TCU is in the market for a grad transfer QB - who should they look at?

Sunday afternoon, we learned that TCU quarterback Shawn Robinson, a former four star recruit, would be leaving Fort Worth to pursue football opportunities elsewhere. Robinson, who started eight games across his two year career with the Frogs, will have to sit out a year after playing in seven games this past season (TCU was 3-4 in those contests, in which Robinson threw for over 1,300 yards, nine touchdowns, and eight interceptions).

His departure leaves the Frogs with two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster - Penn transfer Michael Collins, who missed most of the last two games of the regular season due to injury, and redshirt freshman Justin Rogers - who has yet to take a snap after suffering a devastating injury early in his senior season of high school. Rogers has yet to be fully cleared, and at this point, it’s impossible to say when he can resume playing football again.

According to Jeremy Clark of 247, the Frogs are expected to pursue a grad transfer quarterback as opposed to going the juco route. They have one committed QB in the class of 2019, Max Duggan, and are not expected to try and add another passer in this signing class. Who might they go after? Here are some intriguing candidates:

Jalen Hurts (Alabama):

Hurts is a junior who will graduate in December, thus be eligible to start immediately for any program he choses next fall. But, to be clear, he has yet to confirm that he will indeed transfer - so this could all be for naught.

Hurts started 28 games for Nick Saban in his first two years on campus, going 13-1 as a true freshman (losing only in the Championship game) and leading the Tide back to the national championship in 2017 before being replaced by Tua Tagovailoa at halftime. Hurts battled with Tua last spring and into the fall before Saban named the sophomore the starter as soon as the four games allotted for redshirting had expired, but was thrust into action early in the SEC Championship game. A dynamic athlete, Hurts is a 63% passer in his career, accounting for over 5,600 yards through the air and nearly 2,000 on the ground in 40 games played. He would slot in well to Sonny Cumbie and Curtis Luper’s system, where his ability to move in and out of the pocket would be a perfect fit in the current iteration of the Frog Raid. He would have a superstar wide receiver in Jalen Reagor, a really good running game with Darius Anderson and Sewo Olonilua leading a deep group. He is also a native Texan, out of Channelview in Houston, and could certainly be looking to return to the Lone Star State. There will be a ton of competition for Hurts (Florida, Michigan, A&M, among others), but TCU is certainly expected to be a major player.

Riley Neal (Ball State):

Keep your eye on Neal, a kid you probably haven’t heard of, but could be a dark-horse contender in Fort Worth. Currently high on Vanderbilt’s list, the 6’5” pro styler quarterback was a superstar in high school in Indiana, amassing 7,300 yards passing over his three year varsity career with 79 touchdowns, while rushing for another 1,350 yards and another 30 scores on the ground. Neal has the most experience of any player in this group, with at least 300 attempts in three of four seasons (he had a medical redshirt), acconting for over 250 yards per game through the air and on the ground, and scoring 30 total touchdowns - 15 each on the ground and through the air. If TCU can’t get Hurts, this is a guy I would like to see suiting up in purple in 2019.

John Kolar (Oklahoma State):

Kolar was a big-time signing for Mike Gundy, who pulled the four star prospect out of the shadows of OU in Norman. Stuck behind Mason Rudolph initially, Kolar was beat out by Taylor Cornelius in 2018, and has taken just a handful of snaps over his three years in Stillwater. Definitely more of a pro-style passer, Kolar isn’t a perfect fit in the TCU system, but, if OSU brought him in - with the success they have had on that side of the ball over the last several years - he could certainly score some points for the Frogs.

Alex Delton (Kansas State):

Another Big 12 quarterback, Delton would certainly draw mixed reviews from Frog fans. One of the more polarizing passers in the league, Delton vacillated from dangerous to dog house over the course of a career that saw him complete just 56% of his passes in 20 games played, throwing for five touchdowns while surrendering four interceptions - but scored 11 times on the ground while averaging over four yards per carry.

JC Robles (Colorado State):

Robles isn’t as big a name as Hurts, of course, but at 6’5” and 215, the Californian native could certainly help bridge the gap to either Rogers or Duggan. A really good athlete, Robles has not had many opportunities at CSU, but has the tools to be a better than effective passer in the right system.

Jackson Tyner (Rice):

Tyner was good enough coming out of Edgewood High School to receive interest from Arkansas and Texas A&M, but his only offer came from Rice. He played in 16 games for the Owls, completing 87 of 184 pass attempts for just nearly 1,100 yards and four touchdowns, but also had seven INTs. He was a really good dual-threat QB in high school though - maybe he could recapture some of that magic in Fort Worth?

There will certainly be more announcements of players intending to transfer as December rolls along, and we will update this list accordingly.