Watch list season is in full force, and it won’t be complete until the game’s best signal-callers are acknowledged. The Davey O’Brien Award, given annually to college football’s top quarterback, released its watch list for 2024 featuring a who’s who of stud field generals. Which players made the cut for the 2024 Davey O’Brien Award watch list?
Which Players Are on the 2024 Davey O’Brien Award Watch List?
Robert David O’Brien, the namesake of the award, had an improbable run to glory, starting his career at TCU as a backup to another all-time college football great, Sammy Baugh. After biding his time, O’Brien finally got his chance and reached sensational heights even Baugh hadn’t achieved, becoming the first player to win the Heisman and Maxwell awards in the same season in 1938.
Over 85 years later, O’Brien’s name still rings through the college football lexicon. The award named after him has been given annually to the best quarterback in the game since 1981. Jayden Daniels — the No. 2 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft — took home the honor last season.
Thirty-six quarterbacks were named to the preseason list, featuring 22 seniors, 12 juniors, and two sophomores. The list features eight quarterbacks from both the ACC and the Big 12, six from the SEC, four from the Big Ten, three from the AAC, and two each from CUSA and the Sun Belt.
Eleven of the players were semifinalists for the award in 2023: Georgia’s Carson Beck, Missouri’s Brady Cook, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Texas State’s Jordan McCloud, Syracuse’s Kyle McCord, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Liberty’s Kaidon Salter, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, and Florida State’s DJ Uiagalelei.
Full list below:
- Joey Aguilar, Appalachian State
- Drew Allar, Penn State
- Rocco Becht, Iowa State
- Carson Beck, Georgia
- Byrum Brown, South Florida
- Brady Cook, Missouri
- Jalon Daniels, Kansas
- Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
- Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech
- Quinn Ewers, Texas
- Noah Fifita, Arizona
- TJ Finley, Western Kentucky
- Dequan Finn, Baylor
- Brett Gabbert, Miami (OH)
- Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
- Garrett Greene, West Virginia
- Seth Henigan, Memphis
- Will Howard, Ohio State
- KJ Jefferson, UCF
- Mikey Keene, Fresno State
- Haynes King, Georgia Tech
- Cade Klubnik, Clemson
- Riley Leonard, Notre Dame
- Grayson McCall, NC State
- Jordan McCloud, Texas State
- Kyle McCord, Syracuse
- Graham Mertz, Florida
- Jalen Milroe, Alabama
- Cameron Rising, Utah
- Will Rogers, Washington
- Kaidon Salter, Liberty
- Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
- Preston Stone, SMU
- DJ Uiagalelei, Florida State
- Cameron Ward, Miami (FL)
- Jacob Zeno, UAB
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