The Bum's 2016 NCAAFB Starting QB'S Is Chosen By Head Coaches

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Trace McSorley to start at QB for Penn St.
August 24, 2016

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) Trace McSorley will start at quarterback for Penn State when the Nittany Lions open against Kent State on Sept. 3.

Coach James Franklin settled on the sophomore after McSorley battled redshirt freshman Tommy Stevens for the job through the spring and summer.

''We're excited what he brings to our offense,'' Franklin said Wednesday. ''I think the biggest thing is he's been the backup quarterback for two years. He has game experience and there's value in that. You've been able to see it already, you're not projecting as much.''

McSorley will make his first career start at home against Kent State.

''It's a lot of weight off my shoulders,'' McSorley said. ''Over the whole offseason, Tommy and I were pushing each other. This team will be better because of how this competition went with us pushing each other.''

Both quarterbacks are strong runners, but McSorley's experience gave him the edge.

His shiftiness was utilized in practice throughout his tenure as Christian Hackenberg's backup. He usually led the scout team against the top defense, offering a similar look to the opposing running quarterbacks Penn State would play.

Although he's played sparingly on Saturdays in that time, McSorley saw meaningful snaps in Penn State's bowl game in relief of an injured Hackenberg. Then, McSorley completed 14 of 17 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns, ran seven times for 31 yards and nearly led a comeback against Georgia.

Now, McSorley will try and turn around a unit that's ranked 105th and 114th in total offense the last two seasons. He'll do so in a spread-based offense designed for a mobile quarterback and led by new offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead.

''I think the best thing about the way he runs the ball is he's savvy,'' linebacker Jason Cabinda said. ''He sets up his cuts. You play a guy who's a statue in the pocket and you cover well, he gets sacked. Now we have another element. Not only do you have to worry about covering guys, but when that four or five seconds is up there's that option of scrambling, another aspect of the play you have to worry about.''

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Clemson QB Watson says he's ready
August 25, 2016

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) Deshaun Watson doesn't need much more than his tight circle of family, friends and teammates when prepping for the season, even one where the Clemson quarterback could very well be the face of college football.

Watson led the Tigers to a 14-0 record, an Atlantic Coast Conference championship and the national championship game before falling to Alabama 45-40 in the title contest in January.

Watson, who threw for 405 yards and four touchdowns in an eye-popping performance against the Crimson Tide, became the first FBS player to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000. His poise, calm demeanor and transcendent ability have him a Heisman Trophy favorite and Clemson a championship contender set for a return to the College Football Playoffs.

''I don't really have to say a whole lot to `D-Dub.' He's dialed in,'' Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. ''He's just a guy that's hungry to be the best.''

He'll try and guide the second-ranked Tigers, who start Sept. 3 at Auburn, to the title - and do it with the glare of the spotlight following his every move.

''I feel good. I'm confident and comfortable,'' Watson said. ''I trust my guys.''

Still, it's not always easy performing to expectations.

Just three years ago and not too far down the road, South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was supposed to have the biggest impact on the game after the world watched him pop off Michigan runner Vincent Smith's helmet in the Outback Bowl a season earlier.

Instead, Clowney was outschemed and a tad slower than a year earlier, even pulling himself out of a game shortly before kickoff - and touching off a brief flap with his coach Steve Spurrier - due to injury.

Clowney had a disappointing season, finishing with three sacks - 10 fewer than the year before.

''Anytime you have a big freshman or sophomore year and you come back for your third year, you hear a lot of people talking about, just don't get hurt and just get ready for the NFL,'' ESPN broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit said.

Watson, at 6-foot-2, 216 pounds, has an eye on the NFL. He is widely considered the likely overall No. 1 pick in next year's draft. He said in January after Clemson returned from its championship loss he would look to the NFL if he earned his degree by December - he's scheduled to graduate at the end of this semester - and helps the Tigers achieve their goals.

Watson has purchased $5 million in catastrophic injury insurance, allowable by NCAA rules. Mentally, he's ready to soak it in what could be his final college season.

''I knew the role and the expectations that come with'' playing quarterback, he said. ''It's nothing I can't handle.''

He's certainly handled most everything on the field.

Watson needed surgery to fix his torn ACL in December 2014 and faced untold questions about his health and durability, fears he erased by starting all 15 games and enduring more than his share of hits because of his running ability.

Herbstreit, the former Ohio State quarterback, said Watson is hard-wired to compete.

''I don't think any agents or anybody's going to be able to get to him and tell him to take it easy,'' he said.

Watson hasn't slowed down since the loss to Alabama.

Clemson quarterback coach Brandon Streeter said Watson has worked on the small details of quarterback, like footwork and technique to keep his passes on target. Mostly laidback and soft spoken, Watson's gotten better at his vocal leadership, Streeter said.

Watson has bulked up 25 pounds since his first season to better absorb the hits. He also believes he's more than mentally ready to keep locked into improving week by week and game by game.

''I don't care about previous players that have the hype,'' Watson said. ''I'm not Jadeveon Clowney, I'm Deshaun Watson; so I just focus on me and what I can do for my team. I stay in my own lane and do what I've got to do.''

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Pick Six: Strong, Sumlin entering 2016 on coaching hot seat
August 25, 2016

To consider Les Miles on the dreaded hot seat at LSU entering this season suggests a lot about job security among college football coaches these days - especially those in the Southeastern Conference.

In 11 seasons as Tigers coach, Miles has 112 wins. Only one LSU coach has more and Charlie McClendon's 137 victories came in 59 more games. Miles' .778 winning percentage is better than any coach who has had more than a 30-game stint at LSU - even Nick Saban at .750. Miles has one of LSU's three national championships.

Still, the Mad Hatter was nearly run out of Baton Rouge last season. If No. 5 LSU falls short of lofty expectations this season, expect Miles' future to become a hot topic again in Baton Rouge. Southeastern Conference championship or bust?

Around the country, several other coaches enter the season in need of some wins and a change of trajectory to keep their jobs. Here are a few:

Charlie Strong, Texas

This situation looks pretty simple: Strong can't have a third straight losing season and expect to return as coach when the athletic director and school president who hired him are no longer around. How many victories does Strong need to keep the gig? Hard to say. If the Longhorns land on 7-5 or 8-4, how they get there could be as important as the how many, as well as who is available. (Insert obligatory Houston coach Tom Herman mention here). This would be a good time for Strong's team to go 9-3.

Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M and Gus Malzahn, Auburn

A couple of SEC West coaches who just a few years ago were getting serious NFL buzz. Neither has had a losing season, but both programs have been trending in the wrong direction. Complicating each situation is a rich buyout: $15 million for Sumlin and $9 million for Malzahn. Sumlin's is a pay-in-full payment within two months of being let go. But, hey, it's only money and this is the SEC. Don't be surprised if Sumlin departs on his own terms if A&M has a good season.

Mark Stoops, Kentucky

Stoops made an early splash in recruiting and went from two victories in year one in Lexington to five in year two. Then another second-half swoon last year made it three straight bowl-less seasons for the Wildcats. Four in a row is not acceptable in the SEC, even for a program with relatively modest expectations.

Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia

Holgorsen is entering year six in Morgantown, West Virginia, and the last four have pretty much been spent in the middle of the Big 12. He has had some bad luck with close games and key injuries, but the program seems stuck in neutral. Even after an 8-5 finish and a bowl victory last season, new athletic director Shane Lyons pondered making a change. More of the same might not be enough for Holgorsen.

Mike MacIntyre, Colorado

Classic case of a coach walking into a horrendous situation, making it better but maybe not enough. The Buffaloes went 4-9 last season, MacIntyre's third in Boulder. Five of those losses were by one score. Nine-game conference schedules don't provide much room for growing a program (2-25 in the Pac-12), but all the positive signs might not matter for MacIntyre if Colorado cannot reach a bowl game for the first time since 2007.

Darrell Hazell, Purdue

Hazell is 6-30 in three seasons with Purdue. What else do you need to know?

EXTRA POINT

Six more coaches in need of better seasons than they had last year: Steve Addazio, Boston College; Tracy Claeys, Minnesota; Tim DeRuyter, Fresno State; Paul Haynes, Kent State; Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech; Tommy Tuberville, Cincinnati.

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Kenny Hill named starting QB for TCU
August 25, 2016

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) Kenny Hill has been named the starting quarterback for No. 13 TCU.

Horned Frogs coach Gary Patterson said Thursday that Hill, the former Texas A&M transfer, will start his TCU debut Sept. 3 at home against South Dakota State after competing with sophomore Foster Sawyer for the starting job. Trevone Boykin was the starter the past three seasons.

Hill sat out last season after transferring from Texas A&M, where he succeeded Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel as the Aggies starter.

As a sophomore in 2014, Hill threw for 2,649 yards with 23 touchdowns. He was 5-3 as A&M's starter before getting suspended for two games for violating team rules and athletic department policies. He set a single-game school record with 511 yards passing in his starting debut at South Carolina.

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Malzahn names Sean White starting QB against No. 2 Clemson
August 25, 2016

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Sean White is Auburn's starting quarterback in the opener against No. 2 Clemson.

Coach Gus Malzahn proclaimed White the winner of the three-man race over Jeremy Johnson and junior college transfer John Franklin III after Thursday's practice. He says it was a very good competition.

White replaced Johnson as starter in midseason and started five games before sustaining knee and foot injuries against Arkansas.

He was the first Auburn freshman quarterback to make his starting debut against an SEC opponent since Jeff Klein against Tennessee in 1999. White was also the first Auburn passer to throw for 250-plus yards in three consecutive games since Dameyune Craig in 1997.

But he only threw one touchdown pass against four interceptions.

Malzahn didn't disclose a pecking order behind White.

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Transfer Jerod Evans named Virginia Tech's starting QB
August 25, 2016

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) Junior college transfer Jerod Evans will be Virginia Tech's starting quarterback in the opener against Liberty.

First-year Hokies coach Justin Fuente made the announcement Thursday.

Evans beat out redshirt senior Brenden Motley and freshman Josh Jackson. All three learned the decision before practice.

''To be honest, it still hasn't hit me yet,'' Evans said. ''I am still in a grind. I am still trying to make sure that I'm right as an individual. I also have to make sure that we are right as a team for Liberty. I want to make sure that we have all out Ts crossed and that we are 100 percent rocking and rolling by the time Liberty comes around.''

The Hokies host the Flames on Sept. 3.

Evans threw for 38 touchdowns with just three interceptions last year in eight games at Trinity Valley Community College in Texas.

Fuente says Evans has ''had a few more predicted outcomes in terms of executing at a little bit higher level.'' He also says that all three quarterbacks need to be ready to play and the coaches will continue to evaluate and develop all three.

Motley started six games last season, throwing for 11 touchdowns with seven interceptions.

Evans said he's not sure what made him stand out enough to win the job.

''To be honest, that is a great question for coach Fuente,'' Evans said. ''He is the mastermind behind this whole deal with the quarterbacks, so I couldn't answer that for you to be honest.

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Wisconsin tabs senior Bart Houston as starting quarterback
August 26, 2016

MADISON, Wis. (AP) Wisconsin is going with senior Bart Houston as the starting quarterback for the marquee season opener against No. 5 LSU.

Coach Paul Chryst announced the decision Thursday night. Houston won the competition against redshirt freshman Alex Hornibrook.

Houston will make his first career start on Sept. 3 against the Tigers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.

He was a backup to Joel Stave the last few seasons, and appeared in 15 games overall.

Houston's most extensive action came last season on Oct. 24 in a 24-13 win at Ilinois, when he went 22 of 32 for 232 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in relief of an injured Stave.

Chryst says that both Houston and Hornibrook improved through preseason camp, and that Houston ''earned the right'' to get the start.

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Junior college transfer wins Indiana's starting QB job
August 26, 2016

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) Indiana quarterback Richard Lagow will start Thursday night at Florida International.

Coach Kevin Wilson announced Friday that the highly-touted junior college transfer beat out junior Zander Diamont, who had more experience in the Hoosiers' system.

Wilson made it clear Lagow's hold on the job will only last as long as he stays healthy and produces on the field.

Lagow initially signed with UConn but left school before the 2013 season opener. He then walked on at Oklahoma State, where he redshirted, then spent the next two seasons at Cisco (Texas) Community College.

He threw for 4,506 yards and 38 touchdowns, becoming one of the top junior college recruits.

Lagow has two years of eligibility remaining.

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QB Prukop atop depth chart for Oregon opener
August 26, 2016

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) Montana State graduate transfer Dakota Prukop is listed atop Oregon's depth chart at quarterback for the season opener.

The No. 24 Ducks released the depth chart for the first week of the season Friday. Prukop was listed ahead of freshman Justin Herbert on the two-deep for the home game against UC Davis on Sept. 3.

Prukop passed for 3,025 yards and 28 touchdowns with 10 interceptions at Montana State last year. He follows in the footsteps of Oregon's starter for the opener last season, Vernon Adams, a graduate transfer from Eastern Washington.

Herbert, a local prospect out for Sheldon High School in Eugene, threw for 3,170 yards and 37 touchdowns as a senior last year. He won the backup job over redshirt freshman Travis Jonsen and freshman Terry Wilson, who had both played in Oregon's annual Spring Game.

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Vols' Dobbs becomes more vocal leader
August 26, 2016

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs added one more assignment to his long list of responsibilities.

The face of Tennessee's program also has become the voice of its offense. Coaches and teammates say they've noticed a difference in him this year in that regard. He doesn't hesitate to let the entire offense know when something needs to be corrected or when someone's done something well.

''He's definitely more vocal,'' senior guard Dylan Wiesman said. ''He stands up and he'll get on guys and call them out. That has definitely improved. That is what's making him a better leader.''

Dobbs, whose 22 career starts lead all active Southeastern Conference quarterbacks, downplays the changes in his leadership approach. The senior said he has always tried to lead ever since taking over the starting spot for good late in the 2014 season.

But he acknowledges he has made a few tweaks to his leadership style.

''I'm just being myself, pushing my teammates, holding them to a higher standard,'' Dobbs said. ''I've always held them to a high standard and have said things when needed, but this year it's just holding them to an even higher standard than I have in the past. I'm glad they're seeing that and they're responding to it well.''

No. 9 Tennessee has its highest preseason ranking since 2005 as it heads into Thursday's opener with Appalachian State. Tennessee is seeking its first conference title since its 1998 national championship.

Dobbs is making sure the Volunteers understand what's at stake.

''If we're not executing, he'll let us know,'' junior wide receiver Josh Malone said. ''If in a certain period of practice we're not executing, we'll start that whole entire period over and make sure we're executing that period of practice.''

Dobbs' willingness to face challenges on and off the field explains why Tennessee coach Butch Jones says that ''when you look at the definition of a student-athlete, it starts with Josh Dobbs.''

Dobbs has rushed for 1,160 yards and 19 touchdowns over the last two seasons. He threw for 2,291 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2015.

His classroom performance is also impressive. Dobbs majors in aerospace engineering and made the SEC Academic Honor Roll last each of the last two years.

Dobbs wants to design airplanes when he's done playing football and has spent portions of the last two summers performing internships for Pratt & Whitney. His latest internship took place in Montreal, and Dobbs said it gave him an opportunity to test out the French he had learned in high school.

''I could hear it well,'' Dobbs said. ''But speaking it, I was a little rusty.''

Malone decided to sit in on one of Dobbs' engineering classes last summer before they started a workout. Malone said the experience left his ''mind blown.''

''I'm just more fascinated he can handle that challenge and still perform on the field,'' Malone said.

Dobbs' latest assignment is to improve his passing accuracy. Dobbs threw just five interceptions last season but he completed only 59.6 percent of his passes, down from 63.3 percent in 2014. He has talked about trying to get his completion percentage up to 65 or even 70 percent.

Offensive coordinator Mike DeBord says Dobbs still performed well enough that Tennessee ranked second in the SEC in third-down efficiency last season, but he added that the senior's accuracy has ''really improved'' this summer.

DeBord also described the change in the way Dobbs is communicating with teammates and ''really taking control'' of the offense.

''He knows all of us, he knows how to work with all of us and knows how to talk to all of us, which is a pretty important part of being a leader,'' Wiesman said. ''You have to know how to talk to your guys. He has that connection with all of us.

''Just him getting closer with everybody has allowed him to be a great leader because he knows how to talk to us, how to motivate us.''

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Wolfpack's Doeren wants gameday look
August 26, 2016

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) North Carolina State coach Dave Doeren isn't in a rush to settle the question on who will start at quarterback in the season opener.

And he's not promising much more than the first series, either.

Instead, the Wolfpack's fourth-year coach sounds more interested in seeing how both Jalan McClendon and Ryan Finley handle game snaps against William & Mary on Thursday with an eye toward making sure both are ready for the full season.

''Both of them have done a really good job of making mistakes, learning from their mistakes and getting back to work the next day to get better,'' Doeren said Friday during his gameweek news conference. ''That's why we've decided to play them both. And I'm excited to watch them both play. I think that's kind of where I'm at: I need to see what gameday does to these two guys.''

The two quarterbacks are listed on the depth chart with the murky ''OR'' sitting between their names for the starting job. While one guy will ultimately take that first snap, new offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz made it clear the evaluation on quarterback would continue up to - and through - kickoff.

''There's no reason to rush it,'' Drinkwitz said Wednesday of naming a starter.

The Wolfpack went through spring with McClendon, a redshirt sophomore, battling with redshirt freshman Jakobi Meyers in the faster-tempo scheme Drinkwitz brought with him from Boise State. But the team in May added Finley, a graduate transfer who had played under Drinkwitz with the Broncos.

The school announced earlier this week that Finley has been granted a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA after injuries at Boise State, giving him three seasons of eligibility left just like McClendon. And Meyers is playing some at receiver after missing much of camp due to an ankle injury suffered during the summer playing basketball.

Asked about how he and Drinkwitz will determine who takes that first snap, Doeren quipped, ''It's not a coin toss, but it's really close to be honest with you.'' He said the plan is to let quarterbacks direct a full series.

''All he's going to get is the first drive,'' Doeren said of the starter. ''And then after that we're going to rotate the guy and we're going to see where it goes from there.''

Neither quarterback has a lot of game experience. McClendon saw some relief duty behind two-year starter Jacoby Brissett last year in former coordinator Matt Canada's offense. Finley played in eight games in two seasons at Boise State before suffering a season-ending ankle injury last year against Idaho State.

''We've had a lot of work with both of them,'' tight end Cole Cook said. ''We're confident with either one of them going in there and playing for us. So we just want to win. Whoever they put in there, that's who we play with.''

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Garrett, top SEC QB chasers back
August 26, 2016

ShareFacebookTwitterDiggMySpaceSoutheastern Conference quarterbacks take plenty of heat off the field, and this year will probably take even more on it.

The league is loaded with star pass rushers, some of them highly rated NFL prospects, even if the SEC is short on established passers.

The SEC's top 10 pass sack leaders return. Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett, Alabama linebacker Tim Williams and defensive end Jonathan Allen, Tennessee end Derek Barnett and Mississippi end Marquis Haynes all are back after reaching double digits in sacks last season.

That surplus of talented, hard-to-block edge rushers is nothing new considering the SEC has had 36 defensive linemen or linebackers selected in the first round of the NFL draft over the past decade, many of them outside linebackers and ends.

So maybe Williams, Alabama's quarterback-harassing outside linebacker, can follow Von Miller, the No. 2 overall pick in 2011. Perhaps Texas A&M's Garrett can at least come close to Jadeveon Clowney's status as the top pick two years ago.

''If you can do it in the SEC, you can do it anywhere,'' said Charles Harris, Missouri's latest in a line of stellar pass rushers. ''That's how I feel.''

Of the five sack leaders all but Williams ranked among the nation's top 20 in sacks per game, and he was a specialist on a deep front seven who played limited snaps.

''Only played on third down,'' Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. ''Never had another role on the team.''

OK, few teams have that luxury. But Williams, whose role is expected to increase significantly, and Allen both opted to return for their senior seasons instead of entering the draft.

At least seven SEC ends and outside linebackers have already been listed as potential first-round picks according to various mock drafts, with Barnett and Garrett pegged as candidates for the Top 10.

''We've got a bunch of good d-linemen in this conference - a lot,'' said Barnett.

Enough of them that Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze notes the importance of a viable play action threat, ''because pass setting against the defensive linemen that we face in this league, it's hard to make a living at that.''

Here's a look at some of the SEC's top pass rushers:

-The 6-foot-5, 255-pound Garrett has racked up 24 sacks and 33.5 tackles for loss in his first two years and was a finalist for the Lombardi and Hendricks awards. He plays opposite Daeshon Hall, who's even bigger and had seven sacks.

''We've got two of the best defensive ends in the country in Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall,'' Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin said at SEC media days.

Garrett said they create openings for each other. ''He's just as effective as me,'' he said.

-With Allen and Williams, Alabama also has a formidable pass rushing duo. The 6-3, 291-pound Allen had 12 sacks last season, with 11 coming against ranked teams. ''He plays like a bullet,'' Tide safety Eddie Jackson said.

Williams had 10.5 sacks on just 148 pass rushing snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, which said he had an average of one pressure per 2.8 pass rushing attempts. Ohio State's Joey Bosa, the third overall draft pick, averaged one pressure for every 4.9 attempts, PFF said.

-Barnett's 20 sacks through two seasons is just 12 shy of Reggie White's Tennessee record set from 1980-83. He had nine sacks in the last eight games in 2015. ''He's a savage when he's out on the field,'' Volunteers defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said.

-Ole Miss's Haynes tied the school record as a sophomore with 10 sacks and has 17.5 in his first two seasons.

-Missouri's Harris led the SEC in tackles for loss per game, racking up 18.5 in 12 outings. He follows in a line of pass rushing ends like 2015 first-rounder Shane Ray

''Charles is one of the next great ones, in my opinion,'' Missouri coach Barry Odom said.

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QB Maguire returns to No. 4 FSU
August 26, 2016

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Two weeks after breaking a bone in his right foot, Sean Maguire returned to preseason practices for No. 4 Florida State.

The senior quarterback did team and individual drills during Friday's session. When Maguire was hurt Aug. 11, coach Jimbo Fisher said he expected Maguire to miss 3-4 weeks.

Maguire, who had a screw placed in his foot on Aug. 15, started five games of the final six games last season as he completed 59.3 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Redshirt freshman Deondre Francois is still expected to start the Sept. 5 opener in Orlando against 11th-ranked Mississippi, but if Maguire is available for that game it could ease Fisher's mind. Currently backing up Francois are sophomore J.J. Cosentino and freshman walk-on Jake Rizzo. Freshman Malik Henry remains indefinitely suspended for what Fisher called a violation of team rules.

Henry, who enrolled early and took part in spring practices, was seen with the team during Friday's kickoff luncheon but has not practiced since last week.

NFLPA VISIT: DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFL Players Association, met with Florida State players Friday night as part of the union's Pipeline to the Pros program. Smith was at Alabama last week as the NFLPA is trying to visit schools with the highest percentage of future NFL players.

Smith said the main purpose of the visits is to let players know about resources and programs available to them once they enter the league.

''It is important that young men who have aspirations of earning a job in the NFL understand how to best prepare for the business of football,'' Smith said. ''We tell them that there are plenty of resources available to help with decisions about whether or not to enter the draft, or how they select an agent if they want one and any other business decisions they have to make.''

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White will start at quarterback in Western Kentucky's opener
August 26, 2016

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) Junior Mike White has been named Western Kentucky's starting quarterback for the Hilltoppers' Sept. 1 opener against visiting Rice.

Western coach Jeff Brohm announced Friday that he chose the South Florida transfer from competition that included senior Tyler Ferguson and sophomore Drew Eckels. He says White ''has done a nice job preparing himself for this moment and operates our offense well.''

Though White gets the initial call to replace record-setting All-American Brandon Doughty, Ferguson and Eckels could also play this season. White, who sat out last season per NCAA transfer rules, started 15 games for the Bulls in 2013 and '14 and recorded USF's best quarterback debut when he completed 26 of 41 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns against Houston.

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Duke QB Sirk likely to miss 2016 season
August 26, 2016

A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that Duke quarterback Thomas Sirk is expected to miss the season after reinjuring the Achilles tendon he tore in February.

The person spoke Friday night on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced Sirk's status.

This marks the third injury to an Achilles tendon since 2013 for Sirk, who led Duke in rushing and passing last season and was the co-MVP of the Blue Devils' Pinstripe Bowl victory over Indiana.

He tore his left Achilles tendon during an offseason conditioning in February, then reinjured it Thursday and the person said Sirk was evaluated Friday.

Coach David Cutcliffe said earlier this week that redshirt freshman Daniel Jones took most of the first-team snaps during practice.