It’s a new era of Big 12 football in 2024, an era that includes some top-tier quarterbacks making the trek into the conference this fall. In fact, the top of Big 12 QB Rankings consists of two of the conference’s newest members in Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Arizona’s Noah Fifita.
2024 Big 12 QB Rankings
As with all of our conference rankings and our national quarterback evaluations, the Big 12 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 Big 12 QBs
1) Noah Fifita | Arizona
Week 1 rank: 1 (no change)
Living up to our billing as the top-ranked Big 12 quarterback in his season debut, Noah Fifita was lights out against New Mexico in Week 1. If you stayed up late for the show, what a great decision you made.
Tetairoa McMillan isn’t human, but Fifita also deserves his praise for his ability to light the field up with his accurate and powerful passes to every level. For a player of his stature, the arm strength never ceases to amaze viewers as he routinely pushes passes to windows and spots where only his players can make the play.
It was a slower start for Fifita in Week 2, however, yet he threw for 173 yards and a touchdown against a tough Northern Arizona secondary. This offense can’t afford to be hot and cold this year in the Big 12, but the conference is wide open for the taking with a potential injury to Cam Rising and the Utes’ appearing beatable without him.
Tier 2: Well-Above-Average Big 12 QBs
2) Shedeur Sanders | Colorado
Week 1 rank: 2 (no change)
Darts Only, from Shedeur Sanders, Darts Only. And that’s how he played against North Dakota State on Thursday night of the opening weekend.
In front of a record audience and sold-out crowd, the moment has never proven to be too much for Sanders. In fact, he almost thrives off the big-time moments it appears as he truly dominated when the situation mattered and needed him to.
Sanders was terrific in every facet, but he showcased two timely items around his game: his creation capacity and his toughness. It just so happened that both showed up on the same play to extend a drive and ultimately put points on the board.
But against Nebraska, his offensive line let him down once again. Sanders still showcased his innate talent with his arm, but if he’s going to struggle to stay upright once again, it’ll be tough sledding this season once again.
It didn’t help that he was late on multiple throws either, but Sanders now has injury concerns, as he was seen exiting the game early against Nebraska in Week 2.
3) Cam Rising | Utah
Week 1 rank: 4 (+1)
The night was over for Cam Rising early on in Week 1 but he certainly did enough to warrant the expression: I’m back.
Rising threw for five touchdowns and over 250 yards in his return to the field, his first game since 2022. He was terrific from a clean pocket, and utilized the impressive play-calling to his advantage, finding his receivers well over the middle of the field.
Layered shot after layered shot (or moon shot in the case of one of Brant Kuithe’s touchdowns), Rising put his arm talent on display on a handful of occasions and took care of business as the leader of a strong Utes team.
But then the inevitable happened, given Rising’s injury past. After throwing just 14 passes against Baylor, Rising left the game in the first half with a hand injury and would not return. If Rising’s healthy, the Utes are the favorite to win the Big 12. But if not, it’s anyone’s league.
4) Jalon Daniels | Kansas
Week 1 rank: 3 (-1)
Like most quarterbacks in Week 1 who took on overmatched FCS foes, Jalon Daniels was asked to do very little against Lindenwood. Daniels still showcased what makes him so special on multiple occasions, dotting the field with accuracy and commanding the pocket with poise.
The offense may be a bit different in 2024, but Daniels looked to be the same dominant athlete with incredible arm talent to boot. As we said in Week 1, the road wouldn’t always be as easy as it was in to start the season, and that was proven in Week 2 against Illinois.
Daniels looked incredibly human against the Illini, but his decision-making took a big hit in this one overall. He was late to the sidelines and he was confused at times by Illinois. As history has shown, however, there’s a clunker in Daniels’ season every now and again, and we’ll hope he got this one out of the way early.
5) Garrett Greene | West Virginia
Week 1 rank: 7 (+2)
The season debut for Garrett Greene and the West Virginia Mountaineers certainly could have gone a lot better. We know what Greene is as a passer, but after the display against a stout Penn State defense, we’re a bit more wary of the fact that 2023 is starting to feel like an anamoly.
Like all situations following a one-game sample size, we said we’ll be mindful of moving Greene too much, mainly because we have five seasons to go off of here, but he’d have to improve his accuracy and decision-making significantly. Well, in Week 2, that happened all right.
Greene dotted the field with accurate dimes and extended the WVU passing attack to an all-level assault. With his athleticism and arm talent, Greene’s rounding into form can spell a lot of victories for the Mountaineers.
6) Rocco Becht | Iowa State
Week 1 rank: 8 (+2)
The final numbers didn’t look it, but Rocco Becht and the Iowa State offense did a solid job of picking their shots and keeping the ball away from North Dakota in Week 1. Becht threw for 10.3 yards per attempt and two scores, keeping the ball safe and in places where his playmakers could do just that, make plays.
It was a masterful passing attack for the most part, routinely taking the top off the defense with throws to slot receivers over the middle and past the sticks, but it felt like there was something holding them back overall.
In Week 2 against Iowa, it felt like they were held back once again, at least for 45 minutes. The second half was a different game for Becht and the Cyclones, and once he got his footing about him and adjusted to the speed of Iowa’s defense, Becht was able to let loose. He threw for two touchdowns, shook off a rough start, and pulled out a terrific victory in the historic battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy.
Tier 3: Above-Average Big 12 QBs
7) Avery Johnson | Kansas State
Week 1 rank: 9 (+2)
The Avery Johnson era began with a solid performance against UT-Martin, throwing two touchdowns but rarely moving the ball too far downfield with his arm. In what felt like a calculated offensive gameplan to slow Johnson into the role, Johnson didn’t do anything to warrant a shift up, but he certainly didn’t do anything to justify losing a spot here.
To a degree, the Wildcats did just that in Week 2 against Tulane. They let Johnson throw from within the structure downfield and gave him some easy reads against a feisty Green Wave defense that kept things interesting.
It appears Kansas State is prepared to wait to unleash his talents on downfield shots, while also keeping him from using his legs too much. Is that too much of a hinderence to his development overall, though?
8) Alan Bowman | Oklahoma State
Week 1 rank: 10 (+2)
With a great display of what he brings to the table at his best, Alan Bowman directed the South Dakota State defense seemingly at will. He threw the ball very well all over the field, pushing the ball when necessary and taking something off his throws when the coverages called for it.
He followed that up with some clutch throws against Arkansas and an ice-cold performance when it mattered the most. So far, in 2024, this is the best two-game stretch we’ve seen from Bowman in some time.
His over-the-middle accuracy has always been a hallmark of his game, and he’s starting to improve his anticipatory throws and accuracy on the outside. If he keeps playing like this, it’d be no surprise to see Bowman quickly climb higher here.
9) Dequan Finn | Baylor
Week 1 rank: 6 (-3)
Welcome to the Big 12, Dequan Finn. Against Tarleton State, Finn threw for two scores and was asked to do very little following a shaky start. Things won’t come as easy in the Big 12, even against their ‘cupcake’ schedule, and Finn learned that quickly in Week 1.
And Week 2 reared its ugly head as Baylor, led by Finn, struggled against a tough Utah defense in an early conference game. Finn completed under 50% of his passes and was abysmal with his accuracy and couldn’t make anything happen with his legs to boot.
It’s a new world for Finn, and it seems like there’s a big adjustment window he’ll have to overcome because we know how talented he is.
10) Behren Morton | Texas Tech
Week 1 rank: 5 (-5)
It was a good thing that Behren Morton was on top of his game in Week 1 against Abilene Christian because the Red Raiders needed every single throw he made to get a gutsy overtime victory. Morton lit up the field against ACU, throwing five touchdowns and for nearly 400 yards.
He dotted the field with some incredibly accurate and head-turning throws, and didn’t make what we’d call a single mistake with his arm or his legs. Considering he was seen as a gunslinging, boom-or-bust quarterback entering the season, Morton’s careful yet dominant display of passing was a good sign for TTU to start the year.
But that same Morton didn’t show up once again in Week 2. He threw two costly turnovers against Washington State and looked a shell of himself against the Cougars. Morton leads the conference in passing yards, but he struggled with accuracy and decision-making in the Pacific Northwest during the late window on Saturday.
Tier 4: Average Big 12 QBs
11) KJ Jefferson | UCF
Week 1 rank: 11 (no change)
One thing is for sure after UCF’s season opener: The backfield possesses an embarrassment of riches for the Knights in 2024. However, one thing is also very clear for the Knights in 2024: That embarrassment of riches pertains to just their success on the ground from Week 1.
KJ Jefferson put forth an ugly display of passing in the UCF game against New Hampshire. He was erratic, slow to make the right read, and, after the scripted offense, late to make any decision on his own.
His good moments were far and few between in Week 1, but against Sam Houston in Week 2, don’t let the box score fool you, Jefferson had some dots. He was sharp from the pocket and clearly looked to have improved his mechanics in the week leading up to the game.
Sure, he needed only 15 attempts in this game, but that’s a good thing for this UCF offense that wants to live through their stacked RB room.
12) Josh Hoover | TCU
Week 1 rank: 12 (no change)
There’s an effortless power behind Josh Hoover when he’s on top of his game. He can push the ball to the deep portions of the field with the flick of a wrist, and he did so almost at will against Stanford.
The only problem in Hoover’s game is his decision-making and inability to take something off his throws to the short area and in clutch situations. Despite his win over Stanford, we were never going to learn much from TCU’s game against LIU in Week 2.
Can he improve with a doozy of a matchup in Week 3 on the horizon against UCF?
13) Donovan Smith | Houston
Week 1 rank: 13 (no change)
Oh, how ugly it was for Houston and Donovan Smith in Week 1. Smith threw two interceptions, completed less than 50% of his throws, and looked downright lost at times against UNLV. He couldn’t hit any window downfield and even struggled with his decision-making and accuracy at or behind the line of scrimmage.
The play-calling was limited, the offense was shockingly bad, and Smith didn’t do anything to justify his ranking here. In Week 2, however, Smith gave a glimpse of the full Donovan Smith Experience, playing well against Oklahoma.
He was unable to get the job done, however, but he still played a better game overall with his decisions and his accuracy. We’re tempted to move him up here, but the aforementioned Donovan Smith Experience indicates we’re better off waiting.
14) Brendan Sorsby | Cincinnati
Week 1 rank: 14 (no change)
We have to continue to remind people that just because statistical showings look like quarterbacks played incredibly well in the early parts of the season, sometimes these quarterbacks were essentially throwing against air. That wasn’t the case always for Brendan Sorsby, but in Week 1’s outing against Towson, Sorsby had a lot of the work done after the catch or in wide open situations for him to nearly reach 400 yards.
In fact, over 50% of the yards for Sorsby against Towson came after the catch and via manufactured touches on the outside from the skill players. That fact reared its ugly head against Pittsburgh in Week 2 as the Bearcats couldn’t do enough in the passing game to come from behind late nor hold the lead against their rival.
Sorsby still threw three scores and was able to lead his team ahead at times, but it wasn’t enough. There’s room to grow in the Queen City.
Tier 5: Work-To-Be-Done Big 12 QBs
15) Jake Retzlaff | BYU
Week 1 rank: 15 (no change)
In a performance that feels like it was a QB1-cementing outing, Jake Retzlaff was incredibly sharp in Week 1 for BYU. He threw the ball incredibly well against an overmatched Southern Illinois defense, dotting his throws well to every level of the field.
But despite the result in Week 2, it felt like there was some shaky, erratic moments in Retzlaff’s game. He struggled with decision-making and got away with some ugly throws in the end. SMU’s a prickly opponent, but certainly not the best defense they’ll face this season.
Retzlaff will need to pick up his accuracy, footwork, and general quarterback mechanics quickly for the Cougars.
16) Sam Leavitt | Arizona State
Week 1 rank: 16 (no change)
The Wyoming defense was overwhelmed with Sam Leavitt’s performance in Week 1. Leavitt produced an incredibly solid outing against the Cowboys, throwing for two touchdowns and flashing some pretty high-end athleticism in the process.
But as good as that performance in Week 1 was, the Week 2 outing left more to be desired for Leavitt. He was moved off his spot and couldn’t make plays happen, lacking any sort of creation capacity. The majority of the work was done by Cameron Skattebo in Week 2, but Leavitt did play a clean game in terms of decisions, so there is still some to build off.
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