Re: Blake Barnett Transferring
Oh some school will do it...but I can't just imagine the drama that will surround this kid if he replaces a guy who had relative success in the first 4 games next year.
I mean, if that school is struggling it's one thing, but if not, DRAMA!
Barring a change in personality, its reasonable to assume that BB8 will go somewhere that he can put up NFL-caliber stats irrespective of winning championships. If his goal is to be a high draft pick, there's sound reasoning behind that. Of 32 NFL starting QBs, only eight or nine (by my count) came from a college team that was reasonably an FBS championship contender when he played there; though four of those nine - Carson Palmer, Cam Newton, James Winston and Marcus Mariota - did at least play for one; or, in Winston's case, two. Comparatively, nine played for schools outside the Power 5, including 3 non-FBS schools (full disclosure - this last includes Carson Wentz who, albeit in the FCS, has as many college titles at that level as CNS does in the FBS).
My point? Even if he doesn't start until 2018, he'll still have two years of eligibility. Look what Blake Sims and Jake Coker each did with just one. I'd be more than a little surprised if BB8 doesn't find, at the very least, a mid-level Power 5 or non-Power 5 school somewhere on the West Coast willing to bet that his individual skill will translate into fan/TV interest and maybe a win delta of +1 or +2, making the drama worthwhile.
Then there's the Pac-12. At least eight of its members start a junior or senior at QB this year, meaning at least eight will have a new starting QB in 2017 or 2018. Then, add in early departures - e.g., Josh Rosen at UCLA; Jake Browning at UW. That's probably 10 Pac-12 head coaches that, at the very least, won't want to answer the question, however likely, "why didn't you even try to recruit Blake Barnett, who just lit up your team for 400 yards and 7 touchdowns in your 49-45 loss?"
I think any SEC school planning to pursue him is delusional. As a young man, not paying taxes or much of your own living expenses, you don't leave (or at least stray far from) California twice...