What a year it should be in the Big Ten this fall. After Week 2, the top of the Big Ten QB Rankings is taking shape, with Dylan Raiola and Miller Moss continuing their way into the top of the discussion.
2024 Big Ten QB Rankings
As with all of our conference rankings and our national quarterback evaluations, the Big Ten 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.
All Other QB Rankings
National 1-134 | ACC | Big 12 | SEC | Pac-12 | AAC | CUSA | MAC | MWC | Sun Belt | Independent
Tier 1: The Elite Big Ten QBs
1) Dillon Gabriel | Oregon
Week 1 Rank: 1 (no change)
Sheesh, Dillon Gabriel was utilized more than we likely thought he was going to be needed in Week 1 against Idaho. He threw for 380 yards and two touchdowns, but it certainly felt like there was meat left on the bone from his and Oregon’s offensive performance to start off the season.
And then Week 2 happened. Gabriel was hardly utilized in the first half, until he was needed to be deployed in the second. In the end, Gabriel certainly didn’t have his best day, and hasn’t had his best two-game start to his career, and yet he’s 2-0 and thrown for a Big Ten high 622 yards.
The Ducks have a few more weeks to figure it out before their highly-anticipated showdown with Ohio State, but it’s not trending correctly if they can’t figure out how to correctly utilize Gabriel and his talents. Gabriel himself has to pick and choose his shots and improve his downfield accuracy as well.
Tier 2: Well-Above-Average Big Ten QBs
2) Drew Allar | Penn State
Week 1 Rank: 2 (no change)
When he’s allowed to throw the ball down the field, Drew Allar rivals most quarterbacks. And when he does test the deep waters, he’s usually incredibly successful.
Allar found his rhythm against West Virginia, even if the weather tried to stop him, and found great success in a new preferred target in Harrison Wallace. In Week 2, Allar and the Nittany Lions needed some late-game heroics to stave off an upset bid from Bowling Green, but he was able to still showcase multiple high-level throws and decisions.
He’s shown he can take over games when Penn State needs him to, and he’s rivaling for the top spot in the conference at the current moment. These early-season matchups have proven Allar can take the Nittany Lions far this season.
3) Will Howard | Ohio State
Week 1 Rank: 3 (no change)
Like most quarterbacks starting their seasons for a new program, Will Howard and Ohio State got off to a bit of a slow start. When Howard began targeting the sensational Jeremiah Smith, however, that start rocketed into a potentially dynamic duo and historic pairing.
Howard threw for three touchdowns and wasn’t asked to do too much, but his accuracy was on display more than a handful of times. Then Week 2 happened, and the proverbial leash was unlocked for Howard against Western Michigan. He averaged 11.2 yards per attempt against the Broncos, and the Buckeyes were near-perfect against WMU.
Howard has the tools to overtake most quarterbacks in the Big Ten, but has he reached his ceiling in the Buckeyes’ soft non-conference schedule? We hope not.
4) Miller Moss | USC
Week 1 Rank: 6 (+2)
With ice in his veins, Miller Moss delivered an elevating performance against LSU in front of a national audience in Las Vegas on Sunday night of Week 1. Moss was terrific almost all game long and showcased why he was the man for the job within Lincoln Riley’s offense.
There were throws he made — specifically to Kyron Hudson — that got lost in the shuffle due to Hudson’s ridiculous catches, but need their own time to shine. He was anticipating windows opening and slamming footballs in quicker than the LSU defense could react.
It was the most impressive debut performance from a quarterback in the Week 1 window. Then, in Week 2, his performance went largely under the radar due to the time window USC played in (11 p.m. ET, c’mon schedule-makers) but he was the same Moss we saw before.
His abilities in the passing game are top notch and he throws his receivers open like a seasoned veteran. USC is humming and firing on all cylinders because their leading man can do it all from the quarterback position.
5) Dylan Raiola | Nebraska
Week 1 Rank: 7 (+2)
If you weren’t impressed with Dylan Raiola’s high school tape, then there’s something wrong with you. And if you weren’t impressed with his first-ever collegiate outing, then you need to check your pulse.
All that to say, if his outing against Colorado took you aback, then you need to wake up.
With the comparisons to Patrick Mahomes flying in blindly, the 6’3″, 230-pound true freshman executed on nearly every throw and every situation for Nebraska in his first two starts.
Raiola passed both tests with flying colors and has left some downfield dimes in his wake in the process. Next up for Nebraska is Northern Iowa before arguably the biggest test yet: Illinois in Week 4.
6) Hudson Card | Purdue
Week 1 Rank: 4 (-2)
The first of the Big Ten quarterbacks that were essentially throwing on air in Week 1 was Hudson Card. Purdue took care of Indiana State, easily disputing the Sycamores in Week 1 behind Card’s near perfect performance.
As stated, some of these throws were incredibly easy and every college quarterback should be able to make them. But how come other FBS QBs that threw against FCS defenses didn’t do just that? That’s because Card’s performance was lights out.
He truly saw the field faster than everyone else, throwing with great anticipation and even better accuracy. Card, at the top of his game, is an elevator of talent and one that can take games over with his ability through the air and creation capacity with his legs and athleticism.
In Week 1, we saw the best that Card has to offer with his throwing abilities. And it was beautiful to watch. He only falls in our rankings because of the explosion of Moss and Raiola.
7) Kurtis Rourke | Indiana
Week 1 Rank: 5 (-2)
Perhaps you missed us when we said that Kurtis Rourke was among the best quarterbacks in the conference once he transferred to Indiana. And perhaps you didn’t quite believe us after he and the Hoosiers offense took care of FIU in Week 1. That’s fine, it wasn’t the most impressive debut but that’s okay.
Maybe you didn’t even watch the brilliant first half worth of work from Rourke in Week 2 against Western Illinois. But at this rate, you’re only doing yourself a disservice. Rourke and Indiana dispatched WIU as the starters need only two quarters (they probably only needed the first drive, if we’re being honest) to do so.
Rourke was nearly perfect, throwing two touchdowns on 15-of-17 passing for 268 yards, cashing in on two long touchdowns including a 71-yarder to JMU transfer Elijah Sarratt. Rourke’s play inside the Curt Cignetti offense has been nothing short of awe-inspiring through two weeks.
Like Card above him here, the only reason Rourke falls is because of the rise of Raiola and Moss in our rankings, but this is the floor of the elite or near-elite QBs in the Big Ten.
Tier 3: Above-Average Big Ten QBs
8) Will Rogers | Washington
Week 1 Rank: 9 (+1)
What do you know, Will Rogers completed nearly 75% of his throws and led the Washington Huskies to a rather dominant win over Weber State in Week 1. After a tumultuous offseason for the Huskies and Rogers himself, it was good to get their feet wet in the late window and actually put their product on the field.
Rogers was solid to the short area of the field, finding his receivers on time and in rhythm. But he showed his sporadic accuracy when pushing the ball past the sticks at times as well. Things need to be cleaned up, but Rogers’ abilities as a passer aren’t necessarily one of them.
Those items that needed to be cleaned up did indeed get cleaned up in Week 2, throwing for four touchdowns and over 300 yards against Eastern Michigan. He’s averaging career-high figures in yards per attempt and starting to get his footing within the Washington offense.
If Jedd Fisch is a quarterback whisperer, we’ll know it by the end of this season with Rogers’ overall body of work.
9) Luke Altmyer | Illinois
Week 1 Rank: 8 (-1)
We didn’t learn anything from Luke Altmyer that we didn’t already know about Luke Altmyer in Week 1. In fact, it was an on-par performance against an overmatched Eastern Illinois team that saw him throw for over 200 yards and four touchdowns, rarely tested or asked to do too much before the game got out of hand.
Altmyer was sharp with his reads, however, and he looked even better from the pocket against EIU. It was a great start to the season for Altmyer and the Illini offense that went firing on all cylinders from the get-go.
Then, against Kansas, it was a strong display of quarterbacking from Altmyer from the pocket yet again. He will need to ensure his ball security issues don’t show up again as the Illini get into conference play, but he’s playing some expectation-exceeding football.
Tier 4: Average Big Ten QBs
10) Max Brosmer | Minnesota
Week 1 Rank: 10 (no change)
If sloppy QB play is what you wanted to watch on Thursday night to start the season, then you waited through an hour-long delay to kick off the season for Minnesota. That’s exactly what Max Brosmer and his opponent (Max Johnson and Conner Harrell) provided for fans to start the year.
Brosmer was slow to react, slower to deliver, and looked like a shell of the quarterback he was at New Hampshire. Of course, he had one solid drive that makes us question this whole review of his game and gives us hope for this season, but then again, there are all the throws before what would have been the game-winning drive had Dragan Kesich made his field goal.
However, the good in Brosmer’s play from their season-opening performance was back in Week 2 and he left the bad back in time for the Gophers. Yes, it was against Rhode Island (a team he has now thrown eight touchdowns against in his career), but the fact of the matter remains: Brosmer was dropping downfield dimes left and right, and his night should’ve looked even more statistically savvy had it not been for drops by his receivers.
11) Billy Edwards | Maryland
Week 1 Rank: 11 (no change)
Though we had questions as to who the quarterback was going to be and more so about what the quarterback situation was going to look like following the departure of all-time great Taulia Tagovailoa, it’s clear that head coach Mike Locksley had a plan all along. And that plan was Billy Edwards Jr.
Making his first season-opening start, Edwards was nearly perfect against a UConn defense that was clearly overmatched. He spotted his receivers open at will and threw some of them open all the same. Edwards then followed that up with a solid performance against Michigan State, though it soured a bit at the end.
Edwards is a sound quarterback and has plenty of arm talent. About the only question remaining around him revolves around whether or not he has talent-elevating skills to help his team around him?
12) Aidan Chiles | Michigan State
Week 1 Rank: 12 (no change)
There’s a different feeling in Aidan Chiles’ performance than all other transfer quarterbacks playing their first game of 2024 at a new location. That’s because Chiles was uber-confident in his abilities and his familiarity with head coach Jonathan Smith and the way this duo wants to run their offense.
The fact of the matter, however, is that Michigan State looked abhorrent on offense behind Chiles in Week 1. And Week 2 looked similar to start the game.
Sure, the game ended in dramatics and ultimately a victory, but Chiles was erratic, to say the least against Maryland. There was far more good in his Week 2 outing than the previous week, but Chiles will have to rein in the poor decisions and improve his accuracy on a throw-for-throw basis moving forward.
Tier 5: Work-To-Be-Done Big Ten QBs
13) Tyler Van Dyke | Wisconsin
Week 1 Rank: 13 (no change)
Summing up Wisconsin’s offensive performance behind Tyler Van Dyke and Phil Longo to start the season isn’t hard. The Badgers offense was .. OK.
Van Dyke himself has plenty of arm talent and is an underrated athlete with the ball in his hands. However, his strengths are throwing to closing windows, pushing the ball into the tiniest of separation, and slinging it from the pocket over the middle of the field. The Longo system does not approve of Van Dyke’s overall game choices.
And it felt like the Badgers were trying to fit a square peg into a round hole against Western Michigan, and sure he threw for his first touchdown in Week 2 against South Dakota, but it feels like they’re stuck in mud in the passing game. They should lean into the run game more.
14) Davis Warren | Michigan
Week 1 Rank: 14 (no change)
After Week 1, we had questions about what’s going on in Ann Arbor. We got those answers against Texas with Davis Warren the full-time signal-caller going forward it appears.
We warned last week that the defense wouldn’t be able to hold up against tougher opponents for four quarters while they tried to figure out the quarterback situation, and that was proven in Week 2 against Texas.
Against Texas, Warren looked sharp when he was forced to sling it downfield. He wasn’t perfect, but he was certainly at his best when he was able to play free and trust his instincts and his arm talent.
Can Michigan turn it around behind Warren, though? After they were exposed by Texas, we doubt it.
15) Athan Kaliakmanis | Rutgers
Week 1 Rank: 16 (+1)
The Rutgers fans got the entire Athan Kaliakmanis experience against Howard back on Thursday night of Week 1. Kaliakmanis was confounding to watch from all angles.
He was erratic as a passer, late to his reads, and inaccurate to boot. If you thought Kaliakmanis played a good game, then it’s a prime example of a quarterback getting the benefit of a box-score scout because he did finish with 147 yards and three touchdowns in the game.
However, no part of Kaliakmanis’ performance against Howard led those in attendance to believe he’s the best option they had in the transfer portal.
In Week 2, it was clear that the Scarlet Knights understood that as they leaned heavily into the run game. And what did that do? Played into Kaliakmanis’ strength of throwing off play action. That’s the recipe for success in Piscataway in 2024, but can that hold up against much better defenses than Howard and Akron?
16) Ethan Garbers | UCLA
Week 1 Rank: 18 (+2)
At times, we had to ask, ‘Ethan Garbers, what you doing?’ in Week 1 against Hawaii. This UCLA offense is a mess; there are no two ways around it. Garbers hardly completed the majority of his passes and without a late game-winning touchdown effort, it all would have been for not.
We know that Garbers has some talent in terms of throwing ability, but is this offense going to be able to find a way to harness that? After Week 1, we think not. And his decision-making will have to get better within this new structure or UCLA could be in for a long season.
Garbers only moved up following Week 2 because the Bruins were off, and the quarterback below him had a terrible showing.
17) Mike Wright | Northwestern
Week 1 Rank: 17 (no change)
It was a sound debut, overall, from a passing perspective from Mike Wright in Week 1. He’s never been known as a world beater with his arm talent, and more so utilized his legs to get the job done when necessary.
That being said, the game was in the balance until Wright used his legs to move the ball as opposed to using his legs when plays break down. There was a lot left to be desired from this Northwestern offense in Week 1, and despite their best effort in Week 2, the same could be said from their night against Duke.
Wright was erratic and made some poor decisions. His accuracy took a hit with every yard targeted downfield and it was clear his limitations as a passer.
18) Cade McNamara | Iowa
Week 1 Rank: 15 (-3)
Cade McNamara’s Week 1 first half was more and more of the same that we’ve seen from Iowa in recent years. And as we stated last week, what was concerning about his performance is that McNamara’s poorest showing came in what was the scripted offense. Meaning, that’s what Iowa wanted it to look like in the first half.
What happened against Iowa State was more of the same. McNamara couldn’t read the field and he struggled to find any open receivers to any level of the field. At some point, something will have to give for this Iowa offense to compete in the Big Ten, but at this current moment, it doesn’t appear that McNamara or maybe even the Ferentz tenure will be a part of that.
STICK AROUND: Take the College Football Network Playoff Predictor for a spin!