Imagine spending your first three seasons in college football battling three future first-round NFL draft picks for playing time. That was the situation in which new Arkansas quarterback coach Clint Trickett found himself during his stint at Florida State.
A true freshman in 2010, Trickett joined a QB room that included Christian Ponder and E.J. Manuel. Ponder, a redshirt senior, had a firm grip on the starting job, while Manuel, a redshirt sophomore, was in his third season, waiting in the wings. With Trickett green behind the ears, saying he faced an uphill climb would be generous, but in the pre-transfer portal era, patience was often the only option.