3 predictions for Nebraska Football’s quarterback competition

2. Someone will leave after spring ball

As I wrote on the previous slide, Smothers shouldn’t be discounted in this race. The other quarterbacks were rated higher coming out of high school but not by that much.

Smothers was a four-star recruit according to the 247 sports composite rankings in 2020 and ranked 313th overall in that class. He was the No. 14 dual-threat quarterback and after playing six games last season, he’s still got three years of eligibility.

In limited action last season, he completed 69 percent of his passes and had Nebraska football in the lead against Iowa before everything fell apart. With Whipple coaching him, it’s possible that Smothers could prove to be the answer all along.

Or maybe Purdy’s talent will shine over the experience of Thompson. We really don’t know. We do know that Whipple was recruiting Purdy to transfer while he was still with Pittsburgh. So he definitely likes the kid and frankly, there is something to like about each of Nebraska’s top three quarterbacks.

Ideally, the Huskers will carry all three into fall camp and beyond because depth is important. It’s also kind of unrealistic in this day and age with the transfer portal. That’s especially true at quarterback because there is only one football.

Heinrich Haarberg signed with the Huskers in 2021 as a three-star prospect from Kearney, Nebraska. He and Richard Torres, who signed in 2022 seem more likely to stay, develop and wait for their opportunity.

But out of Thompson, Purdy, and Smothers — my guess is that one will exit the program sometime after spring football.