Cole Cubelic and Greg McElroy took on the debate Friday morning of who is the current face of college football.

McElroy on WJOX and “McElroy and Cubelic In the morning” noted how it’s difficult for players to be the face because of the changing nature of the sport, not to mention the short window of stardom. Cubelic said playing at multiple schools at a high level may help a player’s case in this category.

However, some of those players who rise to fame often see a lackluster season down the road. They gave examples of Spencer Rattler from Oklahoma to South Carolina, DJ Uiagalelei from Clemson to Oregon State to Florida State. And even Caleb Williams, who won the Heisman 2 seasons ago, but saw the Trojans struggle in 2023. There was Sam Darnold years ago.

“It’s not often when you’re the ‘face’ and you live up to expectations the following year,” McElroy said.

As far as coaches, Cubelic wondered if Alabama’s Nick Saban was for at least the last 5 years. And if Georgia’s Kirby Smart is ready to fill that void, or even if Clemson’s Dabo Swinney has lost the ability to be at the top.

McElroy: “It’s really tough, because I think (Jim) Harbaugh could’ve made a claim. He’s gone. It’s pretty obvious that Nick Saban would be at or near the top. I think Kirby Smart is really that in this part of the country. If we’re going nationally, do people in Denver recognize Kirby Smart as the face of college football. I think you could make the case for Deion Sanders. I think you could make a real case for him.”

McElroy added that Sanders offers a sort of gravitas that not only captivates the audience on television, but also social media.

Cubelic concluded that Texas’ Quinn Ewers does not fit the bill because there isn’t anything close from a players’ perspective at the moment.

“I think his early time coming out of high school, even in high school, is going to work against him,” Cubelic said. “People are not going to allow that.”

McElroy agreed with Cubelic’s player opinion, and said there isn’t one who would move the needle nationally. Though Cubelic suggested that Arch Manning could be that guy in a couple years.