18 for ’18: No. 13 The Breakout Quarterbacks You Need To Know

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18 for ’18 Offseason Topics
18: Power 5 Coach Hot Seat Rankings
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16. Best Longshot National Championship Teams
15. Group of 5 vs. Power 5 Upset Alerts
14. Every Power Five Team’s Letdown Game

Really, did you know who McKenzie Milton was last year at this time? To a slightly lesser extent, how about SMU’s Ben Hicks and Riley Ferguson of Memphis?

These five quarterbacks have the upside to breakout and go from being good to a really big deal. Some are transfers who should rock, and others are players ready to go from good to nationally special.
5. Nathan Rourke, Ohio, Jr.

The job was supposed to be Quinton Maxwell’s.

The 2017 Ohio Bobcats were returning strong, loaded with a good enough team to at least challenge for the MAC title, and the expected emergence of the 6-3, 224-pound Maxwell was a part of it.

After all, he controlled the offense for most of 2016, right up until the very end of his freshman season. But with his experience and upside, the program was about to start growing around him.

But JUCO transfer Nathan Rourke took over early on, and he went on to have one of the greatest statistical seasons in college football history.

The 6-2, 210-pounder from Canada didn’t do too much on the ground in high school, and he wasn’t much of a running at Fort Scott CC, either. But in the opening game blowout of Hampton, he took off for 50 yards and three scores. That didn’t seem like any big deal until around the middle of the season.

He thew just fine after taking the job over from Maxwell, but by the time the season was over, he ran for 912 yards and 21 scores, averaging an evil 6.66 yards per carry.
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While he completion percentage needs to improve – after hitting 55% – he threw for 2,203 yards and 17 scores and just seven picks.

Maxwell is still in the equation, but on a team with so many new moving parts, Rourke might just be the constant that gets Ohio into the MAC title game.

The other four QB's in that CFN story are the QB's at UVA, Pitt, Buffalo and Marshall. All opponents of the Bobcats this season or in the very near future.

Of course this article wont acknowledge it, but Maxwell was a primary part of the last Ohio team that made the MAC Championship. Who knows maybe we might have made it back if he had been more involved last year. Many will disagree, I understand. But I for one wonder.

You're joking, right? You actually wonder about that - I mean, you really do?? Rourke is the best QB we've had in decades and you think the backup (who lost the starting job) should have played more. Wow!

Ohio is very fortunate to have Nathan as the starting QB. Q is also a very capable MAC QB and can lead the Bobcats if necessary. But no doubt about it, Nathan is the starter and for my money will lead this team to a long awaited title.

We've got the kind of team now that can go head to head with anybody I agree. The program isn't underdeveloped at key positions (QB, DE, WR) like it was years ago. Time to put away the recruiting rankings and just believe.

I do believe a lifetime backup named Greg Windham emerged and outplayed Maxwell and led us that season.