Transfers like Jake Merklinger, Mason McKenzie and A.J Hairston will be among those competing for starting jobs this spring.

Spring practices across New England are kicking off this week and one common theme is quarterback competitions. Several Division One programs will feature quarterback competitions.

Here are the ones we will be watching.

Boston College: The Eagles will have a brand new quarterback room entering spring practice. Saginaw Valley State transfer Mason McKenzie will be competing against Arkansas transfer Grayson Wilson and freshmen Femi Babalola for the starting job. McKenzie will have the inside track but it will be a real competition. Nothing will be handed to anyone. I would expect this competition to go into fall camp as Bill O’Brien will take his time naming a starter. McKenzie appears to be the early leader in the clubhouse.

UConn: The Huskies open up spring practices tomorrow and have 58 new players in the program. Jason Candle’s first spring practice will feature a quarterback competition to replace Joe Fagnano which is no easy chore. Returning quarterbacks Tucker McDonald and Tyler Smith will be competing against Tennessee transfer Jake Merklinger, Toledo transfer Kalieb Osborne and true freshmen Bo Polston for the right to lead the offense in 2026. It will be a fair competition as all five quarterbacks have to learn new offensive coordinator Nunzio Campinile’s system. I think this competition will also go into fall camp and it won’t be settled until the opener. Merklinger or McDonald look to be the early favorites with Osborne also in the mix.

Harvard: Replacing Jaden Craig will be no easy task but the Crimson have a talented quarterback room returning. Junior Dante Torres will compete against sophomores Charlie Smith and Sam Kaiser. Smith and Kaiser were both highly recruited and talented and should push Torres this spring and in fall camp. All three signal callers will have a good shot at the job.

New Hampshire: With Matt Vezza gone and a new coaching staff in place under the direction of Sean Goldrich, the quarterback position is wide open. Junior transfer Brooks Bentley could be the early favorite to get starter reps but he will have to stave off sophomore Matt Festa and redshirt freshmen Tommy McLeish. All three quarterbacks are good athletes and can easily win the starting job and run the offense. Learning the new offense and executing it will be key. Freshmen Gavin Schwab and sophomore Austin Troyer should also get snaps in the competition.

Merrimack: Ayden Pereira transferred to Georgia State but the Warriors did bring in UMass transfer A.J Hairston which gives them a talented and experienced option at the position. Junior Cole Meehan and sophomore Michael O’Connor are the other two quarterbacks who are in the mix in the spring. Freshmen Casey Grusser out of New Jersey is slated to arrive on campus this fall and could enter the mix. Former Hudson High School standout Jake Attaway also arrives on campus this fall and should be in the mix to compete for the starting job as well.

CCSU: With Brady Olson graduating, the Blue Devils will also have a quarterback competition on their hands this spring. Expect URI transfer Connor Kenyon to be the favorite but Adam Lechtenberg and his staff have built a deep quarterback room that will create competition. Incoming freshmen A.J Robinson from Windsor High School will have every opportunity to compete for the job in fall camp. He is a dual threat quarterback with big time upside.