The Mountain West QB Rankings are here, demonstrating the strength at the top, and for lack of a better term, the unknown and perhaps quite disappointing nature of the bottom of the barrel out West. These QB rankings are led by Mikey Keene, who ushers in a new era of Fresno State football in 2024.
2024 Mountain West QB Rankings
As with all of our conference rankings and our national quarterback evaluations, the Mountain West 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 Mountain West QBs
While there aren’t any Mountain West quarterbacks who currently reside in our Elite Tier, Keene has shown to have the ability to push for this spot if all goes to plan. We’ll be mindful of moving him up in a time of uncertainty in Fresno State history.
Tier 2: Well-Above-Average Mountain West QBs
1) Mikey Keene | Fresno State
Last Week’s Rank: 1 (no change)
We’re not ready to dethrone Mikey Keene just yet from atop the Mountain West QB Rankings, but we sure are watching right behind him closely. Fresno State’s QB has thrown four total interceptions this season next to just three touchdowns, but, save for that terrible decision against Michigan, he’s actually played much better than any box score data would ever indicate.
He lit up the field against Sacramento State in Week 2, proving just exactly who he is and what we can expect from this Bulldogs team under interim coach Tim Skipper. Keene saw the field nicely and ripped his standard seam shots and deep bombs with ease.
He’ll have to continue to work on the trust he has in his arm as he gets a bit to crafty and too trusting at times, but as Mountain West play looms, Keene’s track record is too good not to stay at the top.
2) Matthew Sluka | UNLV
Last Week’s Rank: 4 (+2)
Rewind to what we said when we ranked Matthew Sluka No. 4 in our Mountain West QB Rankings to start the year:
“This is likely a bit too low for Matthew Sluka if we’re being honest. However, this is a cautiously optimistic ranking for the former Holy Cross quarterback as we await to see if his skills will truly translate to the FBS level and just how quickly they will do so.”
Now, two games and a Power Four victory into his UNLV career, it’s clear that he’s adjusted just fine. Sluka isn’t completing over 50% of his passes, worrisome to perhaps more than a few viewers, but he’s whipping the ball downfield more than any other quarterback in the country in Brennan Marion’s offense.
It’s almost a guarantee that when we see Sluka’s average depth of target revert back to the mean, we’ll see him complete more of his throws. Sluka has all the goods from a passing standpoint and is a dynamic athlete in space with the ball in his hands.
UNLV has the makings of something special in 2024 with Sluka leading the show.
3) Devon Dampier | New Mexico
Last Week’s Rank: 7 (+3)
The Bronco Mendenhall era got off to a quick start with Devon Dampier running a brilliant RPO game against Montana State in Week 0 (and their defensive spark). It was Dampier who stole the first half of the game with his terrific all-around play while the Lobos rode his success both through the air and on the ground to a victory against a highly-touted Bobcats team.
Dampier’s ability to run this offense was on display, and it was clear the trust that the coaching staff had in him doing just that. He was clean with his reads, decisive with his decisions, and showcased both solid arm talent to each level and the rushing ability we’ve become accustomed to seeing.
What really stole the show was his ball skills, both as a passer and essentially as a no-look assist-machine of a point guard in the RPO game.
But then, the second half came, and everything changed. Montana State scored 21 straight points to knock off UNM because the game plan seemingly shifted for the Lobos.
Still, Dampier wasn’t quite at fault for that, nor a costly drop that may have sealed their fate on a third-down pass attempt that was a bit off, but still catchable, that would’ve kept the ball in UNM’s hands a bit longer.
And against a much more powerful team in Arizona during Week 1, Dampier improved in basically all facets. He threw it well from within the structure of the offense, looking off his reads quickly and making the right snap decisions even quicker.
Despite landing at 0-2 to start the year, this New Mexico team could make some serious noise with Dampier playing his best football ever.
Tier 3: Above-Average Mountain West QBs
4) Brendon Lewis | Nevada
Last Week’s MWC Rank: 8 (+4)
Well, what do you know. Brendon Lewis has clearly stepped up his game this offseason and the work he put in clearly showed during the Week 0 outing against SMU. Sure, it ended in defeat ultimately, but that was clearly not Lewis’ doing.
In fact, Lewis was the reason the Wolf Pack had a chance of knocking off the ACC’s SMU in this game due to his ability to play on time and situational football awareness.
Oh, and his dual-threat ability was clearly leaned heavily upon in this outing, something we hadn’t quite seen in years past. When the Wolf Pack needed a conversion, it was Lewis’ number they called, and he rewarded them time and time again in this one.
It wasn’t quite enough to get over the hump in Week 0, but it sure was in Week 1 and nearly enough in Week 2. With a three-game sample size on the new-and-improved Lewis, it’s clear that he’s got the goods and is playing the best football we’ve seen from him in his career.
Though it hasn’t been the most exciting play from a passing perspective, it sure has been enough to keep Nevada in each of their first three games. They may be able to get over the proverbial hump here soon enough.
5) Emmett Brown | San Jose State
Last Week’s Rank: 12 (+7)
Well we now know who the starting quarterback is for San Jose State as head coach Ken Niumatalolo watied to showcase Emmett Brown until the first snap of the game. Brown threw for three scores and nearly 300 yards, but the game against Sacramento State was much closer than the final score indicated, and largely, it was Brown’s inefficiencies to keep drives moving that kept it close.
However, in Week 2, it was Brown who dramatically improved and came through for the Spartans against Air Force. Brown is slinging it downfield with terrific success, and had it not actually been for a couple of costly drops, the game against the Falcons could have been a bit more lopsided.
It was a different offense for those expecting a Coach Ken option offense, as it was a standard, straight dropback, get the ball out quickly type attack with Brown leading the charge. They’re going to lull defenses to sleep for a bit and then take the top off the defense with deep stuff all season long it appears.
And after seeing a dramatic improvement from week to week in Brown’s game, San Jose State may be a team to reckon with under coach Ken.
Tier 4: Average Mountain West QBs
6) Brayden Schager | Hawaii
Last Week’s Rank: 2 (-4)
There were times in Week 0’s season-opener that Brayden Schager looked like himself. That was decisive, power-throwing, on schedule, and with great accuracy.
But then there were times that Schager looked a bit flustered and had trouble controlling his power and altitude on his throws. He was a bit erratic with his accuracy in the first half, struggling out of the gates with completing even basic passes.
However, when the game was all said and done, Schager’s body of work was exactly what we’d come to see. He threw for two scores and ran for two more, but it was his improvement with his shots downfield in the second half that turned the tide for his game overall and the scoreboard for his team.
Against UCLA in Week 2, however, Schager let the bad version get the better of himself in a close-fought loss to the Bruins. He struggled to see the field, specifically the second-level defenders dropping into coverage, and attempted to force too many throws into tight coverage.
The secondaries may not get a whole lot easier given the lapses and lack of talent on UCLA’s roster for “Power Four standards,” but getting that game out of their way early was key. Though he didn’t pass that test, the Rainbow Warriors still look to be a much improved team this fall.
7) Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi | Colorado State
Last Week’s Rank: 3 (-4)
Announcing his name on the biggest stage last year, Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi’s gunslinging attitude was on display in Week 3 against Colorado. In that game, only his second collegiate start, Fowler-Nicolosi showed off his pure arm talent and willingness to test any defender across the field.
Sure, he got into some trouble last season with that trust in his arm, but more often than not, he kept the offense moving with a strong display of throw power and accuracy.
We learned nothing from the Colorado State team in Week 1 against Texas and we certainly weren’t impressed in Week 2 against Northern Colorado. Still, Fowler-Nicolosi brought back some of the solid gunslinging we’ve come to expect, carving up the defense in the deep portion of the field with on-time rockets.
He’ll need every bit of firepower and to make sure his cannon has the tracking system attached against Colorado in Week 3.
8) Maddux Madsen | Boise State
Last Week’s Rank: 5 (-3)
It should be noted that, yes, the Boise State Broncos almost knocked off Oregon a week after defeating Georgia Southern in hostile territory. But it should also be noted that Ashton Jeanty deserves all the credit for those games for Boise State.
Maddux Madsen has played a solid game and a decent half for the Broncos this year, faltering a bit down the stretch and in clutch moments against Oregon. Despite forcing the ball downfield a ton against the Ducks, Madsen’s accuracy clearly took a hit as the night went along in Eugene.
He is a tough, gritty quarterback, but when pressure is applied, his decision-making process goes out the window. Getting back to basics and understanding the need to live and play another down in specific situations won’t win games. As the expression goes, scared money don’t make money, especially when you have an Ace in the Hole like Jeanty.
9) Danny O’Neill | San Diego State
Last Week’s Rank: 7 (-2)
Danny O’Neill won the starting job out of fall camp at San Diego State, earning the praise of head coach Sean Lewis in the process. O’Neill, who was a three-star recruit and the 40th overall QB prospect in the class of 2024, was recruited by Lewis at Colorado and followed him to the Aztecs.
With his winning the job out of camp, the time to focus in on what O’Neill brings to the table comes a bit sooner than we were expecting. And we got our sample size of two games to go off of now.
He looked the part against Texas A&M Commerce in Week 1, but the “Power Five” defense he saw in Week 2 stymied the SDSU attack overall. He threw for just over 100 yards on less than 50% completions, struggling to read the field all night long in the process.
It’s not all doom and gloom, however, as the defense picked up the slack during a lackluster performance, giving this team a potential chance to make a run toward bowl eligibility in 2024.
Tier 5: Work-To-Be-Done Mountain West QBs
10) Bryson Barnes | Utah State
Last Week’s Rank: 9 (-1)
If you stayed up late to watch Utah State in Week 2, we apologize. It was a dismal affair for the Aggies against USC and it doesn’t get much easier in Week 3.
For Bryson Barnes, the gameplan looked completely changed from Week 1 to Week 2. That kind of week-to-week turnover is certainly going to change the trajectory of your footballs, going from pushing the ball downfield at will against Robert Morris to nothing over 10 yards in the air against the Trojans.
And yet, it was the fact that Barnes was inaccurate on the short and underneath passes that was the most worrisome.
It’s dire times for Utah State right now, and Barnes will have to pick up his play quickly.
11) John Busha | Air Force
Last Week’s Rank: 10 (-1)
Josh Busha ran the offense for Air Force for essentially one whole game’s worth of snaps last year, giving us a halfway decent sample size to assume how well he’ll run the Falcons’ offense in 2024 if he holds on to the job all season long.
Unfortunately for Air Force, it wasn’t the most endearing of the game’s worth of action in 2023, and Busha left a lot to be desired. He has great size for the position, but that actually saw him struggle at the mesh point, or so it felt, at times a season ago.
In Week 1, it didn’t matter a whole lot for the Air Force offense, but Week 2 figured to be a different story. He threw two interceptions and lost the ball twice against San Jose State, ultimately costing the Falcons the game.
We know Busha is a better performer than what we saw in Week 2, but just how much better is the real question.
12) Evan Svoboda | Wyoming
Last Week’s Rank: 11 (-1)
He’s not as big as his brother, but Evan Svoboda stands tall among the rest of the Mountain West quarterbacks this fall. He utilizes his height to see every level, but he did show struggles with pushing the ball downfield despite clear-cut vision across the field.
Despite this platform and his arm strength, the Wyoming offense has been confounding, to say the least, through two games.
They’ve scored a whopping 20 points, thrown for just 169 yards and it took nearly eight full quarters to get them to look like a competent offense. And that includes a game against Idaho (and not even in the Kibbie Dome!).
He’s been late to the sidelines, a cardinal sin for a quarterback, and he’s been inaccurate to every level and every portion of the field. Something’s got to change and change quickly for this Wyoming team because it doesn’t get a whole lot easier after their lone ‘cupcake’ game is now behind them.
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