THE QB REPORT - Trevor Lawrence questionable for Thursday Night Football
NFL and CFB quarterback news - 10/18/2023
Photo courtesy of MSU Athletic Communications
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THE QB REPORT
Quarterback Central | Teams | Players
Duke head coach Mike Elko said there is a chance starting QB Riley Leonard (Stats) will be back on Saturday at Florida State on his radio show. Leonard missed the previous game with a high-ankle sprain, though Elko said he was close to being able to play after going through pregame warmups. Henry Belin IV (Stats) would likely get his second consecutive start if Leonard is out.
2025 4-star QB Ryan Montgomery talked to On3’s Chad Simmons about his trip to South Carolina over the weekend for his first game visit to see the Gamecocks play. The Ohio prospect said South Carolina made it clear early Montgomery is its No. 1 guy and plans to visit the in-state Buckeyes (where his brother Luke plays) and Auburn over the next couple weeks. In August, Montgomery released a top five that included Penn State, Georgia, Michigan, Florida and South Carolina.
Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence is officially questionable for Thursday night’s game in New Orleans as he deals with a knee injury. He has been a limited participant in practice this week, and Lawrence said he’s optimistic he will be able to play. If he’s unavailable, CJ Beathard would get the start, and Jacksonville activated Nathan Rourke from the practice squad.
NFL QB Report
DEPTH CHART & INJURY REPORT
NFL QB Injuries & Depth Charts - Week 7
Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray returned to practice today for the first time since suffering a torn ACL last December. He has been designated to return from the injured reserve, and the team has 21 days to activate him to the 53-man roster. It’s unclear when Murray will actually make his season debut, but Joshua Dobbs will continue starting heading into Sunday’s game at Seattle.
Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson will miss the rest of the season and undergo shoulder surgery. He has battled all sorts of injuries already in his rookie year and will give it another shot next season after suffering an AC Join injury in Week 5. Gardner Minshew started on Sunday and is expected to be the guy the rest of the season.
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen practiced today as he battles a shoulder injury and appears to be on track to play on Sunday in New England. Head coach Sean McDermott said “we’ll see how it goes,” while Allen said he will be good to go heading into this matchup.
New York Giants QB Daniel Jones was a limited participant in today’s practice, though he has yet to be cleared for contact as he recovers from a neck injury that forced him to miss the loss to the Bills. Tyrod Taylor would start on Sunday against the Commanders if Jones is forced to miss his second consecutive game.
Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson did not practice today with a shoulder issue and said he’s not sure if this is an injury that will fully recover this season. PJ Walker appears to be in line for another start over Dorian Thompson-Robinson on Sunday against the Colts after he led Cleveland to a stunning win over the 49ers. Watson has not played since Sept. 24.
Las Vegas Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo did not practice today as he deals with a back injury. He left last week’s game against the New England Patriots, and he was transported to an area hospital to check for internal injuries. He was replaced by Brian Hoyer, but do not rule out the possibility of Aidan O’Connell getting the start on Sunday against Chicago.
Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill suffered a high-ankle sprain, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Turron Davenport. ESPN's Jeff Darlington reported this injury will not require surgery, and head coach Mike Vrabel said a decision will be made on Tannehill’s future availability next week after the bye.
Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields is doubtful for Sunday against the Raiders, head coach Matt Eberflus said. He suffered a dislocated thumb last week and was replaced by rookie Tyson Bagent. The Bears have since activated Nathan Peterman to the active roster and signed Trace McSorley to the practice squad.
New Orleans Saints QB Jake Haener was reinstated from a six-game suspension after he violated the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy. Haener is probably fourth in line to get snaps at quarterback this season, so do not expect much out of him as a rookie fourth-round draft pick. New Orleans waived Jake Luton to make room for Haener.
TRANSACTION REPORT
The Seattle Seahawks released rookie QB Holton Ahlers from the practice squad. The former East Carolina quarterback has been signed and released by the Seahawks three times since landing in Seattle as an undrafted free agent in May.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL QB REPORT
DEPTH CHART & INJURY REPORT
College Football QB Injuries & Depth Charts - Week 8
FIU QB Keyone Jenkins (Stats) is listed as the starter for tonight’s game at Sam Houston State after exiting the previous game with knee and ankle injuries. Last week, Jenkins said he will be good to go for this matchup. Grayson James (Stats) is listed as the backup ahead of Haden Carlson (Stats) on the depth chart. Carlson replaced Jenkins, though that could be because James has a redshirt available, while Carlson does not.
UTEP QB Gavin Hardison (Stats) is listed as the starter for tonight’s game vs. New Mexico State after missing the last two games with an arm injury. If Hardison is unavailable, head coach Dana Dimel said Cade McConnell (Stats) would get another start. Jake McNamara (Stats) was also unavailable for the most recent game, and Kevin Hurley (Stats) operated as the backup to McConnell.
Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett said the next 48 hours will be important in whether starting QB Will Rogers (Stats) will play on Saturday at Arkansas. Rogers left with an arm injury in the game prior to the bye week, and Mike Wright (Stats) would likely get his first start if he’s unable to go.
Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson said QB Michael Kern (Stats) will be out a couple weeks and is not 100% sure on Mitch Griffis’ (Stats) availability for Saturday vs. Pitt after taking some hits in the previous game. Kern replaced Griffis in the first half last week before exiting with a shoulder injury. If Griffis is out, Santino Marucci (Stats) is next in line to start.
Pitt QB Christian Veilleux (Stats) is listed as the starter for Saturday at Wake Forest after making his first career start last week. Also, Nate Yarnell (Stats) is now ahead of Phil Jurkovec (Stats), who started every game at quarterback for the Panthers this season until last week.
Stanford head coach Troy Taylor did not name Ashton Daniels (Stats) the permanent starting QB, and he and Justin Lamson (Stats) are listed as co-starters on the depth chart for Saturday vs. UCLA. Lamson started the last two games, but Daniels played far more snaps in the victory over Colorado.
Utah State QB McCae Hillstead (Stats) is listed as the starter on this week’s depth chart for Saturday at San Jose State. On Monday, head coach Blake Anderson said it was a big day in Hillstead’s concussion protocol process and has not make a final decision on a potential starter if he and Cooper Legas (Stats) are healthy. Hillstead missed the last two games and would burn his redshirt if he plays one more snap this season.
Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun said starting QB Zac Larrier (Stats) is likely out for a while but did not say exactly how long it will be heading into Saturday at Navy. Larrier suffered a knee injury last week, and Jensen Jones (Stats) is in line to get the start with Ben Brittain (Stats) backing him up for the foreseeable future.
Army head coach Jeff Monken said starting QB Bryson Daily (Stats) is doing better than anticipated and is hopeful he will be able to play on Saturday at LSU. Daily exited in the second quarter of the previous game with a leg injury and was replaced by true freshman Hezekiah “Champ” Harris (Stats), who climbed his way to the No. 2 spot on the depth chart over Dewayne Coleman (Stats). He would likely be the guy if Daily is out.
Appalachian State QB Ryan Burger (Stats) is not listed on this week’s depth chart, so it seems likely he will miss his sixth consecutive game with a hand injury. Expect Joey Aguilar (Stats) to get another start on Saturday at Old Dominion, and it’s unclear who would be the guy if both are healthy.
Old Dominion QB Jack Shields (Stats) is listed as the starter on this week’s depth chart for Saturday vs. Appalachian State. Earlier this week, head coach Ricky Rahne said he will continue to evaluate the QB position and will play Shields and Grant Wilson (Stats) if needed, though he’d like for one to step up. Shields started the last two games, but Wilson took over in the second quarter of the most recent matchup and finished the contest.
Temple head coach Stan Drayton reiterated starting QB EJ Warner (Stats) is day-to-day for Friday’s game against SMU after missing the previous matchup with a concussion. Quincy Patterson (Stats) would get his second consecutive start if Warner is out, followed by Forrest Brock (Stats) and Tyler Douglas (Stats).
Buffalo head coach Maurice Linguist said he anticipates QBs Cole Snyder (Stats) and CJ Ogbonna (Stats) playing on Saturday at Kent State. Snyder has started every game this season but was replaced by Ogbonna in the second quarter but re-entered for the final possession. Snyder is currently listed at the top of the depth chart.
Central Michigan QBs Jase Bauer (Stats) and Bert Emanuel Jr. (Stats) are listed as co-starters on the depth chart ahead of Saturday’s game at Ball State. Bauer started the last three games and has been playing nearly every snap.
Ball State QB Kiael Kelly (Stats) is listed as the starter on the depth chart for Saturday vs. Central Michigan. After Kelly made his first career start last week, head coach Mike Neu was asked if Kelly will start this week and responded by talking about how well he thought he played. He will likely be the guy over Layne Hatcher (Stats) again as Kadin Semonza (Stats) is likely to use this as a redshirt season, meaning he cannot play another game.
Kent State QBs Michael Alaimo (Stats) and Tommy Ulatowski (Stats) are listed as co-starters on this week’s depth chart for Saturday vs. Buffalo. Alaimo has started every game this season, and head coach Kenni Burns said both will play this week. Ulatowski played the majority of snaps last week because of his effectiveness in the running game.
Louisiana-Monroe QB Hunter Herring (Stats) is not listed on the depth chart for Saturday at Georgia Southern, which likely means he will miss his fifth consecutive game with a collarbone injury. Jiya Wright (Stats) will likely continue to start with Brian Garcia (Stats) and Blake Murphy (Stats) as co-backups.
Jacksonville State QB Zion Webb (Stats) returned to the starting lineup in Tuesday night’s win over Western Kentucky after exiting the previous game with a concussion. He exited for a play when his helmet came off and again after taking a big hit but returned right away. Logan Smothers (Stats) suffered a sprained ankle in the previous matchup and filled in for those two snaps. Head coach Rich Rodriguez was not asked about the quarterback position after the game.
Southern Miss head coach Will Hall said he will need to evaluate the tape when asked whether Holman Edwards (Stats) will be the permanent starter moving forward. He replaced Billy Wiles (Stats) in Tuesday night’s loss to South Alabama in the second quarter and played every snap the rest of the way.
TRANSFER PORTAL REPORT
RECRUITING REPORT
2025 4-star QB George MacIntyre told On3’s Chad Simmons good things about his visit to Tennessee over the weekend and is the top priority. This is a return trip to Knoxville for MacIntyre, who is an in-state prospect, and will visit UCLA for its game against Colorado on Oct. 28. He recently released a top 10 that included released a top 10 that included Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn, FIU, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oregon and UCLA.
2025 4-star QB KaMario Taylor committed to Mississippi State, according to his Twitter post. The in-state prospect is the Bulldogs’ first 2025 quarterback commit and will join a future QB room that currently includes 2024 3-star Josh Flowers. Less than an hour after posting his commitment to Twitter, Taylor tweeted out an offer from Vanderbilt.
Washington received a crystal ball prediction to land 2025 3-star QB Jackson Kollock from 247Sports’ Greg Biggins. The California prospect is coming off a visit to see the Huskies for their big win over Oregon, and they appear to be in a good position at this point of Kollock’s recruitment. The Huskies also had Husan Longstreet and Dash Beierly on campus this weekend.
Visits (past & upcoming, includes camps)
Central Michigan - Jadyn Glasser | Tweet
Cincinnati - Zebulin Kinsey | Tweet
Colorado - Antwann Hill Jr. | Tweet
Duke - Kaegan Chambers | Tweet
Duke - Dillon Duff | Tweet
LSU - Dia Bell | Tweet
LSU - Bryce Underwood | Tweet
Michigan State - Henry Hasselbeck | Tweet
Michigan State - Jimmy Sullivan | Tweet
North Texas - Wyatt Horton | Tweet
Notre Dame - Deuce Knight | Tweet
Oklahoma - Will Griffin | Tweet
Oregon State - TC Manumaleuna II | Tweet
SMU - Wyatt Horton | Tweet
TCU - Wyatt Horton | Tweet
Tennessee - Faizon Brandon | Tweet
Campbell - Bryan Wilson | Tweet
Central Arkansas - Jack Patterson | Tweet
Montana State - Tanner Wilson | Tweet
Offers
Duke - Dillon Duff | Tweet
UCF - Dillon Duff | Tweet
Vanderbilt - KaMario Taylor | Tweet
Western Kentucky - Colter Ginn | Tweet
Austin Peay - Tyler Travers | Tweet
Fordham - Caleb Sanchez | Tweet
Howard Huskies - Samuel Willoughby | Tweet
Southern Illinois - DaOne Owens | Tweet