The AAC QB Rankings for the 2024 season are an eye-opening exhibition of just how good this group is at the top. From Seth Henigan to Byrum Brown and Jacob Zeno, the top trio is as good as any other top trio at the Group of Five level entering the 2024 season.
2024 AAC QB Rankings
As with all of our conference rankings and our national quarterback evaluations, the AAC QB rankings below consider everything involved with quarterbacking at the major college football level.
While statistics are listed, they were not the lone deciding factor in ranking the athletes. The list below prefers programs with a solidified quarterback situation and one signal-caller who plays significant snaps against top-tier competition. Two-quarterback systems will always be looked down upon, especially in those cases where an answer has not yet been provided for the long term.
Other factors in these rankings include but are not limited to game film, injury history, play-calling, offensive system knowledge and continuity, general quarterbacking mechanics, level of competition, the elevation of supporting casts, and several other influential factors.
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Tier 1: The Elite AAC QBs
1) Seth Henigan | Memphis
Preseason Rank: 1 (no change)
It’s a two-game sample size to go off of from Seth Henigan before heading down to Tallahassee and their highly-anticipated matchup against Florida State, and it’s clear that the Tigers are firing on all cylinders. Henigan has thrown for just 468 yards this season, and we say just like 468 yards through two games isn’t a good figure, but he’s played remarkably consistent and strong football in the process.
He lit up the field against North Alabama and then took something of his throws against Troy in Week 2. All together, however, Henigan has been as good as advertised.
Henigan now ranks within the top 75 all-time passing yard leaders in college football, and he’s got at least 10 more games to do some more damage on that list. The way this season is going, though, it’s clear that Henigan will have more than 10 games to do so, including a likely berth in the AAC Championship Game and the Tigers eyeing the College Football Playoff.
Those two postseason games are thanks in part to Henigan’s play.
Tier 2: Well-Above-Average AAC QBs
2) Chandler Morris | North Texas
Preseason Rank: 7 (+5)
We’ve come a long way in the Chandler Morris camp. Since enrolling at Oklahoma in 2020 and battling to start over a three-year tenure at TCU, including a start over Max Duggan once upon a time, Morris took to the portal to find greener pastures.
And you better believe that he found Mean Green(er) pastures in the process.
Okay, bad pun aside, Morris has been a revelation for Eric Morris and Co. at North Texas. The Mean Green have one of the nation’s longest active winning streaks and are doing so with the help of Morris at quarterback.
He’s leading the AAC in passing yards and touchdowns after two weeks, showing off a dominant display of downfield passing, noticeably dominating over the middle of the field with his vision and anticipation.
Some decisions against Stephen F. Austin are head-scratchers, but it’s clear those seemed to be more ‘testing the waters’ as opposed to throws he thought he could get away with against the Lumberjacks.
3) Bryson Daily | Army
Preseason Rank: 10 (+7)
It hasn’t been the best display of passing, if that’s what you’re looking for among all the AAC quarterbacks, especially if Bryson Daily has one of the prettier passes of the whole group through two weeks.
Daily, however, has been dominant with his reads on the ground for Army. He’s seeing the field well and reading his keys even better. The Black Knights are humming offensively, dominating the ground game with Daily’s abilities shining left and right.
Through two games, Daily has nearly eclipsed 200 yards, but it’s his security that’s taken a big sigh of relief, keeping the ball in his hands for the most part (even though, at times, he looks like he wants to make late pitches he knows he shouldn’t make).
More of that clean football and Army will keep winning.
Tier 3: Above-Average AAC QBs
4) Darian Mensah | Tulane
Preseason Rank: 9 (+5)
Giving the Green Wave a chance to win both games to start the season, it’s clear why head coach Jon Sumrall gave the keys to the car to Darian Mensah. He’s a dynamic passer with a cannon for an arm, and a solid tracking system.
Mensah has shown to be able to pick apart defenses with his power early on in his career. Considering he’s two starts into his tenure and he almost upset Kansas State in the process, it’s a clear indicator of talent.
He’s at his best when he’s able to set his feet and look downfield, and he’s been particularly dominant throwing to his receivers streaking down the middle of the field. Mensah is absolutely a player for AAC Player of the Year as he keeps climbing up the ranks here.
5) Byrum Brown | USF
Preseason Rank: 2 (-3)
A tough showing against Alabama wasn’t ever really going to hurt Byrum Brown’s ranking in our system. However, his lack of accuracy through two games will.
Brown has a howitzer for a right arm and he knows how to use it. However, it seems like his missile-guidance system hasn’t come back to play since last season and he’s yet to throw a touchdown through two games.
Can he rebound and start trusting his arm to make the right decisions and ultimately fit the ball into tight windows like he did last year? In the meantime, he’s as dynamic as they come on the ground, but hopefully, USF doesn’t have to rely on him to make plays with his arm going forward until he gets back to form.
6) Kirk Francis | Tulsa
Preseason Rank: 6 (no change)
While we thought we may see more of Cardell Williams this season in Tulsa, it’s been the Kirk Francis show. The former walk-on showed why he won the job out of camp in Week 1, tossing four touchdowns against Northwestern State.
However, in Week 2, he and Tulsa let the game slip through their fingers against a struggling Arkansas State team. Francis struggled to get the ball out on time against the Red Wolves.
He had his moments, however, and did a good job of distributing the ball to his receivers all over the field. Improving his accuracy on a down-for-down basis is the next step in his development as he seemed to lose that against Arkansas State.
Tier 4: Average AAC QBs
7) Blake Horvath | Navy
Preseason Rank: 12 (+5)
Blake Horvath began to come into his own down the stretch last season. And in two games through the 2024 calendar year, he’s done more of the same.
Horvath is reading the defense very well, both in the run game, but also in the passing game. He was always the better of the passing quarterback options for the Midshipmen, but in 2024, it’s actually become a part of the offense and not just a gimmick or play to catch the defense off guard for Navy.
Horvath has thrown for three touchdowns and is averaging 110 yards per contest through the air. Sure, these contests are against Bucknell and Temple, but the fact of the matter remains: Horvath has been accurate and shown off a strong arm.
He’s also doing this while rushing for over 150 yards this season and three touchdowns against Temple in Week 2. Horvath — and Navy — is on the rise.
8) Jake Garcia | ECU
Preseason Rank: 4 (-4)
Jake Garcia did all he could to try and throw the game away for the Pirates in Week 2 against ODU. Seriously, he tried. Four interceptions later, we were left to wonder what was going on, but they weren’t all his fault after all.
Still, Garcia was brought in to play much better football than he has so far at ECU and the Pirates have to understand that.
At his best, he can dish the ball out accurately and on time. He hasn’t quite done that consistently so far for ECU and the interception total shows it (7!!).
He’s on pace to throw for all new career-highs, which wasn’t going to be hard to do, but if he can’t clean up the interceptions and poor decisions, than he’ll find his way to the bench sooner than later.
Tier 5: Work-To-Be-Done AAC QBs
9) E.J. Warner | Rice
Preseason Rank: 5 (-4)
After two weeks with Rice, E.J. Warner continues to be the same gunslinging quarterback we’ve all become accustomed to seeing on Saturdays. His arm strength and total arm talent have never been in question, but his decision-making always has.
He’ll rifle an accurate seam splitter on one down and then baffle the world watching with an underthrow into triple coverage on the next play. Making amends for mistakes haven’t quite followed in 2024 and he’s beholden to the Rice rushing attack and skill players making plays after the catch at this point.
Can Warner step up the decision-making process and begin to read the defenses faster or are we stuck for another year of double-digit interceptions from him?
10) Jacob Zeno | UAB
Preseason Rank: 3 (-7)
We’re not quite sure what to make of the UAB team after two weeks. Are they a team struggling to find an identity? Are they a team too dependent upon Jacob Zeno elevating the talent around him?
What happened this offseason is unknown, but this offense looks a shell of itself from a year ago, and Zeno is partially to blame. He’s been late to make his reads and far too high or too powerful on his easy throws.
Zeno isn’t testing the waters anywhere past the line of scrimmage, making matters even worse, when you consider how inaccurate he’s been so far in 2024. Things better pick up soon or this whole UAB team may be in for a world of hurt.
11) Owen McCown/Eddie Lee Marburger | UTSA
Preseason Rank: 11 (no change)
Sadly, the Frank Harris Era is over at UTSA. And no, even more sad, he has no more eligibility and he can’t return to the field for the Roadrunners.
Owen McCown has looked good and then very bad so far, to put it into easy-to-read terms. He performed well against Kennesaw State in their first-ever game as an FBS team but then followed that up with a dud of a game against Texas State.
Eddie Lee Margburger has come in to relieve McCown against TXST and fared no differently. At least, for Marburger, he was able to actually push the ball downfield and try to test the Texas State defense, even though it went poorly for him in the process.
Some things are meant to be cleaned up and Jeff Traylor is the guy for the job, but it appears that neither of these quarterbacks may be the guy to get the job done in San Antonio.
12) Max Brown | Charlotte
Preseason Rank: 13 (+1)
Max Brown was brought in to take over at quarterback for Charlotte this offseason, and after two games, he hasn’t quite done so.
He limped out of the gates against JMU with a two-interception game that could’ve looked a lot worse, and followed it up with a sound performance against North Carolina. The 49ers were looking for the ACC upset against UNC, but it wasn’t to be due to some costly decisions Brown made in the process,
Brown struggled with his accuracy downfield and rarely found time to even do so in this offense and with his offensive line collapsing in front of him. Some things are there for the Charlotte offense to take advantage of, but keeping Brown or DeShawn Purdie upright in the pocket is the first step in winning a game this year.
In fact, Purdie may give this offense the best chance to win moving forward, if he’s ready for the action.
13) Cam Fancher | FAU
Preseason Rank: 8 (-5)
Has there been a more disappointing transfer quarterback in the conference this season than Cam Fancher? The FAU offense has been stuck in the mud and couldn’t even do their stout defense a favor in either of their two games to start the year.
Against Michigan State, Fancher couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn for the most part with his accuracy and the game was still somehow within grasp. And then, in Week 2 against Army, the offense couldn’t string together any drives to keep their defense off the field for some much-needed rest.
Fancher has been late to the sidelines, later to make his reads, and downright inaccurate. Even his open throws he’s missing too high or too low all too often. It has to get better.
14) Forrest Brock | Temple
Preseason Rank: 14 (no change)
It wasn’t all bad for Temple against Army in Week 2. They threw a touchdown, and Dante Wright is simply dominant.
But then again, Forrest Brock is still the quarterback and the Temple offense has been incredibly limited because of his inaccuracy and indecisiveness. Brock hasn’t looked anything more than what we saw in limited sample sizes last season, struggling to find his footing against Oklahoma in Week 1 and then unable to make anything happen against Navy’s defense all the same.
Is this it for the Stan Drayton era in Philadelphia? If it is, it’s likely because of the inability to find a replacement for E.J. Warner, or get positive, consistent QB play overall.
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