Ole Miss QB battle: Spencer Sanders healthy going into fall camp

College football QB news - July 25, 2023

Photo courtesy of Oklahoma State Athletics

Thirty-nine 2024 quarterback prospects are currently rated 4-5 stars by 247Sports, On3 or Rivals, and 37 already announced their college decisions. QBs are moving off the board earlier than ever, and that will lead to plenty of changes between now and the Early Signing Period in December.

Oklahoma is among the many programs making a move to add a committed quarterback as teams look to hold on through National Signing Day. We’ll get into what the Sooners are up to, some QB battle updates and more in Tuesday’s edition.

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Subscribers get a weekday afternoon college football newsletter covering the quarterback injury, depth chart, transfer portal, recruiting and NFL Draft news of the day. A special game day guide is sent on Saturday mornings.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL QB REPORT

Quarterback Central | Teams | Players

Ole Miss quarterback Spencer Sanders (Stats) is at full strength heading into fall camp, head coach Lane Kiffin said during SEC Media Days. One of the most interesting quarterback battles to watch over the next few weeks will feature three healthy options. Sanders was limited during spring practice as he battles with Jaxson Dart (Stats) and LSU transfer Walker Howard (Stats) for the starting QB spot. It’ll be interesting how soon a decision is made because there’s a possibility Sanders transfers again prior to the 2023 season for his final year of eligibility.

2025 5-star QB Bryce Underwood (MI) will announce his college decision on Jan. 6, according to 247Sports’ Allen Trieu. I missed this news while on vacation but when the top-rated quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class reveals an announcement date, it cannot be ignored. Underwood didn’t reveal a list of finalists without any predictions from any of the three major recruiting sites, so this will be a fascinating recruitment to watch this fall. Teams to watch down the stretch are in-state Michigan, Ohio State, LSU and Alabama.

Oklahoma will have Northwestern 2024 3-star QB Brendan Zurbrugg (OH) on campus this weekend, according to 247Sports’ Allen Trieu. Zurbrugg landed an offer from the Sooners last week, less than a month after flipping his commitment from Syracuse to the Wildcats. Oklahoma appears to be pretty active in the 2024 quarterback market despite already having a commitment from 4-star Michael Hawkins (TX). The Sooners recently offered 2024 4-star Trever Jackson (FL), who’s one of the final remaining blue-chip QB prospects in the class.

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DEPTH CHART & INJURY REPORT

Week 1 College football QB depth charts & injuries

Ball State head coach Mike Neu said quarterback Layne Hatcher (Stats) will be the Week 1 starting quarterback against Kentucky, according to HustleBelt.com. Hatcher brings four years of starting experience at Texas State and Arkansas State, so this wasn’t much of a surprise in his final season of eligibility. Kiael Kelly (Stats) was his main challenger this offseason, and Neu said there will be special packages put in place to get him on the field.