Posted by Jerry Hinnen

We thought we'd gotten Tyler Gabbert's transfer situation all settled, hadn't we? The ex-Missouri quarterback and younger brother of former Tiger star Blaine Gabbert was welcomed into the Louisville program with open arms by none other than Cardinal head coach Charlie Strong just 10 days ago.

But that arrangement might not have been as permanent as we (or Strong) thought. According to Mike Rutherford of Louisville blog Card Chronicle, sources have told both he and the local ESPN radio station that Gabbert will not in fact be part of the Cardinal program, and that he has already packed his bags for either home or a transfer destination still unknown.

We'd advise taking this with a grain of salt until either Gabbert himself or the Cardinals confirm the report (the latter probably won't happen until Strong returns from an overseas trip Wednesday). But it's not hard to see Gabbert deciding that maybe Louisville wasn't the place for him, given the pitched battle behind starter Will Stein and this quote from Gabbert's father after Strong had announced his arrival: 

“It’s safe to say Tyler will be enrolling somewhere and attending school next week,” Chuck Gabbert told Sporting News. “He will be attending class next week at his chosen university where he’ll be pursuing his college football career also.”

No, given the context, that hardly sounds like a full commitment to the Cards.

So nothing is yet written in stone where Gabbert is concerned; maybe he still winds up with Strong and coordinator Shawn Watson (who the Gabberts have long been close to) at Louisville, and maybe he doesn't. But if we had to put money on one or the other, at this stage we'd be forced to go with "doesn't." 

Posted by Chip Patterson

Since joining Louisville, Cardinals coach Charlie Strong has been aggressive on the recruiting trail when it comes to quarterbacks. First the second-year coach snagged highly-touted recruit Teddy Bridgewater from Miami before signing day, and on Thursday, he unofficially welcomed Missouri transfer Tyler Gabbert to the program.



Gabbert, the younger brother of the Jacksonville Jaguars' first-round pick Blaine Gabbert, spent his freshman year with his brother at Missouri, but after losing the quarterback battle to James Franklin in spring practice, Gabbert opted to transfer in May.

Both Tyler and his older brother Blaine originally committed to Nebraska before changing their decision to Missouri. Former Cornhuskers offensive coordinator Shawn Watson (who recruited both brothers heavily while at Nebraska) is now the quarterbacks coach on Strong's staff. Gabbert's arrival gives Louisville a full stable of quarterbacks for 2012. While junior Will Stein will be the starting quarterback entering fall camp, Bridgewater has made it clear he will be ready whenever his name is called. Once Gabbert joins the duo next fall, Strong will have three different quarterbacks competing for snaps in 2012.

While some might argue that the position is too crowded, I can guarantee you a surplus of talent is not something that Louisville fans will be complaining about.

By Brett McMurphy
CBSSports.com Senior Writer

Former Missouri quarterback Tyler Gabbert is visiting Louisville today, sources told CBSSports.com

Out of Parkway West High School, Gabbert initially committed to Nebraska where he was recruited by Huskers offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. Gabbert later de-committed and signed with Missouri.

Watson is now the quarterbacks coach at Louisville.

Other schools that Gabbert reportedly is interested in include Iowa, Clemson, Wake Forest and Arizona.

Gabbert left Missouri because he wanted an opportunity to compete for a starting position, his father Chuck told reporters. Gabbert was beaten out for Missouri’s starting position by James Franklin.

Gabbert’s older brother, Blaine, was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft by Jacksonville.

Posted by Jerry Hinnen

The career of former Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier has already taken a stunning number of turns for one that's still only two collegiate seasons deep. But it's just taken another one all the same.

ESPN's Heather Dinich is reporting that Forcier has now elected not to transfer to Miami, the school with which Forcier signed an Aid Agreement (and who announced his arrival) this past February. Dinich reports, however, that Forcier hasn't returned once to the Coral Gables campus since his first visit. A source cited by Dinich claims "personal reasons" for Forcier's decision.

More than one wag will claim those personal reasons will amount to one reason named "Ryan Williams" (the former Memphis starter now also competing for the Hurricanes' 2012 quarterback job), but given Forcier's limited exposure to the program before making what now looks like a hasty decision, some second thoughts might have been inevitable regardless of the depth chart. (In any case, we'll be watching the famous "@QBForce" Twitter feed closely this week in the hopes of clarification.)

In any case, Forcier now joins the swelling ranks of unaffiliated quarterback transfer targets. He might not be Russell Wilson, but given his impressive true freshman season and capable performances in relief of Denard Robinson in 2010, he's also likely to offer more immediate help (in 2012) than Tyler Gabbert.

As for Miami, Forcier's decision leaves them with just two scholarship quarterbacks on the projected 2012 roster: Stephen Morris and Williams. Expect Al Golden to hit the recruiting trail even harder than usual when it comes to finding a future signal-caller.

Posted by Chip Patterson

In the latest episode of The Transfer, Tyler Gabbert's father informed Sporting News that Arizona, Arizona State, Clemson, Iowa, Louisville, Northwestern, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, and Arkansas State were all possible destinations for his son. Gabbert, the 6-0, 190 pound younger brother of first-round pick Blaine, was a nationally-ranked quarterback in the 2010 class but lost out on the quarterback competition at Missouri this spring.

But according to the Charleston Post and Courier, Clemson has absolutely no interest in obtaining Gabbert's services. Travis Sawchik even points out that bringing in Gabbert (a redshirt freshman heading into 2011) could end up hurting the Tigers in the recruitment of a top-ranked quarterback in the future. Head coach Dabo Swinney pulled in the No. 5 recruiting class last February according to MaxPreps.com. Throw in the arrival of high-octane coordinator Chad Morris from Tulsa, and the Tigers seem like a great landing spot for a hot young prospect looking to gain the attention of the NFL. 

Posted by Chip Patterson

College free agency seems to be all the rage for quarterbacks these days, with Tyler Gabbert being the latest after announcing his departure from Missouri. Gabbert, the younger brother of Blaine - recently picked 10th overall in the NFL Draft by Jacksonville, was involved in a heated quarterback battle this spring with sophomore James Franklin. At spring's end, Franklin ended up as the team's starter and Gabbert decided it was time to take his talents elsewhere.

So where will Gabbert, once a highly sought-after recruit, end up?

The initial guess for many sends Gabbert back to Lincoln, where he originally committed before switching to the Tigers. But when Chuck Gabbert, Tyler's father, spoke to Sporting News about potential destinations: Nebraska was not on the list.

Chuck Gabbert, the player’s father, said Tyler already is in contact with the following programs: Arizona, Arizona State, Clemson, Iowa, Louisville, Northwestern, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest and Arkansas State.

When Gabbert committed to Missouri in 2009 to join Blaine, Nebraska, Iowa, Oregon, and Wake Forest were all on his final list. The dark horse in my opinion is Louisville. Quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson was the one recruiting Gabbert to Nebraska, and reportedly developed strong ties with the redshirt freshman. Now with the Cardinals, Watson can try to lure Gabbert to Louisville. With both Teddy Bridgewater and Dominique Brown waiting on the depth chart behind Will Stein, the move would take Gabbert from one quarterback competition right into another, more heated one. But with Bridgewater and Brown both showing plenty of room for improvement this spring, there could be a chance for Watson's former recruit to earn some snaps.

Clemson also appears like an interesting choice for Gabbert. The Tigers have Tajh Boyd and freshman Cole Stoudt, but neither one has wowed the staff or fans in their limited exposure. Head coach Dabo Swinney has brought in a couple of top-ranked recruiting classes, and Clemson may be a quarterback away from being ACC title contenders once again.

The only certainties at this point, according to Tyler's father, are that he is looking to stay in a BCS conference and it will not be the Big 12.  Where do you think Gabbert will land?  Log in to CBSSports.com and let us know in the comment section below

Keep it here at the Eye on College Football for more on this story as it develops.

Posted by Tom Fornelli

It looks like the Missouri quarterback competition has been settled. In what can only be described as a surprising announcement, Missouri issued a release on Monday morning saying that quarterback Tyler Gabbert, younger brother of former Missouri and newest Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert, will be transferring from the school.

“We wish Tyler the best and will do everything we can to assist him going forward,” said coach Gary Pinkel in a statement. “He’s worked very hard in our program this past year, and we thank him for his efforts. Tyler is a high quality person and an outstanding football player.”

This comes as a shock because there were plenty of people who felt that Gabbert could be Missouri's starting quarterback this season. He finished spring practice second on the depth chart behind James Franklin. According to the release Gabbert is leaving Missouri to pursue other playing opportunities, so maybe he knew more about Missouri's quarterback situation than the school was letting on?

Gabbert came to Columbia as part of the school's 2010 recruiting class, enrolling early and then redshirting the 2010 season.

Posted by Jerry Hinnen

He's not exactly Curt Flood,   but all the same Russell Wilson may wind up serving as a college football landmark: the sport's first legitimate free agent. Cut loose from N.C. State, eligible to play virtually anywhere thanks to his early graduation, "95 percent" likely to take advantage of that eligiblity, and -- most importantly -- a bona fide all-conference candidate with three years of starting experience and a 76-26 career touchdown-to-interception ratio. 

So Wilson represents uncharted waters for college football; while other players have been eligible to transfer without penalty, none have offered such tantalizing immediate benefits. But which school is going to be the lucky one to sail into those waters? 

We don't know. No one does, Wilson included; he's still got months of baseball ahead of him. But we can say which programs would be the best fit should Wilson decide to take a look. Here's our guesses for the comfiest landing spot for Wilson in each BCS conference, judging by both which team would benefit most by Wilson's arrival and which team Wilson would benefit most by joining. Enjoy:

SEC: TENNESSEE. Yep, we're saying the Vols, despite most of the early Wilson speculation centering on South Carolina, Ole Miss, and Auburn. But multiple reporters covering the Tigers have said they won't be interested; it makes sense considering that 2012 shapes up as a much more likely championship campaign for Auburn than 2011, and Gene Chizik won't want to spoil that with a first-year starter under center. Steve Spurrier will certainly give Wilson a ring if Stephen Garcia is finally dismissed, but if Garcia sticks around, neither he nor Wilson will want the controversy his arrival would bring. And though we have little doubt Houston Nutt would welcome Wilson with open arms rather than ride with the untested Randall Mackey or Barry Brunetti, Wilson can probably find a team with higher expectations.

Enter Tennessee. Yes, the Vols have a starter already, promising sophomore Tyler Bray. But Bray's boom-or-bust results late last season and ugly 5-for-30 spring game performance suggest that he might need more seasoning before taking the reins for a full SEC season. Bringing in Wilson lets the Vols redshirt and groom Bray for three solid seasons to follow, without taking a step back at the position; going to Tennessee lets Wilson play for a high-profile team in the nation's toughest conference, one with plenty of playmakers at his disposal. It's a win-win.

BIG TEN: WISCONSIN. An easy call: the perpetually consistent Badgers have the defensive playmakers, the ball-carriers and the receivers to put together another fine Big Ten team if they can hold the line on the offensive line ... and if they can find a quarterback. The results at the Badgers' spring game  suggest they don't have the latter yet. The stodgy Badger attack won't make much use of Wilson's mobility, but no other team in the conference offers Wilson the chance to waltz in as the unquestioned starter for a top-25 program.

BIG 12: MISSOURI. After years of Chase Daniel and then Blaine Gabbert spearheading the Tigers' aerial attack, Gary Pinkel has to feel a little spoiled when it comes to quarterbacks. But that may be changing, as Mizzou comes out of spring without a clearcut starter and with neither candidate (Tyler Gabbert, younger brother of Blaine, or James Franklin) having looked quite in the Daniel/Gabbert class. Wilson would short-circuit any potential quarterback-platoon talk immediately upon arrival and give the Tigers one of the best trigger-men their spread could ask for. Wilson, meanwhile, would have the benefit of having the ball in his hands 40 to 50 times a game, for a team whose underrated defense should make them top-25 contenders.

PAC-12: UCLA. Let's face it: the 3-9 Bruins maybe don't have a heck of a lot to offer in terms of football glory. But after their seemingly endless quarterback carousel of the past few seasons, no program would be more appreciative -- no coach more thankful -- than UCLA and Rick Neuheisel. If Wilson can salvage a winning season out of 2011 and potentially turn around the flagging tenure of Neuheisel, the gratitude aimed his way from the Westwood faithful would likely dwarf anything he'd receive anywhere else. (Besides, most of the other Pac-12 contenders -- Oregon, Stanford, Arizona State, Cal, even ineligible pseudo-contender USC  -- have fairly established quarterbacks.)

ACC: FLORIDA STATE NO ONE

[This section originally discussed the "far-fetched" possibility that Wilson could transfer to the Wolfpack's intra-division rivals in Tallahassee, but it's more than far-fetched; it's impossible, since Wilson's release -- originally, erroneously reported as "unconditional" -- specifies that he may not transfer to an ACC school or any school on NCSU's schedule. In retrospect, this is a common sense precaution. Apologies.]

BIG EAST: WEST VIRGINIA. We're kidding, mostly; Geno Smith enjoyed an excellent spring game and will be the Mountaineers' 2011 starter. And given Wilson's unwillingness to give up on a "football dream" that likely includes the NFL, he would likely pass on Dana Holgorsen's Mike Leach- inspired  "Air Raid" offense anyway, which has struggled putting its passers in the pros. But an offense like Holgorsen's, as helmed by a talent like Wilson? We can dream of those kinds of pinball games, can't we?