There are several reasons a Boise State running back (Ashton Jeanty) and a two-way star from Colorado (Travis Hunter) are the Heisman Trophy front-runners midway through the 2024 season. One undeniable factor is that the sport lost a historic group of quarterbacks to the NFL.
The collection included the past two Heisman Trophy winners (LSU's Jayden Daniels and USC's Caleb Williams), the NCAA's single-season completion percentage and career starts leader (Oregon's Bo Nix), the first quarterback in 26 years to lead Michigan to a national title (J.J. McCarthy) and the quarterback who led his team against Michigan in the championship (Washington's Michael Penix Jr.). Williams and Daniels went first and second in the draft, followed by North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. Penix, McCarthy and Nix also heard their names early, marking the first time five quarterbacks were selected in the first 10 picks and six were taken in the first 12.
When the NFL draft concluded in Detroit, 11 quarterbacks had been picked, ranging from Williams at No. 1 to Tulane's Michael Pratt at No. 245.
Most of the quarterback departures were guaranteed or widely expected, especially given the players' success during the 2023 season. But teams approached these departures differently. Some went to the transfer portal for veterans, while others had clear successors in line to take over. Michigan had holdovers compete to replace McCarthy, while North Carolina had two transfers compete with a holdover to replace Maye.
About halfway through the season, it's time to evaluate the succession plans. Which teams have been best at overcoming the quarterback departures? Here's a look at all 11 teams, in order of where their departing quarterback was drafted.
