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Ten things you need to know from Monday's CFB camps

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It seems as though Monday was the day for college football teams to reveal their choice to start at quarterback (see below), but there are still a few battles that might go beyond Week 1.

As such, here's a quick rundown as to what major jobs are still open:

Alabama -- Yes, Jacob Coker is the presumed pick, but Blake Sims keeps getting talked up by Nick Saban.

LSU -- Cam Cameron has a pair of young signal-callers, and it's clear freshman Brandon Harris won't make the choice to go with Anthony Jennings an easy one.

Vanderbilt -- New head coach Derek Mason will pick among Patton Robinette, Stephen Rivers and Johnny McCrary. This is a tight battle.

Wisconsin -- We might not know who has won the competition between Joel Stave and Tanner McEvoy until the first series against LSU, but the former appears to be the likely choice, barring something unforseen.

Illinois -- Tim Beckman says he'll name a starter by Wednesday, with Wes Lunt likely holding a slight edge over Aaron Bailey.

TCU -- Texas A&M transfer Matt Joeckel doesn't have the job yet, as Trevone Boykin has looked sharp in camp and should be on the field regardless.

UNC -- Larry Fedora isn't saying who his starter will be, but it's expected to be Marquise Williams after a strong charge from Mitch Trubisky.

Pitt -- Chad Voytik hasn't officially been named the starter by Paul Chryst, but he soon will get the nod.

Virginia Tech -- Michael Brewer transferred in from Texas Tech and seems to have caught up to Mark Leal, who was atop the depth chart after the spring.

Miami (Fla.) -- Al Golden hasn't given too many hints, but it's transfer Jake Heaps' job to lose with hard-charging freshman Brad Kaaya possibly seeing playing time, too.

Washington -- This one is too close to call, and won't be over after the opener either, as Cyler Miles, Jeff Lindquist and Troy Williams fight for the job.

Arizona -- Anu Solomon might be moving to the front of the pack, but it's pretty even between him, Jesse Scroggins, Connor Brewer and Jerrard Randall.

Here are nine other things to know about Monday's college football camps:

  1. In one of the many, "Gee, really?" decisions from Monday, Cincinnati announced its starting quarterback. Tommy Tuberville picked sophomore Gunner Kiel (6-foot-4, 208 pounds), the former uber-recruit who began his career at Notre Dame. Kiel has some good skill-position talent around him, and will operate behind what should be one of the best lines in the AAC.
  1. Farther south, Kentucky went with sophomore Patrick Towles (6-foot-5, 238 pounds), a big guy who is mobile and considered a good spread prospect, at quarterback. The Wildcats have no proven tailback or true go-to receiver, and the Wildcats' offensive line seems likely to be one of the weakest in the SEC. The backup position seems a bit unsettled, but it appears the plan is to redshirt highly touted recruit Drew Barker.
  1. In another not-so-surprising decision, Travis Wilson was announced as Utah's starting quarterback over Oklahoma transfer Kendal Thompson. Things are still up in the air for the Utes' defense, though. Jason Fanaika and Hunter Dimick are battling at defensive end, while nose tackle is a three-way battle with Sese Ianu, Clint Shepard and Lowell Lotulelei. Uaea Masina and Pita Taumoepenu are also competing for one of the linebacker positions.
  1. Purdue went with incumbent starter Danny Etling under center after the sophomore threw 10 touchdown passes in seven starts for the Boilermakers last season (he was often under duress, too, given the state of the offense). Austin Appleby certainly pushed Etling, but he'll be the backup.
  1. There was a bit of a surprise in Ames as Iowa State named Sam Richardson the opening week starter at quarterback over Grant Rohach. The latter ended the year with back-to-back 300-yard games and appeared primed to take advantage of the Cyclones' solid receiving corps. Offensive coordinator Mark Mangino must have liked what he saw in Richardson, though.
  1. One of the coolest things about the end of fall camps around college football is seeing some walk-ons learn they are being placed on scholarship. It typically happens around this time of year, and over the weekend, Mississippi State's DeAndre Ward had his scholarship thrill captured and posted to social media. An undersized sophomore linebacker, Ward's good news means one thing: He'll be on the field in some capacity this fall in Starkville.
  1. One of Chris Petersen's first recruiting coups at Washington was keeping talented athlete Budda Baker in-state to play for the Huskies. That seems to be paying off, as he's already playing with the second-string secondary and is drawing rave reviews during camp from coaches. "(He is) just extremely competitive," defensive backs coach Jimmy Lake told the Seattle Times. "There's a way we measure that -- we talk about going 4 to 6 seconds between point A and point B. And if you put it on tape and you just watch him, every single play he gets he's doing a million miles per hour. So it's just been awesome watching him fly around and compete out there. He's just got to continue to learn the defense so he can be that step ahead of the offense. And as soon as we catch that up with his speed, he's going to be special."
  1. Michigan State senior Connor Kruse (6-5, 325), a projected starter at guard, is out indefinitely with an injury. "We don't talk about the injuries if they aren't season-ending, and it's not season-ending," Spartans coach Mark Dantonio told reporters on Monday. Still, the injury did cause a domino effect: Projected starting RT Donavon Clark (6-4, 306) takes over for Kruse at guard, with backup RT Kodi Kieler (6-6, 304) now moving into a starting role. That the position switch is being made with Clark might mean that Kruse is going to miss a few games. After all, the Spartans open with FCS member Jacksonville State, which should be a walkover and a game in which a backup guard should do just fine. But Game 2 is at Oregon.
  1. UCLA was looking for two new starting linebackers in its 3-4 set and it looks as if one of those spots is filled. UCLA junior OLB Aaron Wallace (6-2, 240) missed spring practice after an academic issue caused him to leave school, but he has quickly made up for lost time and is lining up with the first-team defense. Wallace started last season's opener against Nevada, but a lack of consistency cost him his starting spot and he finished the season with just five tackles. UCLA already has two potential All-Americans at linebacker in OLB Myles Jack and ILB Eric Kendricks, and if Wallace lives up to his potential, the Bruins' linebacker corps could be the best in the Pac-12.

CFB 24/7 writers Mike Huguenin and Chase Goodbread contributed to this report. You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.

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