In this series leading up to next month's National Signing Day, I'll examine the state of each position, including discussion about players who won't be back, players who are returning, and players you might not know yet. I'll also use a simple four-point system to give my assessment of the pulse of the position: Racing, Steady, Faint, or Flatlining.
Leaving: Yet to be seen.
Returning: Kevin Hogan, Evan Crower, Ryan Burns, Keller Chryst. Maybe.
When quarterback Kevin Hogan announced this week that he'd be returning to Stanford for another year, bypassing the NFL draft and putting to rest those groundless transfer rumors, everything changed for the Cardinal.
Remember the offensive display Stanford put on to close out the 2014 season? In a three-game stretch against Cal, UCLA, and Maryland the Cardinal scored 114 points and averaged 422 yards per game, but most importantly, it looked like the old Cardinal again. Now that Hogan has decided to stay, we know that the offensive group that finally gelled at the end of 2014 will return almost intact in 2015. (Remember, departing senior wide receiver Ty Montgomery was injured early in the Cal game and didn't play again.)
But this is supposed to be about the quarterbacks, so let's focus on Hogan. Because of when Hogan ascended to the starting position -- immediately after Andrew Luck and immediately before Keller Chryst, the player some assume will be next great Stanford quarterback -- he will likely never get the appreciation he deserves. He'll never eclipse Luck, and it's impossible to compete with someone who hasn't yet stepped on the field, but Hogan has already done enough to merit consideration as one of the best quarterbacks in Stanford history.
He is the only Stanford quarterback ever to lead his team to three consecutive bowl games, and his name already appears on several of the University's all-time leader boards. He's second in career completion percentage and passing efficiency, sixth in touchdowns, and seventh in passing yardage. After another season under center Hogan will sit firmly on the Mount Rushmore of Stanford quarterbacks along with Andrew Luck, Jim Plunkett, and John Elway.
Hogan was inconsistent in 2014, no doubt due to the long illness and eventual death of his father, but he finished with a flourish. In those three games mentioned above, Hogan was at his best, completing 76% of his passes, averaging a prolific 10.79 yards per attempt, and rushing for 142 yards on 6.76 yards per carry. The next time you hear someone say that Hogan isn't a good quarterback, feel free to drop those numbers on him.
Beyond Hogan, the cupboard is well-stocked. We haven't yet seen Keller Chryst on the field, but all reports -- official and otherwise -- are glowing. When the Palo Alto High School graduate signed with the Cardinal a year ago, the scouting reports raved about his talent, mechanics, and football knowledge, and there's no doubt that those skills will serve him well when he takes the starting job, presumably in 2016.
But what about current backup Evan Crower? He could return for another year as Hogan's understudy, but what would be the point? He'll almost certainly take advantage of the NCAA's graduate transfer rule and land a starting job at another school. Last summer David Shaw spoke about this possibility and said he'd pick up the phone and do his best to find a soft landing spot for Crower, a player he's always spoken highly of.
Ryan Burns's situation is less clear, but he might transfer also. Like Chryst, Burns arrived as a heralded recruit, but his development has been slow. In two years he hasn't been able to gain any ground on Crower, and with Chryst looming in his rear view mirror, it wouldn't be a surprise if he took the next exit and eventually looked to transfer. Either way, I don't expect that Burns will ever take a meaningful snap for the Cardinal.
So if there's a concern, it's that the quarterback depth could be walking out the door. The Cardinal doesn't currently have a commitment from a quarterback in the 2015 recruiting class, so it's possible that Hogan, Chryst, and Burns (plus Dallas Lloyd, I'd imagine) could be the only quarterbacks on the roster, and things could be even thinner the year after that. Lots will change between now and then, so it doesn't make sense to worry too much.
Position Pulse: Racing. Expect great things in 2015 and beyond.
[Photo Credit: Marcio José Sanchez/AP Photo]
