Six CFB QB's who were previously backups that can burst onto the scene in 2023

With opportunity comes a chance to make a name for yourself

The landscape of college football has dramatically changed over the past few seasons thanks to the transfer portal and all of the player movement. 

Even with all of the quarterbacks transferring or whatnot throughout the country, there are still a slew of quarterbacks who will have opportunities to take the reins of their program. The backup quarterback is often viewed as being one of the best situations in football due to the fact that fans always love you, and the second the starter begins messing up too much they are clamoring for you.

This next season of college football features a handful of notable reserves that will soon be the starters, and if you don't know about them yet you will soon learn about them. That is why I wanted to highlight five quarterbacks that could burst onto the college football scene following a stint or stints as a reserve quarterback. 

You never know, the next Joe Burrow or Justin Fields could be upon us. Here are six quarterbacks that were backups a year ago that will now have a chance to make a name for themselves  on the field.  

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Hudson Card (Purdue)

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Hudson Card just never was able to secure the starting job at Texas and hold onto it. He started his career as a reserve behind Sam Ehlinger, won the job the following year over Casey Thompson, but was yanked after a tough game against Arkansas. The ensuing offseason Steve Sarkisian brought in Quinn Ewers who beat out Card, who eventually decided to hit the portal. You have to admire his willingness to stay and fight all those years, but at Purdue the job is his to lose. Card had many bright moments as a Longhorn, and towards the end of the season last year even had Texas fans calling for him to take over as the quarterback following a rough patch from Ewers. At Purdue with Graham Harrell calling the plays, Card is expected to explode and showcase why he was one of the most sought after transfers in the portal. 

Cade McNamara (Iowa)

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Cade McNamara was technically a backup this past season being that he lost his starting role to JJ McCarthy, but prior to being the next man up he led Michigan to the College Football Playoff. Last season Iowa was home to one of the worst offensive units in recent memory, and a passing game so bad it resembled that of the days of when the forward pass was just invented. With McNamara who threw for over 2,500 yards and 15 touchdowns as the full time starter and motivation that jobs could be lost, Iowa's offense may just take the much needed step into modern football win 2023.

Kyle McCord (Ohio State)

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While CJ Stroud may have been the most gifted Ohio State passer in years, he was unable to lead Ohio State to the promise land and will always be remembered for losing to Michigan twice. His former backup and projected starter Kyle McCord has a chance to end the Buckeyes' drought, while also proving why he was one of the highest rated recruits in the country. He hasn't seen much time at the college level, but luckily for him the Ohio State offense is renowned for being quarterback friendly and it also helps that he may be throwing to one of the best receiving corps in the nation. 

Ari Patu (Stanford)

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Showing some love to the West coast, Stanford's Ari Patu has a prime chance to turn some heads eventually in Troy Taylor's modern and transcendent offense. While the Cardinal don't have the highest expectations going into next season, Patu has the potential to be the perfect replacement for NFL bound Tanner McKee. Taylor's offense thrives off of pushing the ball down field, while also letting quarterbacks display their athleticism. Patu has a big arm, and can also scoot if needed. Not many people will be tuning into the rebuild in Palo Alto considering the Pac-12 is loaded with elite quarterbacks, but 2023 can serve as a major introduction season for Patu who has been waiting his turn. 

Drew Allar (Penn State)

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The Sean Clifford experience has finally come to its conclusion, which allows for the highly touted Drew Allar to finally take over. The former five-star is viewed as being the quarterback that finally can take Penn State to all of the glory they have been hoping for. Allar is the prototypical modern quarterback, in that he has a big arm, can move around when needed, and also make throws from every arm angle imaginable. The Big Ten is clearly full of guys who have waited their turn, and are now looking to be the stars of the show.

Carson Beck (Georgia)

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While Stetson Bennett wasn't the tallest quarterback in stature, he left behind a historical legacy at Georgia. Following years of never quite being able to get over the hump and win it all, Bennet led the Bulldogs to back-to-back championships. The pressure to fill his shoes will likely be felt by fourth year quarterback Carson Beck. The 6-foot-4 signal caller has been taking the job by the horns this offseason, and while there are quarterbacks who were ranked higher than him coming out of high school has emerged as the clear-cut favorite. He displayed his arm and accuracy in the Dawgs' spring game, and will look to continue Georgia's quest to being the next dynasty in college football.