Cal's Chase Garbers Absent from CBS Sports' Ranking of Quarterbacks
One player is conspicuously absent from the list of top college quarterbacks for 2021 compiled by CBS Sports’ Ben Kercheval.
He rated five tiers of quarterbacks and included a total of 49 quarterbacks. Five Pac-12 quarterbacks were included among the top three tiers: Kedon Slovis of USC, Jayden Daniels of Arizona State, Charlie Brewer of Utah, Anthony Brown of Oregon and Dorian Thompson-Robinson of UCLA.
Three other players who played in the Pac-12 before transferring were also included: JT Daniels (former USC, now at Georgia), Tyler Shough (former Oregon, now at Texas Tech), and Jake Bentley (former Utah, now South Alabama).
However, Cal’s Chase Garbers was not included in any of the five tiers, even though 2021 will be his fourth season as the Bears’ primary starting quarterback.
Among the things Kercheval noted as components of his selections are that experience mattered more than potential and efficiency was the primary focus.
This may be a testament to Garbers performance in 2020 when so much was expected of him after making huge strides in 2019. But the Bears were operating a completely different system under now offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, and their practice time was limited because of the restrictive protocols in the Bay Area during the pandemic.
Cal played just four games in 2020, going 1-3, and Garbers finished ninth in the Pac-12 in passer rating.
Cal is scheduled to face five of the quarterbacks listed by CBS Sports during the 2021 season. They are as follows, in the order Cal will play them:
Sept. 4 – Carson Strong, Nevada (Tier II)
Sept. 11 – Max Duggan, TCU (Tier III)
Oct. 15 – Anthony Brown, Oregon (Tier III)
Nov. 13 – Kedon Slovis, USC (Tier II)
Nov. 27 – Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Tier III)
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Here are the CBS Sports quarterback rankings, with the Pac-12 players in bold:
Tier I
(All-America and award season aspirations, including the Heisman Trophy)
1. Sam Howell, North Carolina
2. Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma
3. Dillian Gabriel, UCF
4. Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina
5. JT Daniels, Georgia
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Tier II
(Potential all-conference selections and a few fringe Heisman contenders)
1. D’Eriq King, Miami
2. Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
3. Jayden Daniels, Arizona State
4. Matt Corral, Mississippi
5. Malik Willis, Liberty
6. Brock Purdy, Iowa State
7. Kedon Slovis, USC
8. Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State
9. Dustin Crum, Kent State
10. Carson Strong, Nevada
Comment:
--Slovis' ranking relative to Daniels -- both JT and Jayden -- could cause a stir. Let the record show I am a fan. He's slingin' it in that offense to the tune of 320 yards a game, sixth-best nationally in 2020. He's had his struggles against Oregon, though, and while it's not the end of the world, his air yards are below his counterparts.
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Tier III
(Established starters across the entire FBS)
1. Michael Penix, Jr., Iniana
2. Tanner Morgan, Minesota
3. Charlie Brewer Utah
4. Anthony Brown, Oregon
5. Phil Jurkovec, Boston College
6. Drew Pitt, Ball State
7. Malik Cunningham, Louisville
8. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
9. Jack Coan, Notre Dame
10. Max Duggan, TCU
11. Levin Lewis, Louisiana
12. Jarret Doege, West Virginia
13. Hank Bachmeier, Boise State
14. Jake Haener, Fresno State
15. Layne Hatcher, Arkansas State
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Tier IV
(Players to keep an eye on who are primed for breakout seasons)
1. D.J. Uiagalelei, Clemson
2. Bryce Young, Alabama
3. McKenzie Milton, Florida Stat
4. Emory Jones, Florida
5. Kaleb Eleby, Western Michigan
6. Tyler Shough, Texa Tech
7. Brennan Armstrong, Virginia
8. Graham Mertz, Wisconsin
9. Connor Bazelak, Missouri
10. Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
11. Bailey Zapp, Western Kentucky
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Tier V
(Some questions still need to be answered)
1. Bo Nix, Auburn
2. Grant Wells, Marshall
3. Sean Clifford, Penn State
4. Adrian Martinez, Nebraska
5. Jake Bentley, South Alabama
6. Ryan Hilinski, Northwestern
7. N’Kosi Perry, Florida Athantic
8. Chase Brice, Appalachian State
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Cover photo of Chase Garbers by Stan Szeto, USA TODAY Sports
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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
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