In Reply to: Re: There are no guarantees that they would have.... posted by TheHappyBurgermeister on May 21, 2025 at 13:45:34
Which schools aren't constantly on the lookout for a better QB in the portal? Which are going to be faithful to their HS QB signees? Where is a good place to sign as a high school QB? Look at the 2024 HS QB class. Many of the top guys have already transferred. Within two more years, it's not unthinkable that almost all will have transferred at least once.
This is the way it's going to be from now on. Only one QB can play, and he's the most important guy on the team. Teams are going to do everything they can to get the position right.
Guys like Martin and Davis don't exist in a vacuum; the coaches have seen them play in practice. Martin was never going to be the starter, because the coaches didn't want him to be the starter. I think the fact that Davis left pretty clearly means that Luke Duncan was ahead of him in the coaches' eyes. Davis was class of 2024 and has now transferred twice.
Also, we turned over our OC, so none of the QB's would have had any experience in the system anyway.
I think it's clear we are way better off at the QB position than if we'd stood pat:
-Nico was an SEC starter on a good team that wanted him back. Martin started one game in his career and wasn't highly valued by the coaches. He was and still is largely an unknown and is thought to have considerably less upside.
-We still have Duncan, who got some experience in the new system in Spring.
-We added Clarkson, who was a similar level recruit as Davis, is a year older, and has actually played in a college game.
-We added Madden, who was the 2025 high school QB we wanted all along, and lost McDaniel, the guy we saw as the runner-up.
Who knows how it will all shake out, but most outside observers would probably say we upgraded considerably. Yeah, Foster is going to recruit over his QB's. Just like everyone else who wants to win. If it doesn't work out, Foster himself is going to be the next one recruited over.