When it comes to the offseason QB transfer pool, Justin Fields is obviously the biggest and most sought after name. The issue with Fields however, is that he might not be immediately eligible to play next year. Enter Tyree Jackson. The 6’7 Grad-transfer from Buffalo might soon be the hottest name available for programs in need of a quarterback NOW.
This season, Jackson has thrown for 3,131 yards, with 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. In addition, he had 161 yards on the ground with 7 touchdowns. He helped guide the Bulls to the MAC championship game, and threw for 174 and a touchdown in the team’s bowl game.
The biggest knock on Jackson is his career 55.8% completion rate, and yet many teams would love to have that. Plus, with the right coaching, that can be improved on. Jackson has yet to publicly comment on any sort of potential destination, leaving most media members to guess. With that being said, here is a list of the possible teams that could be the most fun with Tyree Jackson at the helm.
Oklahoma
With Kyler Murray’s departure, the Sooners will have questions at the QB position. Austin Kendall was a highly rated prospect, but is still unproven. Lincoln Riley already has a transfer-QB pipeline, (Murray, Mayfield) so why not add another? While not as dynamic a runner as the aforementioned two, Jackson’s huge arm would pair well with the dynamic Oklahoma receivers. This move would also allow Riley to have yet another experienced QB guiding his system.
Auburn
Assuming Jalen Hurts to Auburn doesn’t happen (please let it happen), might Gus call on another transfer QB? It is pretty widely known that if Gus doesn’t win next year, he will be shown the door. With Jarrett Stidham declaring for the draft, Gus may want someone with experience guiding his final stand. If the offense opened up more and allowed Jackson to run, who knows what kind of havoc he could wreck on SEC defenses. If the move is about NFL exposure, as many believe, what better way to do it than play in the best conference in the country, and for one of its marquee teams?
Florida State
Since the broken body of Deondre Francois is considering leaving the school, and James Blackman’s odds of survival behind that O-line looking grim, might Willie Taggert look for a bigger QB? The line will take time to fix, but at 6’7, Jackson is not easy to bring down. With Taggert facing criticism after this season’s disaster, a tough QB paired with star RB Cam Akers might lead the ‘Noles back to a bowl game, regardless of the porous O-line.
Washington State
Screw it, lets get weird. This is the longest of all the shots, based on Jackson’s (lack of) accuracy, but his cannon of an arm would be so fun. The air raid is helpful to weaker-armed QB’s because it is based of timing, not arm strength. If he could work on his accuracy, Jackson would be a revelation for Leach. He could, hypothetically, be a poor man’s Patrick Mahomes (at Texas Tech). Jackson could be a lot of fun on the West Coast, and could finally help Wazzu over the Washington hump.
Obviously, it is very early in the process, so all speculation is just that. More than likely, all the schools that were mentioned here were just jinxed and have no shot at Jackson now, but we will see. If Fields cannot get his waiver to play approved, and I don’t see why he would, the Tyree Jackson sweepstakes becomes much bigger. Don’t be surprised if his decision is the biggest needle-moving move of the offseason.
As always, I am on twitter @jacobthemanley, if you want to yell at me over my opinions or think there is another school I missed.