Shane Buechele

Buechele lost on on the quarterback battle last year in Texas to Sam Ehlinger, so he decided to take his talents elsewhere and stayed in-state with SMU. It's clear to see why he was once the front runner with the Longhorns, completing over 60 percent of his passes in his first season with 21 touchdowns and 246.5 yards per game back in 2016. But his sophomore season saw a decline in production, which lead to his ultimate benching. With a fresh start in a new system that should offer plenty of opportunity in an Air Raid offense, Buechele has a chance to capitalize on the promise that he showed so long ago.

Buechele is back for his senior season and is in a favorable spot at the helm of SMU’s up-tempo offense. He finished sixth in the nation in passing yards in the regular season and added 33 touchdowns against just nine picks on 443 attempts. SMU lost James Proche to the NFL but Buechele won’t be wanting for talent given that Reggie Roberson and matchup nightmare Kylen Granson are back in the fold. Buechele won’t offer much rushing production and his passing numbers may already be maxed out, but even if that’s the case, the SMU signal-caller is a safe option with a high floor in an offense geared towards gaudy production from its passing game.