Inside the QB battles that could shape the College Football Playoff

Training camps kick off this week for select teams (many more follow next week), which means position competitions are resuming in earnest. As always, no group of players will capture more attention than those vying to be QB1 for Week 1.

The number of notable quarterback competitions isn’t overly robust, but several top-shelf programs are included. Of the four CFP teams from 2022, only Michigan (J.J. McCarthy) returns a starter at quarterback. Alabama is set for one of its most wide-open preseason competitions in the Nick Saban era, while in-state rival Auburn also must find its answer after adding Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne.

Teams such as Baylor (incumbent Blake Shapen), BYU (Pitt transfer Kedon Slovis) and Texas Tech (incumbent Tyler Shough) decided their starting quarterbacks in the spring. But others remain unsettled, even those that added big-name transfers, such as Oregon State (D.J. Uiagalelei).

Fourteen quarterbacks were selected in the NFL draft. While some teams have clear replacements — Tennessee‘s Joe Milton III for Hendon Hooker, Penn State‘s Drew Allar for Sean Clifford, TCU‘s Chandler Morris for Max Duggan, Kentucky‘s Devin Leary for Will Levis — others must find answers in the coming weeks, including Florida, UCLA and perhaps even Ohio State.

Here’s a snapshot of the key quarterback competitions around college football, the top candidates and how things could evolve as August rolls along.

2022 starter: Bryce Young (first-round NFL draft pick, No. 1 overall)
2023 candidates: Tyler Buchner, redshirt sophomore; Jalen Milroe, redshirt sophomore; Ty Simpson, redshirt freshman