Top College Quarterback Rankings 2024: Dillon Gabriel, Carson Beck Lead Nation’s Top Signal-Callers

The top quarterbacks show themselves week in and week out. And in 2024, it could be a movie. Records could fall, stars should be born, and some long-time veterans give it one last go in their sixth years of eligibility.

Our Top College Quarterback Rankings return for the 2024 season, analyzing every quarterback situation from around the country, from 1 to 134.

Top College Quarterback Rankings Criteria

We made it, y’all. It’s a long offseason and an even longer lead-up to the season every offseason, but we’re finally here. Granted, the 2024 offseason was loaded with fun events, notably the re-release of EA Sports college football video game, so we had that going for us.

But, for the reason you’re here: All 134 FBS QB Rankings. Before we get to the rankings, it’s imperative to set the tone and let you understand how these rankings are formed. Like always, the film-watching portion of these rankings dictates a heavy portion of the weight on where a player landed.

Injury history, head coach or offensive coordinator changes and subsequent implementation of the scheme this year, roster turnover, and general quarterback mechanics all over the field were also added into the mix.

Stats mean a lot, but they’re not the end-all, be-all for college quarterbacks. In fact, in some cases, last year’s statistics hardly matter because a different statistical output could be seen altogether from one year to the next.

As always, this is not a list of their pro-level abilities. We’re not looking at them as NFL Draft prospects. Instead, these college quarterback rankings are solely based on how each player has fared in their time in college or, in some cases, back to their high school days.

These are our preseason rankings so the film through this point of each player’s career has been added to the wealth of information and data at hand for every quarterback across the country.

Let’s get to it. Remember, you can fire any questions you may have to me on Twitter regarding these rankings. And if you missed any of our college QB rankings at the conference level, they’re all listed below.

All QB Rankings
ACC | B1G | Big 12 | SEC | Pac-12 | AAC | CUSA | MAC | MWC | Sun Belt | Independent

FBS College Football QB Rankings, 1-134

134) Sam Leavitt/Jeff Sims/Trenton Bourguet | Arizona State

What do we know of the situation out in the desert? First things first, we know it may certainly wind up higher than where they are now on these rankings because of their head coach, Kenny Dillingham.

However, banking your hope on Sam Leavitt, a redshirt freshman with just four games played in his career as the Sun Devils head into the Big 12 is risky, at best. Leavitt has completed just one game’s worth of work in those four games of clean-up duty, rarely showing off anything in terms of a skill set that would warrant much hope this fall.

Dillingham knows how to extract the most talent from the quarterback position, but if last year taught us anything, they need an answer and stability at the QB position if they want to see success in 2024.

133) Deuce Hogan | New Mexico State

It’s been a while since Deuce Hogan played meaningful snaps. To be honest, the last meaningful snap that Hogan played could be considered all the way back in high school as a member of Faith Christian High School and as a three-star recruit.

But this was 2019. Yes, it’s been that long since Hogan has played meaningful snaps after a stint at Iowa (one pass attempt in 2021) and Kentucky (seven attempts in a bowl game against Iowa in 2022).

Hogan has prototypical size, and looking back at his high school tape, certainly knows a thing or two about slinging it all over the field. But this is a different era and five years in a quarterback’s life is just that: a lifetime.

The Aggies are struggling for an identity and an answer at just about every position in 2024. Quarterback is just another one of those problems they don’t quite have a solution for just yet.

132) Ethan Vasko/Noah Kim | Coastal Carolina

Starting the last four games for Coastal Carolina to end the year last season, Ethan Vasko didn’t enter fall camp as the unquestioned starter in Conway. Instead, we’re left with a discussion around which quarterback between Vasko and Noah Kim can run coach Tim Beck’s offense better in 2024.

While Vasko started the last four games and threw for over 770 yards and seven touchdowns in the process, the team lacked a consistent downfield passing attack and seemed beholden on Vasko’s ability with his legs to buy time in the pocket or simply take off out of the backfield.

Sure, Vasko is talented with his legs, but this Coastal offense will run much smoother if Vasko can run the offense as the point guard it requires from the pocket.

Kim flashed at times for Michigan State, but struggled his way out of the lineup after a three-interception game against Iowa to cap his two-year stint in East Lansing. He does have some serious talent with his arm, as evidenced by his two-game start to last year, but like Vasko, was inconsistent from within the structure of the offense and spotting receivers open through his progressions downfield.

This job is always an interesting job to win, but in 2024, it feels weird for the Chants to not have the guy behind center yet.

131) Hunter Herring/General Booty | UL-Monroe

We’ll mince no words here: Hunter Herring has his work cut out for him as the starting quarterback for the UL-Monroe WarHawks. This offense is set to look completely different than last year in the first year under new head coach Bryan Vincent, and maybe that’s a good thing considering how down on their luck they were last year.

Herring is the lone holdover from the QB room under former head coach Terry Bowden, who has played a snap for the team, but that’s putting it nicely. He dropped back just 38 times a season ago, starting the Week 2 game against Lamar and playing in place of Jiya Wright against Army in their Week 1 upset.

But it wasn’t a pretty two games for Herring. He averaged under four yards per pass attempt in his action a season ago and hardly completed 50% of his throws. In such a limited capacity, it’ll be interesting to see if Herring has the leg up or if it’s truly General Booty time in Monroe.

On everyone’s list for best name among quarterbacks, Booty has yet to throw a collegiate pass at the FBS level after spending 2022 and 2023 with the Oklahoma Sooners. Make no mistake about it: the former California High School standout who transferred to Allen High School in Texas knows a thing or two about slinging the ball. Perhaps it’s just a matter of time before he’s back at it with the Warhawks.

130) Nate Yarnell | Pittsburgh

Well, here we are. At the bottom of the ACC QB Rankings with the newly-named Nate Yarnell as the starting quarterback over Eli Holstein for the Pittsburgh Panthers.

What happened to Pitt from a roster construction standpoint that pushed them down to the bottom of the barrel of the ACC and near the bottom of the national rankings? Some questions are better left unanswered, and instead, let’s look at the limited sample size that Yarnell presents to go off of.

Yarnell started the final two games of the season for Pitt last year, throwing for over 200 in each start but proving limited with his decision-making and overall feel for the game. The talent may be there — like the size is (hard not to notice that) — but we haven’t seen anything that resembles a quarterback that strikes fear into opposing defenses in the small sample size to date.

The playbook seemed limited, the reads smaller, and the plays felt more like “yolo-balls” than anything else that Yarnell saw completed in his two-game starting sample last year.

Again, like most quarterback situations down in this arena, it was no surprise that the Panthers staff hit the portal and grabbed Holstein to push for the starting reps. However, it should give little solace that Yarnell could still beat out the only guy they could secure in the portal for reps.

129) Jay Butterfield, Emmett Brown, Walker Eget | San Jose State

With three years of experience to his credit, we should surely have more than a 15-throw sample size to go off of with Jay Butterfield. Yet, that’s all we have to work with. And that’s all the new staff under head coach Ken Niumatalolo had to work with when he took over the job from Brent Brennan and Co. this offseason.

Butterfield is surely capable, as evidenced from his high school tape, but that’s a college football forever ago. He’s got the typical size of a big-armed signal-caller, but Butterfield hasn’t been able to see the field regularly after two seasons at Oregon and a year behind Chevan Cordeiro last year.

If not Butterfield, it’s Walker Eget or Emmett Brown this season for the Spartans. Eget presents the most experienced of that duo, throwing a total of nine passes compared to Brown’s four as a preferred walk-on transfer from Washington State.

It’s a new era of football for San Jose State, but until they get an answer at the quarterback position, it may be an era that gets off to a very slow start.

128) Jalon Macon | Northern Illinois

After two seasons at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Jalen Macon is now the man in DeKalb. Macon is a big-armed, massive gunslinger who may have a serious learning curve ahead of him in 2024.

In mop-up duty against Tulsa last fall, however, he finished 5-of-5 on his passes and averaged over eight yards per attempt in the process. But those numbers looked like a far cry from the total production he had and overall lack of consistent and positive play from the rest of his tape with the Golden Lions.

Still, at 6’5″ and 230 pounds, Macon is a bit of a wild card in the MAC this fall. If he adjusts to life quickly on the FBS side of things, there may be some positive things to lean into this fall for the Huskies.

Otherwise, it’s Josh Holst or Ethan Hampton to push for reps for Northern Illinois.

127) Tyler Douglas/Forrest Brock/Evan Simon | Temple

In the post-E.J. Warner days at Temple, head coach Stan Drayton and Co. fielded a three-person race for the QB job. Those quarterbacks included Tyler Davis, Forrest Brock, and Evan Simon. None of these options, however, truly move the needle.

In three seasons with Rugers, Simon saw his way out after inconsistent and inaccurate results plagued his time. He threw seven interceptions in his first two seasons with the Scarlet Knights, finishing his tenure on a high note in 2023, but it was too little too late.

Brock played in a single game for the Owls last year, tossing an interception and struggling in relief of Warner against SMU in Week 8.

The wild card of the group is Douglas, a redshirt freshman who hasn’t taken a collegiate snap just yet. Word from preseason practice is that Douglas had seriously impressed Drayton and Co. with his work and abilities on the field.

With this much unknown around a starting position at a program like Temple, with holes all over the roster, things could get ugly in Philadelphia this fall.

126) John Mateer/Zevi Eckhaus | Washington State

Word on the street is that Washington State is set to announce their starting QB on August 17, just two weeks ahead of their season opening game against Portland State. Good thing for the Cougars, they get a warm-up match against the Vikings in order to figure out if they made the right call or not.

Between John Mateer and Zevi Eckhaus, the Cougars may be a year away from competing in every game on their new-look Pac-12/Mountain West combination, solely because of the unknown at the position. Mateer has been with the program for three seasons now, throwing just 19 total passes across seven games of action.

Eckhaus, on the other hand, has a wealth of experience at the FCS level, throwing for nearly 3,000 yards in each of the past two seasons at Bryant. However, if you look at his performance against his FBS competition during his three-year run at Bryant, it leads much to wonder about.

He averaged under five yards per attempt against Akron back in 2021 and performed well against UNLV for a half in 2023. Those are spurts, though, and if he is to win the job, it’ll be because the staff in Pullman thinks he can consistently win downfield, something he did frequently against inferior competition.

125) Evan Svoboda | Wyoming

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.

Svoboda has a big arm, but pairs it with a bit of a longer release. Making matters a bit worse is that he was actually an average quarterback — or so it felt — when he was pressured, mainly against Texas, and the biggest questionable decisions of his came when the processing of the game started to slow down for him.

Those decisions will have to be cleaned up and he’ll have to play better from within the structure of the offense in 2024. Svoboda has accuracy and some arm talent, for sure, that’s not in question.

The real question is whether he can read and see the field, utilizing the attributes he has going in his favor to his advantage. Because that’s what we haven’t seen so far, albeit in limited snaps.

124) John Busha | Air Force

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.

At 6’2″ and 200 pounds, the durability he’ll bring to the position is not necessarily new to Air Force, but it’s a new age of football with bigger, faster defenders in space, and Busha’s size may go a long way toward sustained success this fall.

When it comes to throwing the ball, however, that’s where we saw Busha make a handful of strong decisions and despite completing less than 50% of his throws against Boise State last year, it felt like he was one or two throws away from the game going the completely opposite direction.

The jury is out in terms of what this whole roster looks like in 2024, but Busha has some talent to harness and some decision-making to clean up if they want even to come close to competing for the Mountain West.

123) Cade McNamara | Iowa

Most quarterbacks, when given the benefit of the doubt of having arguably the conference’s best defense behind them, will have the luxury of pushing the ball downfield and testing some throws here and there. Cade McNamara nor any QB on the Iowa roster seems willing to do such a thing in recent history, and as such, they’re lowly rated here and on our national list.

McNamara returns to the lineup after starting the first five games of the season with varied success. He threw for four touchdowns overall, but didn’t throw a touchdown in three of his five games last year. McNamara was marred by inconsistencies during his time at Michigan and ultimately lost the job to J.J. McCarthy because of them.

Now, in his final season, McNamara can hope his time recovering from injury allowed him to continue to acclimate to his Iowa surroundings and perhaps learn to trust his defense a bit to force the issue. Otherwise, it’s just another year of well-below-average quarterbacking that leaves nothing to the imagination.

122) Dexter Williams II | Georgia Southern

Once upon a time, Kalen DeBoer and Kane Wommack recruited Dexter Williams II to Indiana. The year was 2019, however, and my how much we’ve changed since that time. DeBoer and Wommack are now re-connected at Alabama, while Williams himself has come back south to his roots as well at Georgia Southern.

Williams, however, didn’t have quite the success like DeBoer/Wommack did before heading south. He played sparingly during his four seasons at Indiana, maintaining eligibility during his freshman year during the COVID season before sustaining an ACL injury in 2021. After spot duty in 2022, Williams redshirted at Indiana in 2023 before entering the portal the following offseason.

Now at Georgia Southern, Williams hopes to rekindle some of the success that former transfer quarterbacks have seen in recent years with the Eagles. There is no denying he’s a talented athlete with the ball in his hands, but is he the downfield passer that Clay Helton and Co. are actually looking for?

The Georgia Southern offense is set to look quite a bit different than it did with Kyle Vantrease and Davis Brin the past two seasons, and maybe that will lead to more victories. But Williams will certainly have to be more than he’s shown during his four-year college career to date.

121) Nick Evers | UConn

What exactly do we know about Nick Evers and his place atop the UConn depth chart? But more importantly, what do we know about Evers’ ability as a passer?

After signing with the Huskies in the portal, it was just a matter of moments afterward that Zion Turner hit the portal, and reading the tea there indicates one thing: It’s Evers’ show in Storrs.

Evers has one career collegiate pass to his record, an incompletion back in 2022, but his high school pedigree is enough to warrant some consideration here. A former four-star recruit in the class of 2022, Evers chose Oklahoma over a plethora of major Power Five offers.

At 6’3″ and nearly 200 pounds, Evers has terrific size and once dominated at Flower Mound High School and at the Elite 11 Finals. A valued dual-threat commodity, the only thing left to see in his game is if he’s still got it and it still translates as a member of an overmatched team with UConn in 2024.

120) Gio Lopez/Bishop Davenport | South Alabama

Though not much of a battle on the surface, Gio Lopez and Bishop Davenport may have some enticing attributes that could excite South Alabama fans this season. However, we only saw limited samples of Lopez a season ago, and it came in a bowl game against Eastern Michigan.

Lopez threw four touchdowns against two picks a season ago, mainly in spot duty, but with a start to his credit. However, three of those scores came against a depleted EMU team in the 68 Ventures Bowl to end the year.

Though he has a unique skill set overall, Lopez is certainly feeling the pressure of keeping the job with Davenport behind him.

With one collegiate start under his belt, Davenport is a far cry from the quarterbacks who have started at South Alabama over the past handful of seasons. Davenport’s only action as a passer came in 2022 with Utah State, starting a game against Wyoming but throwing two interceptions compared to just one touchdown that year with the Aggies.

But once upon a time, Davenport was a dominant passer and athlete for Spring High School in Texas. That level of high school football should hold some serious weight if Lopez were to struggle and Davenport continues to improve.

119) Max Brown/Trexler Ivey | Charlotte

Max Brown was brought in to take over at quarterback for Charlotte this offseason, and that’s what he should be able to do for the 49ers in 2024. Though he’s got one start in his bag (and it wasn’t pretty), Brown presents a high-upside quarterback that this program hasn’t quite seen.

Brown started the game against Florida State last year, playing his last game with the Florida Gators in the process. He completed just nine of his 17 attempts for 86 yards and was completely overmatched by the Seminoles’ defense.

He was indecisive and threw far too many lame ducks that somehow only ended up in the arms of defenders on just one occasion. In the rest of his action with the Gators, Brown was overmatched by a Missouri defense and fumbled his way through his Florida tenure.

Yet, he was once a big-time recruit with some incredibly talented highlights from his high school tape. There’s a lot to like about Brown’s game from Lincoln Christian School, and perhaps against some AAC defenses, he can show that off as opposed to what he showed against the defenses he played against with Florida.

118) Mike Wright | Northwestern

Now in his third year with the program, the job seemingly belonged to Jack Lausch entering the 2024 season. However, the Wildcats pulled a late coup and secured Mike Wright’s transfer in May, thus giving them a viable option at the quarterback position this fall.

Wright enters the picture after four seasons in the SEC, flashing some serious talent during a good run with Vanderbilt in 2021. He followed that up with a 12-touchdown season in 2022 before transferring and playing spottily at Mississippi State in 2023.

At his best when he can be creative with the ball, Wright has some scary talent as a dual-threat quarterback, but did lack consistency with his downfield passing. He can find his receivers open to the short areas of the field, but anything past the sticks has seemingly been his bugaboo.

The Big Ten defenses aren’t any easier than the SEC foes he faced the past few seasons, and the schedule is incredibly taxing, so Wright will have to bring his A-game week in and week out.

117) Davis Bryson | Kennesaw State

By all accounts, this is the Davis Bryson show in Kennesaw State’s entrance to the FBS in 2024. Sure, Braden Bohannon may get some reps, but it’s Bryson’s time to shine and lead the Owls into the promiseland this fall.

So, what do we know about Bryson? And moreover, what can we expect from Bryson this fall as the signal-caller for Kennesaw State?

For starters, don’t expect them to throw the ball that often this fall. Expect a heavy dose of the ground game and the option offense run through Bryson’s abilities. And that’s what keeps him from the bottom of both CUSA and national QB Rankings here.

Bryson has some solid skill on the ground and a shocking strength at the point of contact for his size. However, he’s incredibly limited on the ground and if the Owls need to come back in any contests this year, Bryson will have to improve as a passer or it’s Bohannon (or someone else) that’s in the lineup.

116) Bryson Barnes | Utah State

As great of a story as Bryson Barnes was a season ago for the Utah Utes, he finished the season with three consecutive two-interception games and rarely flashed more than an average or below-average set of QB fundamentals.

Yet, he made it work more often than not, thanks to the talent of the Utah roster around him. Fast forward through this offseason, and Barnes is in Logan with Utah State, a completely depleted team in varietal ruins following the much-maligned departure of head coach Blake Anderson.

A pig farmer by trade, the former Utah walk-on more than has his hands full with the Aggies in 2024. Barnes has great mobility with his size and an underrated athletic ability on the ground; however, that got him in trouble at times as his passing mechanics started to take a nose dive last year.

Keeping the offense on schedule and attempting to elevate the talent around him is paramount this fall. But is Barnes actually the right guy to do that?

115) Brendon Lewis | Nevada

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, but considering this team was picked to finish last in the Mountain West and SMU is still a potential sleeper in the ACC, Lewis’ play to keep the Wolf Pack in this game until the final snap was impressive.

114) Tate Rodemaker | Southern Miss

After four years at Florida State, the time was finally right for Tate Rodemaker to move on when the Seminoles moved on from Jordan Travis and went to the portal looking for his replacement. Rodemaker started two games for FSU, a tough outing against Jacksonville State in 2020 and a rivalry game victory over Florida in 2023.

That being said, both games weren’t as polished as we’d come to expect from a Mike Norvell quarterback and he’s thrown far more errant passes than he has noteworthy throws in his career to date. Rodemaker is an athlete with the ball in his hands and there’s no denying his athleticism overall.

But the decision-making an inability to drive the ball to the sidelines plagued his time at FSU, notably even in victory against the Gators last season. He’s a big signal-caller with plenty of frame to find his receivers downfield, if he can make better decisions, he may be able to elevate the USM talent all the same.

113) Zach Gibson | Georgia State

Once upon a time, Zach Gibson was a 10-touchdown, 0-interception thrower of the football for the Akron Zips. But that time was three seasons ago and he’s thrown just 104 attempts in two years down at Georgia Tech following it.

Now, does Gibson have an accurate arm and a talented decision-making ability? Yes, absolutely. But are his best playing days behind him? Maybe.

Then again, look at who he tried to beat out at Tech, and it makes a bit more sense when you see what Haynes King was able to become in front of our eyes the past two seasons. Now, looking for a career resurgence in the midst of a massive turn around at Georgia State, Gibson will hope to anchor the team in a state of confusion it appears on the surface.

With his ability to run point from the pocket and dice up defenses when he’s at the top of his game, Gibson can be that light that leads the Panthers for the 2024 season.

112) Ben Gulbranson | Oregon State

Though he made a start to end the year, Ben Gulbranson’s most consistent work came in 2022 as the starter for Oregon State in the final eight games. Though they weren’t all pretty, there were some solid moments, including a bowl-game shellacking over Florida to end the season.

However, he was spurned by his own coaching staff when they secured D.J. Uiagalelei in the portal last year, and it was clear Gulbranson wasn’t the clear-cut starter many thought he may have earned.

So what saw him struggle and why was he cast aside? Perhaps it was his inability to push the ball downfield accurately or consistently. Or perhaps it was something internally.

All we can do is look to what we know, and the lack of top-tier traits is a worrisome fate for any quarterback vying at the highest level of college football.

111) Cade McConnell | UTEP

The UTEP Miners may have something in Cade McConnell if they can extract the positives we saw from him in 2023. Entering the picture against Louisiana Tech and not looking back, McConnell certainly showcased some admirable qualities.

However, the struggles were real across multiple facets of quarterback play. For starters, most of McConnell’s issues came when he stood tall in the pocket, somewhere where most quarterbacks see their most success. And sadly for UTEP, it is a very stable aspect of quarterback play from game to game and season to season.

McConnell also struggled to place his footballs all over the field accurately. But there was some good. At times, McConnell was a gunslinger with no fear and proved that he has plenty of arm talent at his disposal.

Finding out ways to harness that talent and put the ball in places where his receivers can make plays will be key in 2024.

110) CJ Ogbonna | Buffalo

It took a bit of time to really see what CJ Ogbonna was going to bring to the table for Buffalo after two seasons with SE Missouri State. He battled through camp with Cole Snyder and ultimately took the lion’s share of snaps against Bowling Green in Week 7, but we largely were left with a question mark about what’s to come with his game.

Ogbonna looks the part, that’s the easy part. And in some flashes last year, he showcased his arm talent matches that look and feel. But he also hasn’t played more than a half-dozen meaningful snaps in over two years so QB rust is a very real concern here.

There’s a dual-threat to his game, as noticed by his three rushing scores last year, but in order to bring this new-look Buffalo team into the win column more often than not this fall, he’ll have to rely on the ability to find his talented receivers on the outside and downfield on passing downs.

Can he play consistent, positive football in the early, scripted portion of the offense? Or will his dual-threat ability have to be the crutch they lean on this fall? These questions will be answered, but they better hope the former is true as opposed to the latter.

109) CJ Harris/Parker Navarro | Ohio

For the first time in what feels like a college football forever, someone not-named Rourke will be behind center to start a season. In fact, when Parker Navarro takes the first snap for the Bobcats in 2024, it’ll be the first season since 2016 that neither of the Rourke brothers started the year for Ohio.

Greg Windham was the starting quarterback to open that 2016 season before Nathan Rourke and Kurtis Rourke exchanged starting years for the next seven years in Athens. Navarro wasn’t even in high school at that point and still had a one-year stint at UCF in 2021 before transferring to the Bobcats in 2022 to go.

Fast forward to now, what exactly do we know of Navarro and what he can bring to the table for Ohio this fall? With one career start under his belt against Georgia Southern last year, it’s clear that we don’t know much.

He took solid care of the ball against the Eagles in his long game, but was hardly tested in terms of his throwing abilities or passing mechanics. The game was simplified, but his dual-threat ability did show through in flashes.

Can Navarro be that quarterback who mimics the Rourke brothers talent and usher in a new, successful era of Bobcat football? The jury is out, but oue one-game sample size leads us to want to say yes, he can. But maybe not quite up to the Rourke caliber right away.

108) Kadin Semonza | Ball State

With three starts a season ago, it was a rough and rude awakening to the FBS for Kadin Semonza. He drew relief duty in Week 1 against Kentucky and started at Georgia, Indiana State, and Georgia Southern, a true gauntlet for a true freshman quarterback.

However, during that time, Semonza showcased—mainly against Kentucky—that he had something to build on. He was decisive in that first game, quick to make the right decision.

Semonza may lack in stature, but aginst Kentucky, he proved that he had the talent to get the ball to the outside and keep defenders honest with his arm ability. We don’t completely throw out the performance against Georgia, as Ball State was completely overmatched, but we do look at what he did that could replicate itself in years to come.

And sure, he threw for just 3.4 yards per attempt and completed less than 50% of his throws, but he rebounded nicely the next week against Indiana State and shook off what mistakes plagued him previously.

The top-end talent may not be there, but Semonza may grow into the quarterback Ball State needs in 2024.

107) Grant Gunnell/Jase Bauer | Sam Houston

At two ends of the quarterback spectrum, Jase Bauer from Central Michigan enters the picture to compete with Grant Gunnell for the role at Sam Houston. Bauer, a documented dual threat, has plenty to like about his game, but not necessarily in a prototypical fashion, as Gunnell may bring.

Bauer ran for 14 touchdowns over the past two seasons and, at times, took over games for CMU with his legs. However, his decision-making and decisiveness didn’t match his rushing ability with the Chippewas.

He quickly became a run-first as his second read if his first read wasn’t immediately open during MAC play and playing aside Bert Emanuel. Still, his creation ability is there and if he has truly done enough to keep the job from Gunnell, it means he may have turned that corner.

We’ll remain cautiously optimistic that this team can turn it around and win some of the close games that plagued them last year. Bauer, or Gunnell, for that matter, will have to play mistake-free football and take care of the ball more than they each have in their respective careers to do so.

106) Blake Horvath | Navy

It was clear that when Blake Horvath first came into the action for Navy in 2023, he wasn’t quite ready. That doesn’t mean he’s not ready now, and that was evidenced by his ability to improve in each facet during his next three games worth of action.

Horvath improved in each game last year, capping it off with his first start against North Texas in Week 6. In that game, he ran the offense very well and the Midshipmen pulled off the victory thanks to his ability to keep the team on schedule and ahead of the chains.

If Horvath still isn’t quite ready for the big show for the full length of the season, Braxton Woodson presents a different set of skills to push Horvath for reps. By all accounts, that’s what Woodson’s done this offseason and should continue to do so throughout the year.

Woodson, the bigger frame of the two, has a unique ability to sink his hips and propel out of the mesh point with great speed. However, his reads take some time as that’s happening. He’s a big option quarterback with a much better arm than the two overall.

How this situation pans out will be interesting, notably since they both do certain things well and need work in other areas.

105) Payton Thorne | Auburn

Averaging career-lows in yards per attempt while hitting a near-career-high in depth of target, it’s no question why Payton Thorne is so far down on this list. There were times — like against Arkansas — that he was at his best, dotting passes over the middle and seeing defenses well.

But there were even more moments that saw his inconsistent and inaccurate throws plague the Auburn offense last season. Thorne limited the Auburn offense in 2023, so much so that they even pitted to his counterpart’s strength (running the ball) and didn’t even change the gameplan when they inserted him back into the lineup instead of Robby Ashford.

It’s a strange world in college football when someone like Thorne is the best option for Auburn at this time, but as of spring ball, the feeling on The Plains was that there was a potential QB battle at play entering fall camp.

If Thorne wants to keep his job, there are a bevy of items he’ll have to improve on this season.

104) Tahj Bullock/Ben Finley | Akron

It was last October when Akron ‘committed to’ Tahj Bullock as their starting quarterback. Well, that lasted two games as Bullock struggled in Joe Moorhead’s offense against Northern Illinois and Central Michigan.

Enter Ben Finley after 13 total games over three seasons with Cal and NC State. Finley was set to push Bullock for the job and improve both of their respective games, something that the Zips haven’t quite been able to accomplish since Moorhead took over.

For Finley, his time with Cal ended as abruptly as it started, struggling in a game against Washington (who didn’t last year), before he was ultimately and officially cast aside for Fernando Mendoza (who they then went and tried to replace this offseason with Chandler Rogers).

Finley has a decent arm, but lacks the top-end athletic traits and fundamentals as an upper-tier quarterback. In fact, he’s rather one-dimensional and perhaps Bullock will give the Zips a better chance to compete in games this year with his legs.

When push comes to shove, the best attribute between these two is indeed Bullock’s legs.

103) Jack Turner | Louisiana Tech

In his first start a year ago, Jack Turner turned heads. He was accurate, decisive, and had quite a strong arm to show off against Nebraska.

However, that game looked more and more like an anamoly as the season progressed and Turner found the bench again following the Week 7 game against MTSU.

In 2024, Turner appears to be the man in the backfield for Sonny Cumbie and Co. in Ruston. So where can the Bulldogs turn to Turner and hope for progress this season?

In that aforementioned game against the Cornhuskers, Turner dotted his throws deep downfield and played very well on schedule and outside the numbers. With yet another year in the system, but this time as the starter through spring, it’s clear that Cumbie has his sights set on pitting to those strengths, and possibly mitigating the decision-making that plagued the rest of his starts last year.

102) Connor Bazelak/Camden Orth | Bowling Green

The career arc for Connor Bazelak is something else, that’s for sure. After three years with Missouri, Bazelak tried his hand with the Indiana Hoosiers in 2022. He left there for Bowling Green in 2023 and has one final go at it this year with the Falcons.

Bazelak, however, hasn’t quite lived up to the hype or promise that he showed during his 2020 season with the Tigers. He has true prototypical size for a quarterback, but he’s been too quick to forget it. He’ll force throws to the outside that don’t need be, or lock on to his receivers over the middle of the field.

He struggled against pressure last season and showed a lack of mobility when under duress.

Still, there is a lot of good in Bazelak’s game that gives the Falcons promise. With Harold Fannin a true All-American at tight end, Bazelak has the benefit of throwing to one of the best players in the sport. Outside of the manufactured touches to Fannin, though, is where he’ll have to improve.

101) Zion Turner/Logan Smothers | Jacksonville State

Both Zion Turner and Logan Smothers have redeemable qualities in their game overall. They’re both very solid athletes and have a ton to like in their prowess on the ground.

But the incumbent Smothers, much like Turner, has plenty of areas of concern for their overall quarterback mechanics. Turner played just two games last season for UConn after having some moments in 2022 with the Huskies.

Smothers started four games and played in 10 total games a year ago after transferring in from Nebraska. However, in each of their collective seasons as a starting quarterback, the duo hasn’t truly panned out as throwers.

In the Rich Rodriguez offense, accuracy and on-time decision-making will be key, especially in the short and underneath area or out on the perimeter. Can one of these two not only take the job to start the season but also hold it throughout the year? Or are we in for another year of mid-game QB changes like last year?

100) Gerry Bohanon/Jake Retzlaff | BYU

In four starts a year ago, Jake Retzlaff left a lot to be desired for the Cougars. That’s perhaps why the BYU staff hit the portal in search of a potential replacement this offseason, coming home with Gerry Bohanon in the process.

The well-traveled Bohanon hasn’t played a snap since that 2022 season with USF, after he lit up the field with career-high numbers in 2021 at Baylor. It’s his seventh year as a collegiate quarterback and we largely know what kind of quarterback Bohanon is for BYU.

But when the rubber meets the road, offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick has his work cut out for him with this QB situation. Bohanon is a dynamic dual-threat, but excelled within the structure of the Baylor offense when he was kept clean from pressure and behind an impeccable offensive line.

Is that the situation at BYU once again this year? Cougar fans better hope so and hope for better protection up front.

99) Athan Kaliakmanis | Rutgers

Sure, Athan Kaliakmanis is ranked as the highest-rated recruit for Rutgers. But after watching his level of play at Minnesota last year, there is little debate on whether he’s regressed from his high school play or not.

Spoiler alert: he has. Kaliakmanis struggled with decision-making to go along with a clear discrepancy from the top guys in the conference in terms of general QB mechanics and arm talent.

Kaliakmanis was late on far too many throws to the sidelines, hardly learning from his mistakes a season ago with the Gophers, but we do know there is some talent to match what he produced at the high school level.

Is it far too little too late to salvage his collegiate career? Likely not.

Is it fair to think he’ll have quite a bumpy road to get himself back on track with Rutgers this fall, though? Absolutely so.

98) Owen McCown/Eddie Lee Marburger | UTSA

The Frank Harris is sadly over at UTSA. After five seasons of greatness, Roadrunners fans will be getting used to one of the new faces at quarterback at the Alamo Dome. That quarterback is either Owen McCown or Eddie Lee Marburger, both of whom have made their marks on the program already.

McCown, the son of former NFL QB Josh McCown, is a left-handed gunslinger who flashed his arm talent in high school but was unable to live up to that type of hype at Colorado in 2022 or in his lone start against Marshall last season.

He also played the majority of the snaps against Tennessee, throwing a couple of garbage-time touchdowns, but really struggling with his ball security. The same troubles followed against Marshall in the Frisco Bowl to end the year as well.

For Marburger, his three seasons with the program saw him start two games a year ago, a gutting loss to Army and the beginning of the overmatched result against Tennessee. Marburger has some good moments to his credit, like some of those missiles he launched against Army, however, the decision-making and inability on crucial downs plagued his limited snaps.

It’s clear this is a situation that will be much different than years past, but that’s more of a testament to how good Harris was than anything else.

97) Devin Kargman | Kent State

Over the past few years, the Kent State football team has seen some highs and some serious lows. Devin Kargman will look to right the ship under head coach Kenni Burns, but may have his work cut out for him.

While Kargman may have some holes in his game, he has the luxury of having one of the top receivers in the MAC at his disposal; it’ll just be a matter of finding his talented playmaker and not forcing the ball to McCray at every turn.

Kargman has great size and a live arm, as seen during his start against Akron two years ago or his game against Northern Illinois. But that consistency hasn’t quite shown up everywhere else during his tenure with the Rockets.

However, of all the quarterbacks down the way on the MAC QB Rankings, Kargman has the most promise if he can put it all together this season.

96) Danny O’Neill | San Diego State

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. While AJ Duffy pushed, it’s apparent that O’Neill’s overall ability within Lewis’ offensive scheme was enough to pull ahead.

When push comes to shove, and basing this solely on high school tape, O’Neill actually plays a lot like former Lewis QB Dustin Crum. Like Crum, O’Neill possesses a unique release, but it’s a quick one.

He also holds a creation capacity that may not overwhelm defenses with athleticism but just simply gets the job done. O’Neill has shown that he can maneuver in the pocket and continually buy time with either the pocket collapsing around him or free rushers in his face.

O’Neill’s job is set, and it’s clear that his level of play, shown during his days at Cathedral High School, has come through on the biggest stage so far this fall.

95) Devon Dampier | New Mexico

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.

Dampier tossed a touchdown and ran for another score, totaling 207 total yards of offense in the game in the process. It was his presence in the backfield that gave UNM an advantage in this first half despite closing as a two-touchdown underdog. And it was his inexplicable non-usage in the second half that cost the Lobos the contest.

94) LaNorris Sellers | South Carolina

With just three games worth of throwing action to his credit at South Carolina, LaNorris Sellers is absolutely the most unproven quarterback returning to the SEC in 2024. As a former three-star recruit, Sellers is also arguably the least-recruited starting quarterback returning to the conference as well.

Still, his athleticism is the main calling card, toting the rock like a true gifted ball carrier, and he did showcase how gifted of a thrower he is against Furman a season ago. The Gamecocks turned to Sellers after he showcased a bit more during the spring portion.

Even if head coach Shane Beamer didn’t sound all too convincing when he was also asked about Auburn transfer Robby Ashford in the same vein, it’s hard to believe Beamer at this point, given the confidence he seems to have with his signal-callers true talent shown this spring and in fall camp.

Sellers may be the most athletically-gifted quarterback in Beamer’s time in Columbia, but only time will tell. We’re holding off on crowning him much more just yet, but I know I will quickly move Sellers up these rankings if he shows what we think he can do this fall.

93) Goose Crowder | Troy

Officially named the starting quarterback with just 10 days before the Saturday of Week 0, Goose Crowder is the man for the Trojans in 2024. He comes in after throwing just 13 passes a season ago and even fewer in his two seasons at West Virginia prior.

Still, Crowder has the arm talent to back up him winning the starting job at Troy this fall and he was able to show that off in a couple of moments a year ago and with the Mountaineers in mop-up duty. Crowder has great size and an ability to spot receivers open as they are separating.

But he’ll have to work on his dispersal and ability to find his targets downfield if he hopes to progress in these rankings. Or even just win some games this fall.

92) Hayden Wolff | Western Michigan

It took Hayden Wolff until Week 8 to get his first start with Western Michigan last season, but he had played the majority of the previous two games, and we have a large sample size for what he brings to the Broncos’ offense. At times, he looked terrific with his big arm and bigger frame.

But at other times, Wolff looked like the speed of the defenses threw him for a loop and he struggled to get the ball out on time or in an accurate place to his playmakers.

Wolff has a big arm, however, and he’s shown that over the years during his time at ODU, specifically. His arm talent has not been in question, it’s the consistent nature in which he navigates the pocket and finds his receivers around the field.

Far too often, Wolff was locked into his receivers, and though he made it work at times, some easy throws were left on the table. Getting back to basics and finding his receivers in open spaces instead of looking for the home-run throw will be crucial to the growth of the WMU program and Wolff as a passer.

91) Tucker Gleason | Toledo

Long since a handcuff to Dequan Finn, it’s finally Tucker Gleason’s time to shine in Toledo. In limited time last season, Gleason threw for four touchdowns against one interception, but it’s the quarterback that he was in 2022 that may give a better example of his extended action.

Back during that 2022 season, Gleason started the final two games in the lead-up to the Rockets’ MAC Championship Game appearance and threw seven touchdowns against three interceptions in the process. But there was some indeciveness in his game during that stretech.

Is Gleason a power rusher with some solid elusiveness? Or is he a true pass-first quarterback who will give the Rockets a chance to win any game they play this season?

Now is not the time for an identity crisis from a Toledo quarterback. And the way the MAC is shaping up in 2024, they’ll need an answer rather quickly. Gleason is certainly the man for the job, but like so many other situations in this area, they need to figure that out sooner than later this fall.

90) Ethan Garbers | UCLA

DeShaun Foster has put his faith in Ethan Garbers to be his leading man during his debut season as the head coach of the UCLA Bruins. Following the opening of fall camp, it was clear that Garbers was the man, but continuing questions about the quarterback position through the midway point of August hinted at some indecisiveness.

Garbers presents a great size-to-power in his game, but he rarely has shown he can elevate the players around him nor make the needle-threading throws that he may have to to lift his offense out of jams.

Garbers started five games a season ago, throwing 11 touchdowns to three interceptions, but much of it was manufactured scores with yards-after-the-catch as the primary goal. He didn’t push the ball downfield too often, and when he did, the struggles were real.

The jury is out on how successful the Foster-led Bruins can be in the 2024 Big Ten football season, and a lot of that success will ride on Garbers’ ability to lead the offense.

89) Bryson Daily | Army

Riding it out in his first season as the starting quarterback with the Black Knights, Bryson Daily had his moments in 2023. He threw for seven touchdowns on just 59 attempts, but for obvious reasons, that wasn’t the biggest part of his evaluation.

Still, his throwing prowess opened things up in a big way for the new-look Army offense last year. But looking to his ability at running the ground game left some room for growth.

His reads were strong, at times, making the correct calls on multiple big-time plays last season. And his abilities in the open field only matched that prowess. However, he also struggled at the mesh point on a handful of crucial occasions and limited the team in doing so.

It’s a new era for Army, not just because of their new-look offense, but because they found a home in the AAC where there are no cupcakes on the schedule. Daily will have to be sharp on a per-play basis this season, now more so than ever.

88) Ashton Daniels | Stanford

The week was Week 1, and Ashton Daniels simply wowed with his arm talent to the outside portions of the field. Fast forward to the next three weeks combined, and Daniels wowed in the exact opposite direction.

Which Daniels will the Cardinal get this season as they join the ACC is the question and how short is Daniels leash as the starting QB at Stanford? While players like the highly-recruited Ari Patu are out of the picture to battle for snaps, it’s the emergence of Elijah Brown from spring practice that may push Daniels out of the job if the same struggles from last year show up yet again.

Daniels has plenty of arm talent and absolutely looks the part. But the speed of the game seemed to be too fast for him during the majority of the season last year and that was the most unexpected aspect of Stanford and Daniels’ downfall a season ago.

87) Ty Thompson/Kai Horton | Tulane

Let it be known that there is likely a chance that either Ty Thompson or Kai Horton simply rocket past others on this list once they win the job and, importantly, hold on to the job at Tulane. Thompson, an Oregon transfer was brought in to push and battle it out with homegrown talent Horton under new head coach Jon Sumrall.

While it’s been clear both have had their moments this offseason, whoever wins the job seems to be a difficult decision for the coaching staff meaning one of two things: Both have been so good it’s too hard to pick a loser or both haven’t had their moments and it’s too hard to pick a winner.

Knowing the pedigree that has followed all three quarterbacks, we’ll go with the former, and that it’s hard to pick a loser.

Thompson, at 6’4″ and 224 pounds, is slightly bigger than his counterpart but comes less experienced. In a handful of games behind Bo Nix the past two seasons, Thompson has shown he can seamlessly run an offense with his blend of arm talent, size, and fundamentals.

Horton, just found pounds less, plays a bit of a smaller game, yet we know much more about his abilities than Thompson’s. Horton started three games a year ago in relief of Michael Pratt and flashed some serious talent against Southern Miss, specifically.

No matter the result, either quarterback has the leg-up in terms of talent around all the other quarterbacks within a few spots here on our AAC rankings or maybe even 10-15 spots on our national QB rankings.

86) Brendan Sorsby | Cincinnati

In an era of change in college football, one thing you don’t want to do at the major college football level is make last-minute changes at quarterback. It’s worked out so little for every team that has done so over the past few seasons, but we don’t mean ‘don’t make changes’ at the position.

Cincinnati has hit the portal in search of their next quarterback, pulling Brendan Sorsby from Indiana this offseason. However, despite his best efforts with the Hoosiers last year, there is no clear-cut vision on whether the job truly belongs to Sorsby or if it’s Brady Lichtenberg’s job to push for. It’s that kind of situation that need not be changed in today’s college football.

But that speaks to where they are on the rankings list here, far below most of their conference counterparts. Sorsby gives the Bearcats the best chance to win games with his unique skill set, which presents him as an accurate, progressive thrower of the ball with plus-athleticism.

If Sorsby truly wins the job out of fall camp and entrenches himself in the lineup, there are some winnable matchups for Cincinnati this season.

85) Cam Fancher | FAU

After three seasons with Marshall, Cam Fancher headed south to join the Owls and take over for head coach Tom Herman and Co. Fancher, who flashed brilliance at times with the Thundering Herd, is fresh off an 11-touchdown, 11-interception season.

At times, Fancher played terrific, decisive football. He was sharp and clean with his reads, and dominant with his accuracy. He quickly read defenses and processed through his reads very well.

However, those were often followed by misreads of coverage and late throws over the middle or to the sidelines. Inconsistent play led to his downfall among the fans, who wanted him out, and ultimately to his transfer.

He’s a great athlete and has plenty of talent in his arm to reach the short and intermediate levels of the field. Fancher is no stranger to making defenders miss in the open field as well, but his ball security and decision-making need improvement.

84) MJ Morris, Billy Edwards | Maryland

Let it be known that no matter which direction the Maryland Terrapins go for the length of the season at quarterback, work needs to be done. MJ Morris comes over from NC State to give some more experience over the in-house candidate of Billy Edwards, and perhaps a slight uptick in level of play on the field as well.

Morris played two seasons at NC State and appeared to be the heir apparent to the job for the 2024 season but spurned the Wolfpack to join Maryland this offseason. In four starts last year, Morris completed just 56.1% of his throws for 7 touchdowns against 5 interceptions and could have likely finished the season as the starter but preserved his redshirt status before transferring.

In those four games, Morris had a few moments of play that caught the national eye. His power over the middle of the field only mirrored his touch on the same throws, routinely looking off defenders on shots to the intermediate level of the field with some solid success.

However, like his new counterpart Edwards, the solid plays were oft-marred by some inconsistent decisions and perhaps too much trust in their arms that ultimately fell into the waiting arms of defenders. The Maryland offense needs some help at the quarterback following the departure of Taulia Tagovailoa, and neither Morris nor Edwards may be the long-term solution when push comes to shove.

83) Chandler Morris | North Texas

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 has taken to the portal once again.

This time, he landed at North Texas and takes the place of Chandler Rogers, who dominated at times with the Mean Green last year. Morris, a very different quarterback than Rogers, can win in similar ways with his arm, but brings a new level of throw-first attitude to Denton.

Yet, Morris isn’t a statute and fares very well when pressure bears down on him throughout his career. However, it’s the inability to want to push the ball downfield that will have to change with the Mean Green. As will his ability to push the ball over the middle of the field, either driven or on a rope.

There are certainly some things to like with Morris’ game, but until he’s proven he can elevate the talent around him, he’ll be a bit limited as a passer and as a player.

82) Chandler Fields | Louisiana

In four starts last year, Chandler Fields reminded us all why he was the guy a year before. Fields returned to the field in Week 10, getting the start for the Ragin’ Cajuns each week there after last season, throwing seven scores in that stretch against just one interception.

Fields may lack top-end athleticism and certainly top-end arm talent, but he makes plenty of correct decisions time and time again when he plays from within the structure of the offense.

He’ll need to lean into his ability to spot his receivers over the middle of the field as he continues to improve at pushing the ball outside the numbers, but Fields can bank on his ability to diagnose coverages and continue to read well in the progressive game in the process.

It’s a far cry from the offenses we got used to seeing at ULL with Fields at the helm, but if he returns to the top form that he showed in 2022, Louisiana can win some games this year.

81) Dylan Morris | JMU

After four seasons with the Washington Huskies, Dylan Morris jumped into the portal and found a home in Harrisonburg. Despite what looked like some consistency within the program, the Dukes are once again back at the lab with a new head coach, new coaching staff, and a new face at quarterback for 2024.

However, like last year, Morris is a battle-tested, veteran quarterback for the new regime at JMU. Morris comes fully equipped with a sound fundamental game and some elevation skills around him.

He started the full season for Washington in 2021, throwing 14 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, but that didn’t tell the whole story of the Huskies program that season. In fact, it didn’t really tell the whole story of some of the bad luck he had go his way during the year as well.

In spot duty over the past two seasons under Kalen DeBoer and behind Michael Penix Jr., Morris showed that he’s still got plenty of talent to warrant a job as the starting quarterback. But are his best playing days behind him or is there just too much roster turnover with the Dukes to present much this fall?

No matter which way it’s sliced, Morris has his work cut out for him this year.

80) Maddux Madsen | Boise State

When the Boise State brass brought in freshman phenom Malachi Nelson, it was almost a foregone conclusion that Nelson would be the future starting quarterback for Spencer Danielson and Co. No one told that to Maddux Madsen, though.

A year after battling it out with now-Arkansas QB Taylen Green, Madsen put his same gritty, tough-nosed approach to the fall camp and won the job ahead of Boise State’s Week 1 matchup with Georgia Southern. In reality, if you look back to last season, it’s completely understandable that he’d be Danielson’s guy to start the year.

Madsen was sharp in his full-time action last season but even better off the bench at times. In two separate outings, Madsen completed at least 75% of his passes and ran the offense crisply and on time.

There were some flaws to his game last season, for sure, mainly the inability to push the ball accuratey downfield, but those poor decisions may very easily go away in time now that he’s the starter.

79) Grant Wilson | ODU

It was a rocky season of inconsistencies and some turnover-worthy play down the stretch for Grant Wilson, but the ODU signal-caller presents more potential than most in his tier in the Sun Belt. Wilson, who transferred in after two seasons at Fordham, wasted no time last season in showing what he can do, but struggled in early season action against Texas A&M Commerce and Southern Miss, prompting questions at the position.

However, after a string of strong performances down the stretch, Wilson’s overall debut season with the Monarchs looked solid on the surface. He plays much bigger than his 6’3″ frame would indicate and he has plenty of arm strength to push the ball downfield with accuracy and touch.

His poise was tested at times, however, and he struggled (as most do) under pressure. Continuing his improvements in all facets will be key, but understanding to live another down and not force throws into small coverage windows under duress or from the pocket are crucial to Ricky Rahne, Wilson and Co. this year.

78) Cardell Williams | Tulsa

A true freshman season of varying success, Cardell Williams routinely found his footing and lost it in front of our eyes almost immediately afterward. With Braylon Braxton at Marshall and Kirk Francis perhaps in his rear-view, Williams can enter the season as the proverbial man in Tulsa.

That may pay dividends for Williams, who looked like a world-beater at times last year. Throwing multiple high-level passes in games against Temple and even against Oklahoma, Williams flashed some serious talent with his arm.

He also has some solid wheels and an ability to move the pocket with his legs as well. However, he was too quick to tuck and run, losing vision downfield, relying too heavily on the ground game in key situations than his ability as a passer.

Improving both the functionality of his game as a pass-first quarterback as well as his decision-making will go a long way at keeping the job and improving Tulsa’s record at the same time in 2024.

77) E.J. Warner | Rice

In a new era for E.J. Warner, he headed south this offseason and will suit up in a different Owl uniform this fall. Transferring from Temple to Rice, Warner brings his high-flying game to Houston, taking the mantle of previous transfer quarterback JT Daniels.

Warner, who wowed at times during his two-year Temple tenure, brings with him a young, gunslinging approach to the game of football. He’ll test the waters outside with his plus arm strength, but miss defenders flying on the football all the same.

He left far too many throws out too wide or too late during his Temple career, but when he was on his game, Warner showed off his arm talent on seemingly every other throw. Decision-making aside, Warner was a terrific distributor of the ball and understands how to deal with pressure like a seasoned veteran.

If he can hone in on his decision-making processes and improve his throwing to the outside, the Rice Owls may have something cooking.

76) Jake Garcia/Katin Houser | ECU

Katin Houser enters the picture at ECU after two seasons at Michigan State. He brings with him prototypical size and a great, albeit underrated arm.

Houser didn’t quite get to showcase all of his skills while at Michigan State, despite starting the final seven games of the season last year. He did, however, showcase his ability to read defenses and rifle balls into tight windows when given time to stand tall in the pocket at times, and noticeably during spring practice with the Pirates this year.

At times, however, at Michigan State, Houser withered under pressure. Not just pressure from defenders, but the pressure of playing an opponent of a greater caliber. He looked lost at times against Ohio State or Penn State, and looked like a much different quarterback in just about every other start.

That won’t quite be the case with ECU’s schedule and Houser certainly has looked the part through the lead-up to the 2024 season. With a big arm, Houser has the ability to find his receivers in space and run the offense very well on script.

Can he replicate that on-the-practice-field success when it comes time for the regular season, though?

75) Brock Vandagriff | Kentucky

Brock Vandagriff hardly saw the field over the past three seasons with the Georgia Bulldogs, tossing just 21 total passes in three seasons in Athens. Sure, we know what kind of a high school quarterback Vandagriff was, but with every passing season he didn’t see the field, that becomes more and more a memory than anything else.

Yes, we know the list of quarterbacks Vandagriff had in the backfield with him during his time with Georgia, and it should be noted that he looked like a solid starting quarterback in mop-up duty against UT-Martin and against his very own new team, Kentucky, a year ago.

But that’s when games have been largely out of the way and not in question. We’ll get a great glimpse of whether to not Vandagriff can harness the high school talent that pushed him to a five-star recruit back in 2021.

74) Dylan Raiola | Nebraska

No, Dylan Raiola is not Patrick Mahomes. But if all accounts of his ability from high school come to fruition at the collegiate level, Mahomes will wish he was Raiola.

That’s how big of a platform Raiola created for himself coming out of Buford High School by way of Burleson and Chandler high schools prior. No matter which stop he made on his high school journey, Raiola lived up to and even exceeded the hype that followed.

Now at Nebraska, the 6’3″, 230-pound signal-caller already presents with prototypical size and strength at the position. Raiola possesses a unique background that includes baseball, giving him ample arm angles to dish the ball from and not lose any speed or rotation in the process.

He has shown to be able to work the field very well against high school defenses, and elevate the talent around him all the same. We’ll wait to see if he can bring both of those impressive facets to the FBS level early on in his career, and if he does, watch out Big Ten.

73) Blake Shapen | Mississippi State

What a whirlwind of an offseason that the Mississippi State Bulldogs would like to put behind them. Enter Blake Shapen to help usher in the new era of football under head coach Jeff Lebby.

Shapen, who went against Lebby the past two seasons, is an accurate thrower of the football who largely doesn’t move the needle in terms of athletic profile or game-elevating skills of those around him. Yet, Lebby has historically been able to get the best out of his quarterbacks.

If Lebby is to do so with Shapen, it’ll be with Shapen’s ability to spot receivers over the middle of the field and improve his accuracy and timing to every level. The talent is there for the Bulldogs, but Shapen will have to improve in a lot of facets fo the Bulldogs to be considered anything more than just a stepping stone in the SEC ranks.

72) Taisun Phommachanh | UMass

Finally looking the part in 2023, Taisun Phommachanh turned back the clocks with UMass a season ago. Phommachanh delivered some high-level play for the Minutemen at quarterback, something they haven’t had for quite some time.

He presents an upgrade on offense and is one of the more unique throwers of the football at any school this fall. Phommachanh has great arm talent but a long wind-up, requiring him to hide or feign his deep shots more than most.

Still, he makes it work at times, and it’s a thing of beauty when he does so. Phommachanh also plays well from within the structure of his offense, but found himself running for his life last season, something he did not fare well with.

Overall, despite experience with two ACC schools for a combined four seasons, the level of play he exhibited with UMass (at times) last season meant a whole lot more. Harnessing that on a consistent basis is the next step.

71) Braylon Braxton | Marshall

There’s a lot to like about Braylon Braxton’s overall game as a dual-threat quarterback. He’s a well-above-average rusher of the football with plenty of arm talent at his disposal, even if we really didn’t see that during his final season with Tulsa last year.

Braxton has thrown for 12 touchdowns in his career, wowing during the 2022 season with both his arm and his legs, but struggled mightily as a passer in limited action a year ago. He has plenty of arm talent, and against FAU a year ago, he reminded us all of that.

With Marshall, however, the Thundering Herd will hope to get more that in addition to the elusive runner he is with the ball in his hands. Braxton can anticipate throws with the best of them and has plenty of power, but will have to work on keeping his vision downfield and reading coverages as the Sun Belt defenses continue to improve.

70) Nicholas Vattiato | Middle Tennessee

The overall feeling about Nicholas Vattiato’s game is a good one. We really like what he brings to the table as a passer and as a distributor of the football. But what we know of his game is under former head coach Rick Stockstill and whether or not his skills translate over in 2024 is up for debate.

Where Vattiato is at his best is getting the ball out quickly and letting the pass catchers do the damage. He struggled to see the field deep a season ago, so taking what the defenses gave him is where he saw the most success.

It wasn’t too Earth-shattering when he did so, but Vattiato played good, safe football in the process last season. Did he elevate talent around him? Maybe not as much, but he certainly had his moments.

Will these skills that coach Stockstill and Co. understood how to harness and extract the most out of a season ago be present under head coach Derek Mason this year? That we are unsure of.

69) Josh Hoover | TCU

Josh Hoover was truly dominant against BYU and Baylor last season. But Josh Hoover struggled in just about every other contest a year ago.

That’s why it’s not quite a foregone conclusion that he’ll finish the season as the starting quarterback for TCU, or if he even gives the Horned Frogs the best chance to win games in 2024. When he was at his best, Hoover spotted receivers open quickly, and made no mistake around his intended target, whipping balls in quickly to his receivers.

However, at his worst, Hoover was too indecisive and struggled with accuracy downfield against some tougher secondaries. He was limited against pressure and seemed to wilt away down the stretch, if not earlier in the game, which ultimately led to some lop-sided results against Kansas State or Oklahoma.

There is surely some talent there — just ask BYU fans who saw it unfold in front of their eyes — but Hoover will have to improve consistency and his flow within the structure of the offense to keep fans from calling for his exit.

68) Alex Orji | Michigan

The jury’s out on Alex Orji as the next leader in the clubhouse to carry the Michigan Wolverines to Big Ten contention. What do we know of Orji after all?

He’s thrown a single pass during his two seasons at Michigan playing behind J.J. McCarthy. He’s run the ball a handful of times, with some good success, sure, but that’s not everything we need to know.

Going back to his high school days, we know Josh Gattis was high on his overall abilities and that holds quite a bit of weight in his evaluation.

67) Graham Mertz | Florida

Before you jump at these rankings, listen to Graham Mertz’s actual statistical output when he attempted throws downfield.

On all throws targeted 20 yards past the line of scrimmage: Mertz completed 41% of his throws and averaged a depth of target of over 30 yards downfield in doing so. That’s the mark of a spray-and-pray quarterback more so than most, but it didn’t look any better when he had to look anywhere off his first read, either.

There was a reason the term ‘game manager’ was slapped on Mertz by pundits around the country as well over 63% of his passes were behind the line of scrimmage or in front of the sticks.

All this to be said, Mertz had arguably the best year of his career a season ago with the Gators and successfully climbed up these rankings from where he was to start the campaign a year ago. Taking something off his throws helped his overall completion percentage, but it didn’t necessarily move the needle in terms of victories.

And that’s why he’s on thin ice to start the year, much like his head coach.

66) Matthew Sluka | UNLV

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.

Yes, Sluka ran for a ridiculous sum of yards and threw for just under 6,000 in his four-year career with Holy Cross, but in order to really get a good glimpse of what he’ll do in Mountain West play is to look at his success — or lack thereof — against FBS opponents over the past two seasons.

Sluka ran the Holy Cross offense incredibly well in a near-upset over Boston College and lost by just three points as well to Army. In both games, however, he was forced to use his feet more than his arm to keep pace. Though that worked to keep Holy Cross in those games, it wasn’t enough to achieve victory and he’ll have to lean into keeping the offense on schedule with his arm as opposed to his legs in 2024.

The good thing for Sluka, however, is the fact that Brennan Marion is his offensive coordinator and the go-go offense pits to his strengths as a passer very well. A big signal-caller with arguably some of the best pocket maneuverability in the country, don’t be surprised if Sluka has mastered the offense and starts dominating defenses early in 2024.

65) Miller Moss, Jayden Maiava | USC

Anytime you try to make an evaluation of a quarterback, you have to take into account everything you have at your disposal. For Miller Moss, that includes a dominant bowl game appearance against Louisville.

But it also takes into account several other things like playing behind Caleb Williams for two seasons and Lincoln Riley’s desire to go grab another quarterback in the portal following Malachi Nelson’s departure, especially a player of Jayden Maiava’s caliber.

For Riley and Co., however, no matter who takes the lion’s share of the snaps at quarterback this season, they may be just fine. Moss showcased his abilities to put him on the map as a high-profile recruit once upon a time against Louisville, dotting his passes all over the field and navigating his receivers toward open spaces with anticipation.

But he was also benefit to some wide-open throwing lanes and a depleted Louisville team as his opponent at that time. For Maiava, the big-armed sophomore may be the future of the position at USC after he dominated at USC a year ago.

Maiava took over in Week 4 after bringing the Rebels back to a come-from-behind victory over Vanderbilt in relief of Doug Brumfield in Week 3. And all he did from that point forward was throw for over 3,000 yards and 17 touchdowns while flashing a dual-threat ability and big arm.

64) Tyler Van Dyke | Wisconsin

A natural gunslinger. Tyler Van Dyke searched for a new home this offseason, landing with Phil Longo and his offensive scheme to put his talents to good use. By not very many accounts, Van Dyke’s last season at Miami was his best to date, despite struggling with some bad interception luck.

He was more of the quarterback that saw him emerge onto the national stage as a potential first-round pick following the 2021 season than anything else, just had some bad breaks. In fact, save for his two-game stretch that led to his replacement against FSU, Van Dyke put himself back on the map as a viable draft prospect a season ago.

So, what makes him so special at times? It’s the power he’s shown the outside. The decisions he’s made when he’s on top of his game and not rattled by pressure.

It’s the ability Van Dyke has been able to showcase over the years to find the open man by reading through his progressions. But it’s not the gunslinging attitude that finds him forcing throws into double coverage or the locked-on nature that follows too much trust in his arm.

Longo’s system might mitigate those poor decisions that have plagued his career, but when push comes to shove and if the Badgers find themselves trailing in any game, he’ll need to continue to improve his decision-making processes.

63) Max Johnson | North Carolina

For every Max Johnson throw that wowed, there was a Max Johnson throw that left watchers bewildered. Whether the backward-left-handed-no-look interception or any number of questionable throws that litter his tape, there still is plenty of good throws to bank hope on for North Carolina this season.

However, it took a Conner Weigman injury to even see the field in a strong capacity a year ago with Texas A&M, so the confidence in his game may need to be bolstered early on in the season.

Johnson has good size and certainly enough strength to push the ball to the appropriate areas of the field. But his wind up and release beg to be shortened or quickened to match his decision-making process.

Like many quarterbacks, Johnson has room to improve. But unlike many other quarterbacks on this list, Johnson’s errors are self-inflicted and could be corrected quicker than others. After four years of similar mistakes, however, are we sure he’s capable of doing so?

62) Chandler Rogers/Fernando Mendoza | Cal

Let it be known, this ranking here is because of Chandler Rogers and not Fernando Mendoza. Sure, Mendoza had his moments for Cal last year, but Rogers is leaps and bounds a better college football quarterback than his counterpart.

Yet, the battle raged on through spring and into fall camp with a starter not named publicly. Breaking it down further, the numbers, advanced data, and just simple film eye give the advantage to Rogers at every turn.

Rogers lit it up at North Texas a season ago, but it didn’t start that way. In fact, against this very Cal team, Rogers wasn’t the starter in Week 1, but he earned the job from Stone Earle in Week 3 and never looked back. He threw for nearly 3,200 yards and 27 touchdowns in that span of starts from Week 3 on, impressing at every turn.

He improved his game overall from his two seasons at UL-Monroe prior, elevating the talent around him and dishing accurate, sharp, and decisive passes to every level of the field. Smaller in stature than Mendoza, Rogers’ ability to spread the wealth and spot his receivers no matter the depth of target is far ahead of his younger teammate.

Mendoza did have his moments a year ago, but he withered against strong defenses and struggled to find open passing lanes if the pocket collapsed around him. Rogers gives Cal a creative quarterback in the same way he gives them an accurate thrower to every level.

61) Maalik Murphy | Duke

We saw what we needed to see from Maalik Murphy in relief of Quinn Ewers last year at Texas to know what we needed to know about his overall skill set. Though we couldn’t learn everything from those two starts in place of Ewers, we could still see the talent he possesses and if harnessed correctly, the positive side of his game.

Though we’re waiting to crown him much more than that two-game sample size, Murphy has terrific size and perhaps even better arm strength. He wasn’t able to truly showcase his full talent in what seemed like a limited playbook that was given to him against BYU and Kansas State, but he did more than enough with some of his throws and mobility to warrant a starting gig like the one he earned at Duke.

Sure, there were a handful of ugly throws in those two games, but they came in pressured situations and in moments in which a full-time starting quarterback likely wouldn’t make. Murphy may have a bright future at Duke if he can harness his athleticism and arm talent on a per-play basis.

60) Will Rogers | Washington

After quite an offseason journey, Will Rogers is officially the man at Washington. Following Kalen DeBoer’s exit, there was a complete roster changeover, but Rogers remained despite testing the portal once more before ultimately deciding to stay put in Seattle.

So what does Rogers bring to the table under new head coach Jedd Fisch? Accuracy, poise, and a documented ability to challenge defenses with his anticipation.

But he may be just slightly limited in terms of testing defenses on deep shots, but his ability to push the ball downfield has been widely underrated for some time. At Mississippi State, he was rarely asked to push the ball deep and downfield, showing that when he did, he could do so while also mitigating errors in the process.

Rogers has plenty of talent to run Fisch’s offense with Washington, but he’ll have to re-learn how to trust his receivers on the outside and continue to throw with great anticipation as this roster comes together.

59) Luke Altmyer | Illinois

It was quite an interesting season for the Illini in 2023. First Luke Altmyer led Illinois to a dramatic victory over Toledo to start the season, but the highs were far and few between after that.

In the end, John Paddock was the talk of the town down the stretch of the season, but his boom-or-bust game of quarterbacking was never going to be long for the Big Ten during his final season of eligibility. Now, with Altmyer as the guy in Champaign, what are the Illini really going to get?

Looking at what Altmyer did a season ago that likely presents itself once more in 2024, fans will be refreshed to hear his translatable successes from 2023 are good ones. Altmyer’s play when he was kept clean from pressure (a very stable metric) was among the best of the first-half season starters in the Big Ten.

His play on standard, non-play-action passes (a stable metric) was dynamic. More of that and less attempting to force the ball downfield into tight coverages will do Altmyer and the Illini offense justice in the early stages of the 2024 season.

58) Cade Klubnik | Clemson

At some point, we have to start to worry about the Clemson offense. Sure, Cade Klubnik threw for 19 touchdowns and limited mistakes with some luck of dropped interceptions.,

But he hardly pushed the ball down the field at all in 2023. That kind of lackluster activity in the passing game has caught up to the Clemson offense, but maybe not to Klubnik’s overall ability as a passer.

Given the success of Uiagalelei outside of the Clemson offense, one may start to wonder if the Tigers’ scheme is holding back these talented signal-callers. Klubnik is the man at Clemson this year, but if things don’t go well for him from a passing standpoint again, he may be searching for a greener pasture.

And like DJU, you better believe the talent he possesses will see plenty of major program head coaches come calling.

57) Cole Snyder | Eastern Michigan

A gunslinger if you’ve ever seen one, Cole Snyder knows how to push defenses to their brink and throw his receivers open all over the field. After three seasons at Rutgers and two more at Buffalo, Snyder is back for one last go at the collegiate level to prove he has what it takes once more.

At Eastern Michigan, Snyder will need to take better care of the ball — and not just on deep shots, but on every throw, to every quadrant of the field. Snyder comes fully equipped with a huge arm and some serious trust in his arm.

Though that trust hurt his game overall at times, he was still able to make plenty of ‘wow’ throws during his time with the Bulls. Harnessing that, living to play another down, and leaning into play-action concepts will do his game wonders.

56) Max Brosmer | Minnesota

It’s fine if you didn’t watch New Hampshire play football over the past few seasons. It’s fine, I promise. But it’s not okay if you didn’t go back and watch Max Brosmer highlights either weekly, or after the season was over, because you missed out on a treat.

His skills — though keeping it short-winded here — are numerous. He’s got a great arm and great size for his skill set. He can set his feet easily and understands how to buy himself some time in the pocket or outside the structure of the offense to find open throwing lanes.

But what makes for his success at Minnesota so enticing, is the fact that his skills showcased at the FCS level are seemingly translatable. He was solid when he was kept upright in the pocket. He was better on standard dropbacks instead of with the aid of a play fake.

Like others in this tier, we’ll be happy being lower on his placement on our Big Ten and national QB rankings as we get to know how quickly he’ll get his feet wet at the FBS level, but know we’re firmly on Brosmer watch in terms of how quickly he can rise here.

55) Bert Emanuel Jr. | Central Michigan

A year after splitting reps with Jase Bauer, it appears that Bert Emanuel may have a new quarterback to beat out to keep his starting job at Central Michigan. But make no mistake about it, if Emanuel holds onto the job throughout the season, there are few better quarterbacks in terms of rushing ability at the Group of Five level (if not nationally).

Joe Labas entered the picture, but it’s hard to think that the Chippewas staff will keep Emanuel off the field in 2024. He’s a dynamic rusher with an incredibly talented arm. The guy is so good that even in practically a foot of snow, he’s a threat to take the ball to the house on every touch.

Now, his throwing mechanics have not quite caught up to his rushing ability, and that’s where Labas may have the advantage, but even still, we’ve only seen Labas make one start and it came in a bowl game appearance back in 2022 with limited success with Iowa.

Emanuel is one of the most talented dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, and it’d be a waste not to see him in a major capacity once again for the Chips.

54) Anthony Colandrea | Virginia

What a season it was for Anthony Colandrea last year. There were plenty of highs (Maryland). But there were also plenty of lows (Maryland). And as evidenced by that sentence, they came in flashes and all too frequently mirrored each other.

Colandrea was hardly able to string together back-to-back quarters of solid play last season, and proved to be too much of a boom-or-bust type player to maintain the job early in the season.

However, that boom that he possesses is worthy of some serious attention and harnessing because he’s a true gunslinger with no fear from the pocket, when he breaks contain, or on the ground when scrambling.

Sometimes, however, Colandrea will have to learn to play another down instead of forcing a throw into an obvious uncatchable or unwinnable situation. He has the talent to do so, and it’s just a matter of unlocking that before we move him up in these rankings.

53) Alan Bowman | Oklahoma State

At this point of his career, we know exactly who Alan Bowman is. Entering his seventh year, Bowman has endured quite a college football journey. From three seasons at Texas Tech to two years of playing spot duty at Michigan, Bowman reached a career-high in passing yards in his first season in Stillwater.

But he also reached a career-high in interceptions and a near career-low in yards per attempt with Oklahoma State last season. The term game manager is aptly applied to Bowman but he does so with certain grace.

Bowman can find his receivers in a progressive read offense easily, but lacks top-tier arm talent that keeps defenses honest. He’ll never truly threaten to lift the proverbial lid on a defense though he’s shown to be able to really dish to the outside portion of the field against single coverage.

In the end, Bowman gives his offense a chance to win games, but has room to improve in terms of elevating his talent around him.

52) Aidan Chiles | Michigan State

The jury was never out on Aidan Chiles. He was always going to be the next big thing in Corvallis.

That was, of course, until head coach Jonathan Smith decided to take the job in East Lansing, and then Chiles became the next big thing with the Michigan State Spartans.

It was clear early on that Chiles was a massive part of Smith’s plan moving forward a year ago. Despite DJ Uiagalalei’s presence on the team, Chiles was subbed in on every third series, no matter the successes of his predecessor, and made the most of his time on the field with Oregon State last year.

Chiles is as big as he is fast and as powerful of a thrower as he is a runner, despite what some may say. We’ll withhold true judgment of his entire skill set until we see it on a down-for-down basis over the stretch of a full season, but Chiles gives the Spartans something potentially dangerous at quarterback this fall.

51) Hudson Card | Purdue

Quietly, Hudson Card had a very solid year for Purdue last season. Sure, it didn’t quite turn into meaningful victories, but they sure were competitive down the stretch when Card really found his footing.

After three seasons at Texas, Card found greener pastures with the Boilermakers in the offseason of 2022, leading to his starting of every game for Purdue in 2023. He threw for nearly 2,400 yards and 15 scores, but his play in the final two games of the season are certainly more indicative of his overall level of play.

A big man with a big play style, Card is a dual-threat quarterback with plus arm strength and a high-flying attitude. Harnessing his energy and learning to play for another down or even another series is key to his growth, something he clearly put work into as the season went along last year.

50) Tyler Shough | Louisville

I’ll be the first to say that Tyler Shough has some talent. Some next-level talent. However, for every next-level throw we’ve seen him make, it’s been put behind multiple poor decisions or some poor breaks that haven’t gone his way over his long career to date.

After two seasons at Oregon — arguably the home to his best throw yet — and three seasons at Texas Tech, the cards haven’t quite fallen his way. Now at Louisville, Shough could very well right the ship and put on display some of the talent that he’s flashed over the years.

He’s got a great arm, as evidenced by his downfield shot with the Ducks back in 2020. He can hit every level of the field and has the size and height to maintain that vision no matter the happenings in front of him.

Removing the inconsistencies and learning to continue to build the trust in his arm throughout the length of a season is key to Shough’s growth. He may have found just the right coach in Jeff Brohm at Louisville to unlock his skill set fully.

49) Keyone Jenkins | FIU

What a unique season it was for Keyone Jenkins and FIU last year. Thrust into the starting lineup in Week 1, Jenkins flashed what head coach Mike MacIntyre saw of him every day in practice last fall.

He’s a special player with a ton of trust in his arm and even more athleticism to boot. Jenkins was able to showoff his arm talent and his elusiveness on multiple occasions in a season filled with learning curves and bumps and bruises.

At his best when he was able to allow plays to develop downfield, Jenkins was able to prove to opposing defenses that he can throw receivers open in the blink of an eye and grew with just about every rep last year.

With another offseason in the books, he’ll hopefully have added a bit of playing weight and polished his decision-making. However, the sky is the limit if Jenkins can harness some down-to-down improvements with his consistency and reading of the defense.

48) Hank Bachmeier | Wake Forest

Hank Bachmeier finally has his Power Five .. er, Power Four .. chance now with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Hailed out of high school as a potential Power Five starter at that time, Bachmeier’s journey to Wake was one of a long, arduous journey that included four years at Boise State and another at Louisiana Tech.

That also included, however, a terrific debut start back during his freshman season in Tallahassee against Florida State that opened our eyes to his talents. Unfortunately for Bachmeier’s five seasons in college, he’s been beat around and pressured on what feels like half of his dropbacks through his career.

They’ve taken their toll on his overall abilities at times, but he’s been one of the toughest and most resilient passers in recent college football history because of it. Now at Wake, the slow mesh offense may allow him to read defenses easier than ever and allows him the chance not to get beat up in the pocket as he has the past five seasons.

We’re cautiously optimistic about his chances with the Deacs, but until we’ve been proven to be accurate in our optimism, he’ll stay right here in both our ACC and national QB rankings.

47) Jacob Zeno | UAB

If you don’t know who Jacob Zeno is by now, you’ve been under a rock. The perfect quarterback to bring in the Trent Dilfer era at UAB, Zeno exploded under Dilfer’s tutelage a year ago.

After three years at Baylor and another at UAB under Bryan Vincent in 2022, the 2023 season was a revelation for Zeno’s overall ability. Dilfer simplified the offense, giving Zeno easy passing concepts and quick-read situations to put his arm talent on display.

Zeno rewarded the Blazers with over 3,100 yards and 20 touchdowns, wowing with his overall arm talent along the way. Sure, the wins didn’t follow, and there are some things Zeno can work on to improve, but the way things started to really fall in place as the season progressed gave a ton of promise for 2024 and beyond.

Those aforementioned attributes to improve on for Zeno include his work under pressure and his ability to buy time and rebuild the pocket, something Dilfer surely can (and hopefully has) help him develop.

46) Jaylen Raynor | Arkansas State

What a debut season it was for Jaylen Raynor a year ago. The Red Wolves true freshman quarterback ran for five scores (dominating at times on the ground) and threw for another 17 (again, dominating at times) a yer ago.

He’s back for his sophomore season ready to put on a further display of what makes him a special talent for Arkansas State. Raynor is certainly not the biggest guy from the pocket, but he plays a much bigger game than his size may indicate.

Raynor can spot defenders trailing receivers and makes the right decision in the blink of an eye more often than not. His release is unique, but he has shown it works for him to get the ball out quickly to streaking receivers with even the slightest bit of separation.

He played well above his age would indicate, even limiting mistakes under pressure a year ago, even if he got a bit lucky a handful of times (looking right at that South Alabama game). This year, with another fall camp under his belt, the ceiling has been raised for Raynor and the Red Wolves.

45) Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi | Colorado State

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.

The bigger issue with Fowler-Nicolosi’s game—though in the same bucket of ball security—is his inability to keep the ball in his hands when plays break down. His carelessness with the football in his hands paid dividends for opponents in 2023 and will have to be corrected in 2024.

However, when push comes to shove, Fowler-Nicolosi churns the engine for the Rams and allows them to stay in just about any game.

44) Brayden Schager | Hawaii

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.

There is a lot to like in Schager’s overall game, and that includes the aforementioned power he has on his throws. He just needs to continue to work on his footwork, that way he won’t have to drive with his upper body on seemingly every throw.

Then, and only then, can Schager be an accurate thrower on every throw. And then, and only then, can Hawaii get themselves in contention to win some Mountain West games consistently.

43) Rocco Becht | Iowa State

The Rocco Becht era got started a bit sooner than anticipated a year ago, taking the starting job to kick things off in 2024. Becht rewarded coach Matt Campbell with some pretty displays of downfield passing and his big arm while holding off the incredibly-talented JJ Kohl in the process.

While Becht may have to continue to hold off Kohl for reps, if he can continue to produce the type of outputs he did as the season went along last year, he’ll be just fine.

Becht, at his best, dissected defenses and utilized his arm talent to force the ball downfield into small windows with great ease. He’ll need to pick and choose his shots underneath a bit more cleanly in 2024, but Becht has a solid foundation of fundamentals, leadership, and arm talent all going his way.

42) Avery Johnson | Kansas State

There is so much to like about Avery Johnson as the starting quarterback at Kansas State. From his athletic profile to the flashes he showed with his throwing ability.

But one of the main reasons you can shoot for the moon with Johnson is Matt Wells as his offensive coordinator. Wells has historically gotten the most out of his quarterbacks and could very well be on the same trajectory with Johnson.

As quick as they get, Johnson flashed the wheels that make him a potential superstar quite often in the lead-up to his taking of the starting job. And that’s when he’s at his best, both at putting points on the board and keeping defenses honest.

Johnson can break contain and keep his eyes downfield but also showed he can dish from within the pocket. He was seemingly unphased by pressure a year ago and made plenty of special plays happen when plays broke down. Improving from within the structure is key, and that’s what Wells can do for Johnson in 2024 and beyond.

41) Diego Pavia | Vanderbilt

SEC fans need to know who Diego Pavia is. Well, SEC fans that aren’t from Auburn, Alabama, need to know who Pavia is. Just ask War Eagle.

A year after thrashing Auburn with his arm and legs, and two years removed from making a name for himself with Jerry Kill at New Mexico State, Pavia joins the fray at Vanderbilt and came with his former head coach in doing so.

Pavia isn’t the most athletically-gifted quarterback in the world, but that doesn’t matter. He has a unique sense of mobility and knows where and when to use his elusiveness in the pocket and on the ground. He torched Auburn for three scores through the air and parlayed that into a massive upset victory in the process.

If he follows the path of success he had at New Mexico State, Pavia will make the nation forget that the lead-up to the 2024 season had a “quarterback battle” with him and two true freshmen.

40) Garrett Nussmeier | LSU

Unlike so many of the unproven quarterbacks in the SEC this season, Garrett Nussmeier has waited his turn and takes the reins in Year 4 with the program. That just means we know what he is, but it also presents the lone question we have about his game: Why did the Tigers look to the portal the past two seasons prior instead of turning to Nussmeier?

We all know Nussmeier has an absolute cannon for an arm. No level of the field is off limits and he can throw to the deep portion as accurately as he can behind the line of scrimmage.

What perhaps haunted Nussmeier in the early stages of his LSU career was inconsistency with his decision-making. Against Wisconsin in the ReliQuest Bowl last season, Nussmeier shook off an errant decision and rebounded nicely to a victory, perhaps showing his ability to move on and live down-to-down.

It’s a marquee role in college football, that of following up after a Heisman Trophy winner. We know the talent is there, but until we see more of the good that Nussmeier provided against Wisconsin, LSU may have their work cut out for them.

39) Behren Morton | Texas Tech

What a few seasons it’s been for Behren Morton in Lubbock. Taking back overcome Week 5 against Houston last season, Morton showcased what makes him a solid option for Joey McGuire and Co.

However, his subsequent shut down during spring ball has us a bit more worried than we should be for his longevity once again. When he is healthy, however, Morton has accuracy for days and no throw is off limits.

He knows and understands how to stand tall in the pocket for just long enough to let his receivers break open or streak past their defenders. Neither man nor zone coverage threw him for a loop when he’s healthy and his downfield throws outside the numbers rival that of Dillon Gabriel.

Staying healthy is the key for Morton and the entirety of the TTU roster.

38) Taylen Green | Arkansas

No fans, Taylen Green is not KJ Jefferson. If we’re being honest, it’s not even close. Green is a downfield passer in a massive, physical specimen of a quarterback’s body that presents problems left and right for defensive coordinators.

Sure, he was knocked in and out of the Boise State lineup a season ago, but his play when he’s on his game was second to none in the Mountain West.

Green is massive at 6’6″ and 223 pounds, routinely breaking contain and making defenders look silly both in space and breaking any feeble tackle attempt. Yet, running isn’t truly the name of his game.

He’ll stand tall in the pocket and keep his eyes downfield with the best of them, routinely splicing defenders over the middle of the field with ease. Consistency from the pocket and to the short/intermediate levels will remain key, as will ball security, but Green gives the Razorbacks a chance to win games this year.

37) Joey Aguilar | Appalachian State

It’s hard to believe that Joey Aguilar didn’t win the job out of camp last year. To be honest, it’s almost staggering to realize that he didn’t win the job out of camp, given what he did on the field last year.

Even in relief of Ryan Burger in Week 1, Aguilar wowed. He threw four touchdowns coming off the bench on 84.6% completion percentage and the Mountaineers never looked back. When all was said and done, Aguilar completed just under 63% of his throws for nearly 4,000 yards and 33 touchdowns.

A gunslinger by nature it appears, Aguilar began to take better care of the ball from a decision-making standpoint down the stretch of the season a year ago, and became a constant threat to take over ball games. He has a big arm and a truly talented ability to test defenses deep or take something off his throws in the intermediate area all the same.

Entering the season as the man in Boone, Aguilar has the Mountaineers eyeing the Sun Belt Championship, and after watching more of his highs from a year ago, that should be the bar for this team if Aguilar is on his game.

36) Riley Leonard | Notre Dame

At times, Riley Leonard looked like an absolute lock to defeat any ACC defense in his path. But at other turns, Leonard struggled in the limelight and if he couldn’t get by on his athleticism, he couldn’t get by at all.

However, after an injury-shortened 2023 campaign, he’s set up for arguably even more success with Notre Dame this fall. He’s a big-armed signal-caller with great strength in the pocket, but an escapability and mobility that extends plays and games at times.

Not reading into that success on the ground and learning to play his best football from within the pocket will behoove him and see his success skyrocket as he was a man possessed when he was kept upright from pressure at Duke.

Considering the uptick in overall play from his line at Duke to his line with Notre Dame, it’s safe to say Leonard could be in for a real treat in 2024.

35) Jackson Arnold | Oklahoma

Similar to his counterparts in this portion of the rankings, Jackson Arnold is a bit of an unknown-known commodity. We say unknown-known because we know of his talent as a high school recruit and a bit of his college play to date, but we just simply want to see more.

Arnold is wildly talented but in his long start last year, there was a lapse in some decision-making against Arizona’s secondary. A bowl game is a bowl game, but some of the throws seemed like Arnold trusted his arm just a bit too much, and the aspect of growing from high-profile recruit to college football quarterback was lacking.

With an offseason entrenched as the No. 1 guy in Norman behind him, it’s safe to assume Arnold has grown, both physically and mentally, under head coach Brent Venables. If that’s the case, the Sooners may surprise some folks because Arnold’s high school tape is littered with big-time throws and ridiculous plays that demand your attention.

34) Nico Iamaleava | Tennessee

The next tier of SEC QBs is headlined by the big man at Tennessee, Nico Iamaleava. While we got a great glimpse of what he may bring to the table in Tennessee’s Citrus Bowl victory over Iowa, there is some more to be desired with Iamaleava from a passing perspective.

Sure, he compiled a ridiculous four total touchdowns against Iowa’s defense in that game, but he had some passes left on the table that we’ll want to see completed (or even just simply attempted) before he vaults up the rankings.

Still, Iamaleave is clearly talented and when you look at the intangibles, it’s clear to see why he’s the future of the position in Knoxville. At 6’6″, 215 pounds, Iamaleave’s physical profile stands tall among his peers. And his arm talent matches it.

Downfield dots are a thing of beauty when he releases them, and it’d come as no surprise by Week 4 of these QB Rankings to see him much higher.

33) Cam Rising | Utah

As veterans of the sport go, Cam Rising may not be the oldest, but he surely does feel like he’s the most traveled and elder statesman in the Big 12. Yes, a member of the Class of 2018, Rising’s career began at Texas before truly emerging on the big stage with the Utes in 2021.

Now, a season removed from the field, Rising is back to showcase what made him a darkhorse for the Heisman Trophy to start the 2022 season once upon a time.

Rising has the juice of a mobile quarterback — but that’s not what the Utah offense calls for. Instead, he’s a dominant downfield thrower when he’s able to stand tall and drive the ball. He’ll hit windows underneath that only few can and stand tall against pressure.

He’s improved his mechanics in each season’s worth of action, and if he can shake off any potential rust from sitting out 2023, the Utes will be in a strong position to not only contend for the Big 12, but perhaps be the leaders in the clubhouse early.

32) KJ Jefferson | UCF

After three straight seasons of dominating with his legs and flashing some potential big-time talent with his arm, KJ Jefferson went south to the cozy confines of the Bounce House at UCF. In total, Jefferson spent five seasons at Arkansas and threw for over 2,100 yards in each of the past three (and over 2,600 in two of them).

Underrated as a passer, Jefferson is a savvy pocket passer if the play calls for it, with plenty of arm talent to push the ball downfield into tight coverage windows.

Jefferson can spot receivers downfield quickly and has plenty of arm angles from which he can accurately release the ball to reach his intended targets. The quick game should pit to Jefferson’s strengths at UCF, and come pressure or a clean pocket, he’ll give the Knights an advantage in 2024.

31) Kyle McCord | Syracuse

A dominant thrower of the football from a clean pocket, Kyle McCord hardly had to do much when it came to finding his receivers streaking open last year at Ohio State. Still, he helped elevate some of the nation’s finest talent at the wide receiver position last season with the Buckeyes.

Now at Syracuse, McCord may not have the top-tier receiving talents that he had in Columbus, but he certainly has that ability to dish out accurate shots all over the field. McCord was accurate to every level, and as the season went along, he was more and more of a better decision-maker.

Though he withered quickly under pressure last season, McCord made up for any poor decision with some noteworthy throws left and right following. With Syracuse, McCord will hope he’s kept free from pressure and can deal the ball from the confines of an unpressured pocket more often than not.

30) Brett Gabbert | Miami (OH)

It’s been a little bit since we’ve seen a whole full season of Brett Gabbert tossing it around the field. In fact, it’s been since that fabulous 2021 season that Gabbert really stole our hearts during MACtion since he’s played a full season’s worth of games, and even then, it was just 10 games of action.

Gabbert, however, deserves his praise after an injury shut down the terrific form he was in a season ago. Gabbert was completing passes at a high rate and pushing the ball downfield further than he ever had. And he was seeing rapid success in the process.

A dynamic pocket passer if there ever was one, Gabbert has some juice in his moves from within the structure and understands how to buy as much time as possible to allow his receivers to find open space. He’s no stranger to throwing his receivers open, either.

In the end, the only thing Gabbert has left to do on his six-year college resume is play a full season again, like he did back in 2019 as the freshman starter for the RedHawks. If we see that, there’d be no stopping Miami in MAC play this year.

29) Donovan Smith | Houston

Few quarterbacks have as much beauty as Donovan Smith has when he’s in top form and dicing up defenses. Smith proves that throwing the ball is an art form, but again, when he’s at the top of his game.

The frustrating part about Smith’s game is that he’s slightly too inconsistent in the long run, but his top-end performance is far too overlooked at the national level.

Smith is a dynamic passer with the ability to torch defenses deep or take something of his throws in the short area of the field. He’ll throw his receivers open or buy time in the pocket to maneuver himself into favorable throwing lanes if push comes to shove.

Smith can also run incredibly well with the ball in his hands, and that’s the biggest separator of Smith from the majority of the Big 12 quarterbacks with solid fundamentals, a natural beauty, and some dual-threat abilities.

28) Garrett Greene | West Virginia

What a debut it was for the Tallahassee Kid in Morgantown. Sure, Garrett Greene had been with the Mountaineers for four seasons before being given the controls last season, but he made the most of every single snap in 2024.

Greene is a dynamic athlete with the ball in his hands and knows how to elevate the talent around him. The WVU offense becomes a much scarier offense to face with Greene at the helm, with no area of the field not considered the green zone for points.

He flashed with his ability to throw downfield against Houston and Baylor, and he put on a display with his legs against Penn State, Cincinnati, and Oklahoma State. Rounding out his form as the season went along, Greene proved that he has the arm talent to go along with his tremendous rushing ability.

In his fifth year with the program, the Mountaineers have solidified their place in the Big 12 and it’s thanks to Greene’s presence in the backfield.

27) D.J. Uiagalelei | Florida State

As we said in our preseason write-up, DJU is at his best when he’s able to set his feet and throw from within the structure of the offense. That was quite apparent from Dublin, Ireland when Uiagaleli struggled from the get-go with the Seminoles.

However, it wasn’t all bad for Uiagalalei. During the Seminoles’ game-tying drive in the fourth quarter, DJU was asked to sling it downfield and he was on time, decisive, and showcased the power that he has in his arm.

But the good was certainly overshadowed by the bad in DJU’s season-opening performance.

Uigalalei wasn’t asked to torch the defense, instead, it seemed like FSU brought with them exactly what Notre Dame did last year with ushering Sam Hartman slowly into the lineup. The caliber of the opponent, however, was significantly different than ND’s opponent last year (Navy) and FSU’s this year (Georgia Tech). And as such, FSU got caught in a hole they couldn’t get out of.

Of his 19 completions, 13 of them came from within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage or behind it. He had negative air yards per attempt in the first half and it was clear that the trust just wasn’t quite there for Uiagalelei.

We know how talented he is when he gets going, but this FSU offense looked dramatically different with Uiagalelei at QB. There’s a lack of creation capacity, he struggled to move quickly through his reads, and he was all too concerned with collapsing pockets than moving downfield through his progressions.

We’re not calling for it yet, but the ‘Noles may be in for a tough season in which some fans will start asking for a change at the QB position.

26) Kurtis Rourke | Indiana

The name flying under the radar the most in the Big Ten is absolutely Kurtis Rourke. Amidst all the turnover at Indiana, a veteran at the most important position was going to be pivotal for Curt Cignetti and Co. in 2024.

And that’s got to be one of the main reasons they secured Rourke’s services in the portal. The other reasons? Rourke’s just a dadgum winner.

Every year with Rourke at the helm, Ohio was a threat to win the MAC. In fact, had he remained healthy in each of the past two seasons, Rourke and the Bobcats probably would have had back-to-back MAC titles to show for it.

When push comes to shove, Rourke is a dynamic athlete with the ball in his hands. He’ll easily find his targets downfield, both from a throw power and throw accuracy standpoint. If pressure gets to him, Rourke is among the nation’s best at handling it.

During a time of a complete roster makeover for the Hoosiers, Rourke is the perfect type of quarterback and leader to help usher in the Cignetti Era of Indiana Football.

25) Thomas Castellanos | Boston College

Everyone will remember Thomas Castellanos’ rushing ability that he showcased a year ago. But few will remember some of his dominant downfield passing and accurate shots to every level of the field.

And in Bill O’Brien’s offense at BC this fall, it’s safe to say that Castellanos will need to unleash more of those efficient shots than ever before. Good thing for BC fans, however, is the fact that Castellanos improved in seemingly every game from the pocket.

When push comes to shove, however, if BC needs a big play, it’ll be Castellanos giving it to them. He toted the rock over 200 times for over 1,200 yards a year ago, and it seemed like he barely broke a sweat while doing so.

Finding that natural rhythm between a natural passer and dominant rusher will be key for his development and BC’s success this season.

24) Haynes King | Georgia Tech

Yes, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets completed the big-time upset over Florida State. And yes, Haynes King had ice in his veins at moments for the Jackets.

But this game was a dominant display of the staying power of the Georgia Tech offense as a whole more so than it was a great game from King. He had his moments — a brilliant third-down strike with a massive hit from Marvin Jones Jr. impending — but he also had some moments that he’s going to want back.

King wasn’t at his best, but he was effective enough in the passing game to get the job done and hang on to the victory. But his legs were the real deal-sealer in Week 0.

In total, King threw for 9.1 yards per attempt but ran for 54 big-time yards that either all seemed to clinch a first down or get the Yellow Jackets back on schedule in a big situation.

Zach Pyron got a snap on the first drive, prompting some to wonder whether or not a quarterback dilemma was appearing, but King is the top dog for a reason in Atlanta. He didn’t have to flex the speed he has, more so than his grit and determination against FSU, all traits he has in spades.

We’re not ready to crown this Georgia Tech team as anything other than a really good ACC team this season, but with King giving this team exactly what they need, when they need it, this team can go far.

23) Conner Weigman | Texas A&M

We were robbed of a potentially special season for Conner Weigman in 2023 after he sustained an injury against Auburn in Week 4 last season. Weigman was thought to have just minorly injured his foot in the second quarter against A&M’s game against the Tigers, after he gingerly limped back to the lineup.

But upon further examination, it was discovered Weigman had a broken bone in his foot and forced him to sit for the rest of the season. Amidst a wild time of turnover and change in College Station, Weigman’s return to the field in 2024 sparks the chance of hope for a new beginning and solid play from the most important position in team sports.

Weigman lit up the field to start the season for the Aggies a year ago. This came after he threw for nearly 900 yards as a true freshman in 2022. Combined, he’s thrown 16 touchdowns against just two interceptions in two seasons with the program, clearly looking the part in his sophomore season’s limited same size.

With great arm talent and well above-average athleticism, Weigman’s at his best from inside the pocket and deals well from all scenarios. He’s a tier below the rest of the top SEC QBs, for now, as the only thing remaining for him to vault up these rankings is his presence on the field and showing he’s shaken off the rust that may accompany such a long layoff.

22) Mikey Keene | Fresno State

The top returning quarterback to the Mountain West is undoubtedly Mikey Keene. Even amidst a coaching change, Keene could be considered the rock to usher this Fresno State team into the interim Tim Skipper era.

Keene has a decorated arm for his stature. No area of the field is out of reach, and no angle is off-limits for him to push the ball from. He’ll bounce around the pocket with ease, not letting pressure phase him in the slightest, and deliver accurate passes from within the structure or outside of it.

He’ll keep the offense on schedule more often than not, and has armor-piercing strength on the short and intermediate throws. Keene is a great progressive-read quarterback and despite a unique, sometimes elongated release, always gets his throws out and to the intended target on time.

Keene has game-take-over abilities with his arm talent and his leadership abilities all the same.

21) Byrum Brown | USF

A truly dynamic player with the ball in his hands, Byrum Brown, has the chance to bring USF back into the national limelight even further in 2024. He improved as a passer in 2023 in front of our eyes, following a tough three-game start to the year.

However, Brown is as dynamic as they come on the ground and makes no mistake about it. He’ll maximize every touch, whether that’s with his arm talent or on the ground if the play breaks down. In the designed run game, Brown is almost unstoppable and makes defenders look silly if they come at him with weak arm tackles or simply lack vision, as he’s elusive and strong at the point of attack.

Brown’s wide release is unique but allows him power on deep shots. He can truncate the release and snap the ball into tight windows almost all the same.

The only problem in Brown’s game at the moment was what can only be described as “yolo balls” and the fact that he threw too many of them. Living to play another down is an admirable trait, but also, not trying to be someone you’re not is key as well.

He can play within the structure of the offense very well, but when pressure comes in, Brown seemed to be too much in his head and too wary of scrambling rather than keeping his vision downfield and forcing throws too often last year.

There is immense talent and the good thing for USF fans is the fact that Brown’s flaws are coachable. The talent he possesses, however, is innate and cannot be coached, and few have.

20) Will Howard | Ohio State

It could be said that of all the veteran transfer quarterbacks this season, Will Howard stepped into the easiest gig in the country. The Ohio State offense, however, isn’t a cake walk and he’s had to prove his knowledge, football acumen, and leadership ability since he stepped foot on campus in Columbus.

In actuality, coach Ryan Day waited to publicly announce Howard as his starting quarterback until August 15, just nine days before the first Saturday of the college football season.

Howard, a decorated passer during his time at Kansas State, doesn’t get enough credit for his mobility. But that’s likely a testament to how passing ability, as that takes the cake when you talk about his game.

Somehow, even at 6’4″ and 237 pounds, Howard plays even bigger on the field. He’s a gunslinger by trade, but learned in multiple games last season at Kansas State when and where to pick his shots.

He thrives over the middle of the field, but should be able to improve his outside accuracy with the talented quartet of receivers he has at his disposal at Ohio State in 2024.

19) T.J. Finley | Western Kentucky

What a fit it is for T.J. Finley in the Tyson Helton/Will Friend offense at Western Kentucky. After finally finding his footing at Texas State, the non-serendipitous way that relationship ended this offseason spurned Finley to Bowling Green, and here we are with a potential CUSA-shattering QB-offensive-scheme combination.

Yes, Finley is a power thrower, a fastball thrower, maybe. But he’s more than that, and far more than his massive 6’7″ frame would indicate.

Finley knows when to take something off his fastballs and when to add touch or loft to his throws at every level of the field. He can drive on the ball and slam it into tight windows, or he can layer shots over defenders at the second level all the same.

Though he may stand in the pocket for a bit too long in pressured situations, Finley has no trouble batting away smaller rushers to create open throwing lanes under duress, or he can simply evade them and get enough yardage to save just about any play.

When it comes down to it, the quick game employed by WKU pits to Finley’s strength of being a first-read quarterback. Expect high completion percentage and a ton of success in the short to intermediate range while also watching for the inevitable deep ball downfield over cheating defenses.

18) Grayson McCall | NC State

A legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate year in and year out, Grayson McCall is back for one more season in the Carolinas, this time at NC State. The Real McCall himself will surpass 10,000 passing yards and 100 touchdowns this season with the Wolfpack despite a lackluster and injury-hampered 2023 season at Coastal Carolina.

McCall is one of the most accurate passers in college football history, and was always criminally underrated for his athleticism. He may not have that prototypical ‘NFL arm,’ but he showed he can certainly make those ‘NFL throws’ all the same.

Pushing the ball to the sidelines was one of his specialties during his time at Coastal, while also showing that he can keep his offense on schedule and find his intended targets over the middle all the same.

Again, like all quarterbacks, McCall can work on some things to round out his game, but finding holes in McCall’s game is a nitpicky exercise.

17) Dequan Finn | Baylor

If you don’t know who Dequan Finn is by now, you’ve either been living under a rock or not following College Football Network at all. That, or you didn’t watch any MACtion over the past five seasons.

Finn is a dynamo at the quarterback position, able to take over games in the blink of an eye. He’ll give the Baylor offense whatever it needs, whenever it needs it, as he has a keen understanding of game flow in addition to his fundamentally sound attributes.

He also registered the fastest speed in a game we saw from any quarterback last year. In a game-changing moment against UMass, he reached over 22 mph, rivaling the top speed we saw from Jason Bean at quarterback last year.

Finn is an accurate passer and threw for 22 touchdowns against just nine picks last year with Toledo. Considering the talent he had to work with, his elevation skills of those around him will pick up the Baylor pass catchers and potentially create mismatches all over the field.

16) Jalon Daniels | Kansas

Like many beleaguered quarterbacks, Jalon Daniels has just one lone item to be concerned with this season: his health. Missing time over the past two seasons has hindered his national perception, but when he’s on the field and at his best, Daniels is absolutely a Heisman contender.

Daniels has plus accuracy, plenty of arm talent, and improved decision-making in every season with Kansas. He was lighting up the field in 2022 and followed that up with a torrid start to the 2023 season before injury took the year from him.

He’s every bit an accurate ball thrower with incredible athleticism and awareness gifts. He’ll rebuild pockets or break contain with the best of them, and he started looking more downfield during scramble drills during the 2022 season turned him into a national sensation.

If he stays on the field and remains healthy, the Jayhawks have a chance to finally break through in the Big 12.

15) Preston Stone | SMU

It was an ugly start for the SMU Mustangs and, specifically, Preston Stone. During their Week 0 matchup with Nevada, Stone’s field rust was apparent in the early stages and only Kevin Jennings led a meaningful scoring drive in the first half for the Mustangs.

Stone played out of rhythm and looked incredibly hellbent on using every bit of his upper body strength on every throw. His first pass was intercepted on an underthrown deep shot, something that popped up on multiple occasions.

Jennings’ insertion into the lineup, however, was not about Stone’s play. And despite his success rate showing higher than Stone’s at the time, SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee stuck with his leading man at QB in the second half.

And in that second half, Stone played like the old version of himself, the one we’ve become accustomed to seeing. He lit up the field with fresh drive on his balls, adequate layering on deep shots, and a poise that saw the Mustangs come back with a relieved ease.

Stone’s preferred target may be one of the nation’s tight ends, and when throwing RJ Maryland’s way, it’s clear this duo has solid chemistry as Stone throws him open and Maryland understands how to navigate the field for his QB.

If the second half is how Stone plays the rest of the way through 2024, we’ll feel better about having ranked him so highly this preseason, as well as keeping him put after his season-opening performance.

14) Drew Allar | Penn State

Drew Allar took remarkably good care of the ball in 2023, tossing just two interceptions to his 25 touchdowns. And before you believe anyone says he didn’t test defenses downfield, they’re just flat-out wrong if they do. Sure, his average depth of target for the season was among the lower end of Big Ten QBs, but in games that actually required him to throw the ball (Indiana, Michigan State, Ohio State), Allar averaged well over 9.5 yards downfield per target and did so with great success.

He’s got a strong arm and a great sense of decision-making. No throw is out of reach for Allar and as he continued to gain confidence during his sophomore season, the benefits started showing themselves.

With prototypical size, Allar is a next-gen type dual-threat in today’s college football. He’ll bowl tacklers over when he takes off on scrambles, but also has no trouble in flashing some terrific creation skills inside the pocket to buy himself more time for passing lanes to open.

And when those passing lanes open, there are few better in the country who can rifle accurate shots into even the tightest of windows than Allar.

13) Kyron Drones | Virginia Tech

As one of the most talented quarterbacks in the country, Kyron Drones seems to be completely underrated by the national audience. Transferring in from Baylor a season ago, it took Drones all of two weeks to earn the starting gig with the Hokies in 2023.

And after an initial wake-up call to ACC play, Drones shook off the rust and began to play some of the best football in the conference to close out the season. Included in a final four-game stretch last season, Drones threw for 10 touchdowns against just one interception, flashing with his arm just like he did with his legs last season.

He has terrific size and incredible shiftiness when Drones breaks contain and scrambles, or just simply buys time in the pocket with his creation capacity. He’ll maintain vision downfield like the best of them, but if the play calls for it and he takes off, defenses have an incredible time bringing him to the ground.

Stepping up his game from a pure passing standpoint is the only step in his game toward complete elite elevation.

12) Cam Ward | Miami

An absolutely brilliant pick up in the transfer portal, Cam Ward comes fully equipped with the abilities to help take Miami to the top of the table in the ACC. Ward is one of the country’s most experienced quarterbacks just as he is one of the most talented.

His high level of play warrants first-round NFL Draft consideration and brings with him highlight-reel-worthy moments at every turn. Ward can hit each level of the field with accuracy and pace, routinely throwing his receivers open or dotting accurate passes past defenders with ease.

One critique, however, has plagued Ward’s career to date, including both years at Incarnate Word and at Washington State. And that’s simply put: his ball security.

Not just with errant throws or poor decisions, but with his ball security when he breaks contain or scrambles, he is far too frequently putting the ball in harm’s way.

If head coach Mario Cristobal has recognized such a concern and helped Ward work on his ball security, the sky is the limit for the Hurricanes.

11) Jordan McCloud | Texas State

There isn’t much more that we can say about Jordan McCloud’s dominant season a year ago with JMU. The much-traveled quarterback finally found a home in Harrisonburg and rewarded the Dukes with a dominant campaign that saw him throw for 35 touchdowns against just 10 interceptions and turn the Dukes into a national power.

Now, after the changes at JMU, McCloud was sent looking for a friendly place to call home late in the portal season. Thankfully for college football fans, the situation at Texas State got murky with a former Arizona QB and TJ Finley, so a marquee opening happened to find a suitable replacement with McCloud.

GJ Kinne’s new quarterback could have a potentially dominant year all the same, albeit in a slightly different offensive system than McCloud saw his most success from a season ago. If Kinne’s offense can pit to McCloud’s strengths, of which there are many, this team can not only dominate the Sun Belt this year, they can challenge for the Group of Five’s presence in the College Football Playoffs.

And that sums up just how good McCloud was a year ago and where his ceiling now is.

10) Shedeur Sanders | Colorado

What more to say about Shedeur Sanders this preseason that hasn’t been said? There isn’t much, except shed light on just what kind of a passer he is.

When he wasn’t running for his life (which was quite often), Sanders diced up defenses. In fact, on throws that he didn’t face pressure, Sanders was a perfect 18-0 in terms of touchdown-to-interception ratio. He has the pure arm talent to hit every level of the field with incredible accuracy and more than enough elusiveness in the pocket to get around and buy time, the latter of which was evidenced in every single game last year.

Sanders is a dynamic thrower who can hit his receivers in stride from various angles. He’ll push the ball forward and drive on throws that need him to do such a thing, or take plenty off some throws to aid his pass catchers underneath.

He’s the real deal at quarterback when he’s kept clean from pressure. And it’s clear that that was the main initiative this offseason in Boulder.

9) Seth Henigan | Memphis

In a class of his own, Seth Henigan could set even more records in 2024 with the Memphis Tigers. After setting career-highs in every passing metric a season ago, Henigan reached the next echelon in terms of national notoriety and in the Tigers’ record books.

After setting the new record for passing yards in a career, Henigan enters this season on the precipice of setting new marks in just about every other career metric with Memphis in terms of quarterbacking. He’s 11 passing touchdowns away from Brady White’s career mark of 90 and just nine total touchdowns away from White’s 97 total touchdowns.

As impressive of a three-year career as anywhere in the country, Henigan’s elite level of play starter back in 2021 as a true freshman and stands as a testament to his overall talent and ability to improve his game year in and year out. He’s a big-armed signal-caller with no fear and a sharp ability to read defenses.

When push comes to shove, Henigan makes the right decision more often than not, and has a creation capacity unlike most big-armed QBs of his stature. He’s much more nimble than he’s given credit for, and he uses that to his advantage to stave off pressure better than most quarterbacks in the country.

Henigan isn’t afraid of pressure, almost welcoming it at times wit his ability to stand tall, evade rushers, and rebuild pockets coming naturally. There isn’t a level of the field that’s out of reach for Henigan either and his arm talent overall is among the nation’s best.

8) Quinn Ewers | Texas

Staying healthy is the long bugaboo on Quinn Ewers’ resume, but when he’s on top of his game, there are only a handful of quarterbacks in recent years that can go throw-for-throw with the Longhorn signal-caller.

Ewers has touch and accuracy, poise and power, in addition to his leadership qualities that show up quite often. He’ll drop downfield dimes or push the ball in the quick game with the same kind of success.

Making matters more in his favor, Ewers took the proverbial next step in 2023, diagnosing coverages and blitzes seemingly at will during the pre-snap process. Staying on the field and playing consistent football in the process is the only thing Ewers needed to improve on if the Longhorns want to process past the opening round of the Playoffs.

7) Noah Fifita | Arizona

Yes, the top returning quarterback to the Big 12 is actually entering the Big 12 for the first time this season. Noah Fifita leads the Arizona Wildcats into their first season in the conference and on the heels of a truly special 2023 campaign.

Fifita turned it on down the stretch of the season last year, dominating and taking over games at every turn. He has a big arm and is no stranger to dropping dimes 40 or 50 yards downfield just as he was peppering lasers to the outside in the smallest of windows.

He throws his receivers open at every level and was dominant over the middle of the field a year ago. It certainly helps to have a receiver like Tetairoa McMillan, but even someone like McMillan benefited from Fifita’s abilities.

Playing much larger than his actual stature, Fifita is a Heisman contender because of his all-around ability as a passer, athlete, and elevator of talent around him.

6) Kaidon Salter | Liberty

Superlatives don’t quite do justice the game that Kaidon Salter presents. The Liberty QB blew the doors off the competition in 2023, lighting defenses on fire with his rare blend of speed and athleticism with downfield accuracy and down-for-down consistency.

Salter is a purebred athlete with elite skills as a runner. Yet, the name of the game for Salter is stand tall in the pocket and dice up opposing defenses with his elite arm talent.

When all was said and done last season, Salter ran for 12 touchdowns and threw for another 32. He threw for nearly 3,000 yards and rushed for over 1,000 more.

Some of his finest work was done under duress, but the marquee moments of Salter’s game came when he stood tall in the pocket and dished out accurate deep bomb after accurate deep bomb in 2023. He utilized his unique rushing ability to force defenses to cheat up, and knew when to exploit them, lifting the lid on multiple occasions in every game.

Salter is one of the best overall quarterbacks returning to college football, if not the most dynamic, and gives Liberty a realistic chance to win every game on their schedule this season.

5) Brady Cook | Missouri

It’s an amazing conference of quarterback play if Brady Cook lands fourth in the SEC QB Rankings. Considering what Cook returns — not just his on-field ability — it’d be no surprise to see him lead the way in the SEC before the season’s over.

Cook has two seasons of documented ability at finding his receivers over the middle of the field and driving the ball downfield. His ability to accurately place his passes to every level is uncanny and Cook has plenty of arm strength to spot his receivers downfield just the same.

With Kirby Moore his OC once again and the best receiver in college football returning on the outside, the Cook-Burden-Moore ticket is the one you want to back in 2024.

4) Jaxson Dart | Ole Miss

Another year of Jaxson Dart in college football is a gift for us all. Dart has immaculate control over his off-speed passes while also possessing a unique ability to drive on his short and underneath throws without losing any accuracy.

But for Dart, the name of the game has been dispersal and his ability to find his receivers in even the slightest of windows that opens eyes from national pundits as it does fans of the Rebels.

He’ll spot his receivers open at the blink of an eye and make snap decisions that are usually the correct call. Dart was no stranger to throwing his receivers open a season ago and with another offseason in the system and even more weapons to play with in 2024, the sky truly is the limit.

3) Jalen Milroe | Alabama

Similar to Beck at Georgia, Jalen Milroe had to deal with some early-season adversity, though Milroe’s was in Week 3 as opposed to Beck’s offseason battle. Milroe went from a benching in Week 3 to lighting the SEC on fire with his dynamic ability within the Alabama offense.

His arm talent has been well documented, but it’s his ability to process from inside the pocket that improved in front of our eyes a year ago. Milroe may have the strongest arm in college football and may be the fastest quarterback in the game all the same.

It’s that rare dual-threat ability that he possesses that makes him a hard quarterback to contain. Putting him in Kalen DeBoer’s offensive system should frighten any defensive coordinator that has to face the Crimson Tide this season.

2) Carson Beck | Georgia

We’ve come a long way since the start of last season in terms of the quarterback situation in Athens. It seems downright crazy to think that we had somewhat of a QB battle entering fall camp last year for Georgia.

With every passing down last season, however, it was apparent the battle was always Carson Beck’s to win. He not only won that battle, he took the proverbial bull by the horns and led the Bulldogs to a handful of plays away from going for the three-peat.

The end of the season notwithstanding, Beck was terrific in 2023. He lit up the field with touch, accuracy, poise, keen decisions, and brilliant arm talent to every level of the field. Beck throws with such anticipation, at times you’ll think he’s making the wrong read, only to see the ball perfectly placed into his receiver’s hands.

Over the middle or pushing it to the sidelines, Beck is the SEC’s top quarterback and one of the best in the entire nation.

1) Dillon Gabriel | Oregon

A class of his own, Dillon Gabriel is not only the most proven quarterback returning to college football in 2024, he’s arguably the best at any number of quarterbacking facets. You name it, Gabriel’s likely the leader in the clubhouse as the best in the country or deserving of his place among the best.

Downfield outside the numbers? Gabriel’s the best.

Pocket presence? Gabriel’s the best.

Creation capacity? Gabriel’s the best.

The list goes on and on. Simply put, inside the Oregon Ducks offense, Gabriel could not only have a career year but also set NCAA records for yards in a career.

As talented as he is, Gabriel has also proven everyone wrong at every stop along his collegiate journey, and he comes fully equipped to be prepared as anyone has been in the transfer portal era to take over from the get-go and surpass even the loftiest of expectations in his first and only year in Eugene.

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