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#9 QB Quinton Flowers
Junior, 6’0", 210 lbs.
2015 Stats: Flowers started all 13 games at quarterback, the first time any QB had started every game in a season for the Bulls since 2008. He threw for 2296 yards and set a school record with 22 touchdown passes, with only eight interceptions. His TD-to-INT ratio in 2015 ranked third in USF history, and his 149.4 efficiency rating was second only to Chad Barnhardt. Quinton also set the Bulls’ single-season quarterback rushing record with 991 yards and scored 12 touchdowns on the ground, just one behind Andre Hall’s single-season mark. At the end of the season, he received USF’s team MVP award.
Position on Depth Chart: Finally, USF has an unquestioned starting quarterback going into a season, and it’s Quinton Flowers.
Watch List Watch: Flowers is on preseason watch lists for the Davey O’Brien and Johnny Unitas Awards.
How He Came To USF: Quinton played at Miami’s Jackson High School, where he threw for 6,042 yards and ran for 2,002 yards in his career. His junior year was his best, leading the Generals to the Class 5A state semifinals, where they lost to an Immokalee team starring four of his future USF teammates. Flowers had 2,152 yards passing and 562 yards rushing that season, with 11 rushing touchdowns.
Flowers had plenty of big college offers, but a lot of schools wanted him to change positions, which he didn’t want to do. USF promised him a chance to play quarterback all the way through. Even so, his recruitment was a bumpy one. He committed to the Bulls in June 2013, only to walk it back the same night. Willie Taggart and his staff didn’t give up on him, though. They got Quinton back on board in October, and held off Nebraska for his signature.
Recruiting Rankings: Flowers was a three-star quarterback recruit on 247 and Rivals, a three-star athlete recruit on ESPN, and a four-star wide receiver recruit on Scout.
Projected Playing Time: As much as he can handle and as much as the team needs him to play. I argued on our most recent podcast that he might be the best athlete USF has in any sport right now. His decision-making in the run game is outstanding. He has game-breaking speed and agility whether he’s running the ball or extending a pass play. He became a far better passer last season, especially on deep balls. In short, Flowers makes the Gulf Coast Offense go. And here’s where I should say "he needs to get better on passing downs this year blah blah blah," but man, fuck it. Let him cook.
Follow Him On... Flowers is on Twitter at @spottheball_9, and his Instagram is iamflowers9.