Sun Belt’s most talented quarterback. He’ll likely be with the program for the 2017 and ‘18 seasons, but he checks the boxes as a prime breakout candidate at a program that has been one of the most consistent in the Group of Five.

7. Nick Stevens, Colorado State

Stevens has been Colorado State’s quarterback the last two seasons, but has never been able to push aside challengers at the position: He lost his starting job last season, being replaced by true freshman Collin Hill for five games before being thrust back into the role due to injury.

Stevens, based on his spring and summer reports from college and NFL personnel, has grown more mature and mentally ready to lead CSU. He isn’t short on arm talent, but his mental makeup and football IQ is what could open the door for a major breakout season. With receiver Michael Gallup on the outside, Stevens can realistically aim to emulate former Ram Garrett Grayson, who rose to be a third-round pick in the 2015 draft.

MORE: SN's top 40 players for 2017

6. Drew Barker, Kentucky

Barker was the No. 1 high school prospect in the state of Kentucky in 2014, opting to stay in-state to give the Wildcats their most talented quarterback since Andre' Woodson. But in his first two years at Kentucky, he has played in just eight games, and required season-ending back surgery in 2016.

In his starting opportunities, Barker has flashed drive-sustaining talent and the arm talent to run a multiple-scheme offense. He has attacked vertically and played efficiently in the short area to keep teams stretched horizontally. Heath, consistency in his anticipation and trust in his arm talent will be crucial for Barker’s continued development, but he can finally give Kentucky a chance to climb into SEC relevance.

5. Blake Barnett, Arizona State

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A former five-star quarterback prospect who initially landed at Alabama out of high school, Barnett opted to depart from the Crimson Tide once it was clear he wasn’t going to win the job. Now at Arizona State, he’s assured a crack at a starting role in 2017.

Barnett possesses great lateral quickness and pocket navigation skills, and is more quick than fast as a dual-threat quarterback. He throws a catchable ball, and his placement on drag/slant/dig/vertical routes allows for consistent run-after-catch opportunities for receivers. If he earns the starting position, he’ll have plenty of speedy weapons in the Sun Devils offense.

4. Chase Litton, Marshall

Not since Byron Leftwich has Marshall had a real NFL prospect at quarterback — but that’s exactly what Litton is. After replacing Rakeem Cato at QB in 2015, Litton quickly proved to be a strong-armed passer with natural efficiency and composure, limiting turnovers and thriving as a short- and mid-range quarterback.

Litton constantly shows his composure in the pocket and in finishing drives, and his confidence on third down and late in games speaks to his NFL potential. He will need to increase his passing production (he has thrown for fewer than 3,000 yards each of his last two seasons) as well as Marshall’s win total, but Litton has the talent to be among the best G5 quarterbacks in the country.

MORE: SN's 2017 CFP, conference predictions

3. Clayton Thorson, Northwestern

Thorson was certainly a unique catch for Northwestern, as the former four-star quarterback opted to stay in the state of Illinois and, after a redshirt season, became the face of the Wildcat program.

The two-year starter has a prototypical body type and, with some fundamental development, looks the part of an NFL quarterback-in-waiting. Thorson mentally and physically fits the bill, and is the most obvious candidate to achieve national prominence. The Wildcats have the talent around him to potentially make waves in the Big Ten this season — if Thorson can engineer an upset or two, he may finally stick on national radars.

2. Jarrett Stidham, Auburn

Stidham bolted from Baylor as soon as their sexual assault scandal surfaced and, after sitting out the 2016 season, will now look to be the next great Auburn transfer quarterback (though he probably won’t live up to the success the last one did).

The former four-star recruit became a five-star JUCO talent due to his tremendous ability. He’s an outstanding athlete as a runner, coupled with top-end arm strength to finish vertically. He has an NFL body type and every opportunity to impress immediately in the SEC. If he can develop in play progression, patience in his reads, and prevent costly turnovers, he’ll quickly emerge as one of the country’s top passers in his first year starting at Auburn.

1. Mike White, Western Kentucky

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If you don’t know about White yet, it’s time to learn. Not only was he remarkably productive in 2016 (4,363 yard, 37 touchdowns to just seven interceptions), but he has also garnered NFL interest by some of the best evaluators in and around the league.

While he shouldn’t come out of complete obscurity as Trubisky did, White is a legitimate Heisman challenger and has potential to be a high draft pick. Losing his left tackle (Forrest Lamp), his top receiver (Taywan Taylor) and his coach (Jeff Brohm) will prove to be a substantial hurdle to overcome. But White can transcend those obstacles and validate Western Kentucky as a budding NFL quarterback program.

Eric Galko

Eric Galko is the owner and director of scouting at Optimum Scouting and OptimumScouting.com, as well as a Sporting News contributor. Follow him on Twitter: @OptimumScouting