The Big 12 has long been one of the most fun conferences in the country thanks in a massive part to their explosive offenses. While the Big 12 promises to once again have an exciting group of teams there’s also plenty of reason to have some concerns with a few teams. As Fall camp begins around the Country, 4 Big 12 teams are yet to name a starting quarterback as BYU, Colorado, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia carry their battles into the Summer.
In the case of Colorado, there’s likely an easy answer as to who they’ll start this season while the other schools truly don’t have an answer yet. As fall camp begins in the Big 12, we’re making our best predictions for who will win each of the Big 12’s pivotal quarterback battles.
BYU Cougars - McCae Hillstead
Coming out of Spring camp, the BYU Cougars were expected to be one of the top contenders in the Big 12 especially as another program didn't lure Jake Retzlaff into the transfer portal. This Summer completely flipped the expectations for this team as Jake Retzlaff was going to face suspension but, instead withdrew from BYU leaving a massive hole at quarterback.
The BYU Cougars now start fall camp with an unexpected quarterback battle as McCae Hillstead, Bear Bachmeier, and Treyson Bourguet. Bachmeier is a true Freshman with a ton of talent but, he likely won't be able to earn the starting job. Bourguet brings experience from his time at Western Michigan and can compete for the gig but, this is likely Hillstead's job to lose. McCae Hillstead showed a ton of potential during his time at Utah State and should be able to have a massive impact in this offense.
Colorado Buffaloes - Kaidon Salter
After losing the only quarterback he's ever coached at the college level to the NFL, Deion Sanders is tasked with finding a quarterback he can trust. When the Buffaloes added quarterback Kaidon Salter in the transfer portal, it seemed that the role was filled. Deion Sanders then brought both Salter and Freshman Julian Lewis to Big 12 Media Days declaring that he doesn't know who will earn the starting job.
When this quarterback battle is over, Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter is going to be named the starter. While Julian Lewis is an elite talent, Salter's veteran experience gives him a massive leg up on this competition which will end up being the determining factor. While Salter is most likely to win out in this battle, Julian Lewis will be lingering the entire season and will get playing time this season.
Oklahoma State Cowboys - Zane Flores
Coming off of a disaster season, Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State will look to regroup especially on offense. Alan Bowman is off to the NFL and while he struggled last season, the Cowboys don't return a ton of experience at quarterback. Redshirt Freshman Zane Flores is the only returning quarterback as Mike Gundy added TCU transfer Hauss Hejny and true freshman Banks Bowen to the room.
Regardless of who wins out in the competition to start this season, they'll be playing their first snaps as this room has no experience. Given the fact that Zane Flores is the only returning player in the room, he has the leg up in this battle but, the team is going to need someone to differentiate themselves from everyone else.
West Virginia Mountaineers - Nicco Marchiol
Rich Rodriguez is back leading the West Virginia Mountaineers and one of his first steps will be deciding on a quarterback this Summer. As Fall camp begins, the battle is between returning quarterback Nicco Marchiol and Texas A&M transfer Jaylen Henderson. Both Marchiol and Henderson have limited experience but, Marchiol has gotten experience the last three seasons with West Virginia which should be enough to win him the job.