The pursuit of top quarterbacks presents some of the most unique challenges for college football staffs on the recruiting trail. The recruitment of the position is both highly nuanced and delicate from a strategic and philosophical standpoint. No position does more to determine a program and coaching staff’s trajectory and success.

Quarterback recruiting has been dubbed “a different animal” for years. Most programs only take one signal caller and the limited spots creates a first come, first serve situation, which typically accelerates a quarterback’s decision-making process. The nature of national quarterback recruiting often leads to a fascinating domino effect, with top programs and signal callers playing a game of musical chairs, jockeying for desired fits–on both ends.

In the past, the quarterback domino storyline has played out in the early- to mid-spring prior the prospects’ senior seasons. Interestingly, we’ve seen this timeline skip an entire calendar year for many of the top underclassmen quarterbacks. Eleven of the top 21 quarterbacks in the 2021 cycle are already committed, prior to taking a snap as a junior. That number nearly doubles the total of top committed quarterbacks from the 2020 cycle at this point last year. This could be in part to the 2021 cycle’s relative depth at the position compared to recent classes. By comparison, several of the Top247's top 2020 quarterbacks were first-year starters as juniors.

Quarterback recruiting is already high-risk, given the importance of the position and its developmental nature. A bad evaluation or two can directly impact wins and losses for years. It’s difficult enough to project a quarterback as a rising senior. With college programs now being heavily incentivized to land a QB prior to their junior season, look for an even higher variance in results due to the decreasing amount of exposure and body of work to evaluate.

Whether this is a one-off or an emerging trend, remains to be seen. Regardless, it has created a unique and fascinating situation that will be fun to track over the next several years.

Here’s a rundown of the major 2021 quarterback dominoes to date.