UCF’s KJ Jefferson is best college QB in Florida, followed by UF’s Graham Mertz | Commentary
Running off at the typewriter. …
Now that National Signing Day is done and the fall transfer portal window has closed, it’s time for the BCS (Bianchi Charting System) State of Florida Big 4 college quarterback rankings heading into the 2024 season.
Drum roll, please:
(1) KJ Jefferson, UCF. (2) Graham Mertz, Florida. (3) DJ Uiagalelei, FSU. (4) Reese Poffenbarger, Miami.
Why do I rank Jefferson, the transfer from Arkansas, ahead of the quarterbacks FSU and Miami pulled from the transfer portal? Because, well, FSU and Miami recruited Jefferson out of the portal before he chose UCF.
Why do I rank Jefferson ahead of UF’s Mertz? Because Jefferson was the best player on the field when Arkansas beat Florida in the Swamp this past season. He threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 92 yards and a score against the Gators. If Jefferson leads UCF to a victory over UF in the Swamp this season, UF coach Billy Napier will go from the hot seat into a boiling pool of volcanic magma.
Jefferson is big, he’s strong, he can run, he’s experienced and he’s a perfect fit for Gus Malzahn’s offense. He’s also underrated as a thrower and will become an even better passer under UCF offensive coordinator Darin Hinshaw.
I rank Mertz second because he was one of the few bright spots for the Gators last season and set a single-season school record with an SEC-leading 72.9% completion rate while throwing 20 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions in 11 games before he broke his collarbone.
Uiagalelei is a downgrade from Jordan Travis, but still provides FSU coach Mike Norvell with an above-average college quarterback. He was benched for his inconsistency at Clemson and transferred to Oregon State, where he threw for a career-best 2,683 yards last season. However, he can be inaccurate and completed just 57% of his passes last season.
The Miami Hurricanes swung and missed on a number of big-name quarterbacks in the transfer portal, but, in the end, landed Albany’s Poffenbarger. Don’t laugh, Poffenbarger led all FCS quarterbacks in passing touchdowns (36) and yards (3,603) last season. Hey, sometimes you find masterpieces in the most unlikely of places. Let’s not forget Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of Madonna holding the Christ child was found in a house attic in rural Scotland.
Those are my rankings for the Power 4 quarterbacks in the state, but the quarterback with the most upside might just be Byrum Brown of USF. Brown, a redshirt freshman last season, was one of only two quarterbacks in the country to throw for more than 3,000 yards and run for more than 700 yards. The other? Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels of LSU.
Let the countdown begin: The 2024 college football season kicks off in only 223 days. …
Short stuff: I’m not saying the NCAA shouldn’t have nailed FSU for committing NIL violations (if you break the rules, you have to pay the price), but how does NCAA President Charlie Baker then justify saying Michigan won the national title “fair and square”? What a joke. … What is Washington coach Kalen DeBoer thinking by following Nick Saban and taking the Alabama job, where there’s nowhere to go but down? If DeBoer wins nine or 10 games at Alabama this year, the season will be considered a failure. As Ron Zook, who replaced Steve Spurrier at Florida, told me once about what needs to happen if you replace a legend: “You better hit the ground running. In this day and age, there’s not much patience.” Hell, in this day and age, there is no patience even if you’re not following a legend. Just ask Napier! … FSU coach Mike Norvell had the right idea. He was mentioned as a candidate for the Alabama job and he quickly got a big, fat raise to turn down a job he wasn’t really interested in to begin with …
Sentinel colleague Scott Maxwell wrote an intriguing column earlier this week questioning why the Orlando Magic are making mega-millions on the naming rights to the city-owned downtown arena now known as Kia Center. Two reasons: (1) That’s what the Magic negotiated with the city when the lease was signed. (2) Without the Magic, the naming rights wouldn’t be worth mega-millions. There’s one major reason the Orange County Convention Center doesn’t have a naming rights sponsor to help defray its $20 million operating deficit: Because the building doesn’t have a pro sports team as a tenant. … Best line of the week: With TayTay sitting in the audience, Golden Globes host Jo Koy cracked: “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL — on the Golden Globes we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift.” … Did you see where the NBA released a comprehensive medical report that showed there is no correlation between players being load managed and having a reduced risk of injury? In other words, load management is a load of crap. …
Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper was fined $300,000 several weeks ago for dumping a drink on a Jaguars fan in Jacksonville. If you ask me, Jaguars owner Shad Khan should be fined 10 times that amount for the way his team threw a wet blanket over the entire Jags fan base by melting down at the end of the season and missing the playoffs. … Speaking of the Jaguars, is it time to come to the realization that quarterback Trevor Lawrence is much closer to being Jon Kitna than John Elway? … The Orlando Guardians failed to make the cut when the USFL and XFL officially merged last week. I think I speak for anybody who had to sit through a Guardians game last year when I say, “Thank God!” The Guardians were so bad, I’m not so sure they would make the cut if the Sun Belt were merging with Conference USA. … After 27 years, Tiger Woods and Nike announced a few days ago they are splitting up. I’m just wondering if Nike found out Tiger was cheating on them with FootJoy.… If you’re scoring at home, playoff-bound Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield is making about $4 million this season — or about $45 million less than Russell Wilson, who was benched for the final two games of the season by the sub .500 Broncos. …
Last word: This quote is a few years old but it seems even more appropriate today with the mediocre Steelers eking into the playoffs. A reporter once asked Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw if his dynastic 1974 team would beat the current Steelers team. Bradshaw replied: “Yes, but the score would be close. Maybe 10-7.” Replied the reporter: “Why such a close score?” Said Bradshaw: “Well, most of us are over 70 now.”
Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen