One of the top discussions this time of year is which conference has the better quarterbacks. The topic is a good one, but it isn’t an easy task. So, I’ll break it down by conference and then list an overall ranking. Of course, everyone has their own ideas and reasonings on this.
I won’t list and rank all the QBs for each conference, but I’ll list the upper half. Then I’ll do an overall ranking.
B1G
- Drew Allar, Penn State
- Luke Altmyer, Illinois
- Dante Moore, Oregon
- Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
- Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
- Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
- Jayden Maiava, USC
- Aiden Chiles, Michigan State
- Mark Gronkowski, Iowa
- Julian Sayin, Ohio State
SEC
- Garret Nussmeier, LSU
- Arch Manning, Texas
- LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
- John Mateer, Oklahoma
- Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
- DJ Lagway, Florida
- Gunnar Stockton, Florida
- Austin Simmons, Ole Miss
- Taylen Green, Arkansas
- Joey Aguliar, Tennessee
ACC
- Kade Klubnik, Clemson
- Haynes King, Georgia Tech
- Kevin Jennings, SMU
- Carson Beck, Miami
- Miller Moss, Louisville
- Darin Mensah, Duke
- Thomas Castellanos, Florida State
- Grayson James, Boston College
- CJ Carr, Notre Dame
Big XII
- Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
- Josh Hoover, TCU
- Rocco Becht, Iowa State
- Jake Retzlaff, BYU
- Avery Johnson, Kansas State
- Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
- Jalon Daniels, Kansas
- Behren Morton, Texas Tech
- Devin Dampier, Utah
Overall Ranking
- Cade Klubnik, Clemson – Klubnik goes into his fourth season expected to once again make a significant jump statistically. If so, he will be a projected number one NFL draft pick. With a record of 19-9 and taking Clemson deep into the playoffs last season, expectations are high and with good reason.
- Garret Nussmeier, LSU – Like Allar in the B1G, Nussmeier is far and away the best QB in the SEC. He’s put up big numbers and is a leading candidate for the Heisman. He alone will keep LSU in the conference title race.
- Drew Allar, Penn State – Allar is the easy choice at number one. He has started 39 games, passed for over 6,000 yards, rushed for another 400 yards and totaled 64 TDs. Stats like that with Andy Kotelnicki as his OC, a powerful running game and an improved receiving group should make Penn State a national champion threat.
- Arch Manning, Texas – People are quick to point out Manning couldn’t beat out Quinn Ewers for the starting spot. But Manning and Ewers are two different QBs with Manning being more mobile, which would have changed Texas’s offensive scheme. Besides, Ewers was good enough to take Texas deep into the playoffs in both years as a starter. Manning is every bit as good if not better than Ewers and Texas won’t drop off in the slightest.
- Sam Leavitt, Arizona State – While Levitt was highly sought after coming out of the transfer portal, he wasn’t on anyone’s radar for the 2024 season. He exceeded all expectations leading Arizona State to a Big XII title. If he continues to improve, he could become a top NFL draft pick.
- Luke Altmyer, Illinois – Altmyer has played in 31 games between Ole Miss and Illinois and is better than he is given credit for, he plays within himself and understands Illinois’s offensive scheme not trying to do too much.
- LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina – Sellers is a dynamic QB who is physical and has proven he knows what it takes to win. Throwing for 2,534 yards and rushing for another 674yards with 25 TDs, he truly is a dual threat.
- Dante Moore, Oregon – Moore threw for 1,600 yards and 11 TDs as a freshman at UCLA. Last season he had the opportunity to sit a year behind Dillion Gabriel and learn the offense. This season he should be ready, and Oregon’s offense is a good fit.
- John Mateer, Oklahoma – Mateer started for two seasons at Washington State before following OC Ben Arbuckle to Oklahoma. Under Arbuckle Mateer passed and rushed for over 4,000 yards and 45 TDs. He’ll be surrounded by better talent at Oklahoma and should excel.
- Kevin Jennings, SMU – Jennings has 13 career starts at SMU and led them to a CFP birth in SMU’s first season in the ACC. He averaged 245 yards passing per game and should only get better with another year of experience. He is one of the top QBs in the ACC.
- Dylan Raiola, Nebraska – Raiola looks to take the next step in his second year and is due to have a breakout season under OC Dana Holgorsen. Passing for 2,819 yards and 13 TDs last season his numbers should improve with added receiver talent. However, taking fewer sacks and eliminating turnovers is a must.
- Nico Iamaleava, UCLA – Iamaleava’s athletic talent showed as he led Tennessee to the playoffs. But he’s starting over at UCLA, and he’ll have to do more with less to get winning results.
- Rocco Becht, Iowa State – Becht comes in as a third-year starter with a record of 17-8 over the last two seasons. He’s known for his consistency and with a win over Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl he comes in with plenty of momentum and confidence.
- Haynes King, Georgia Tech – Georgia Tech has been headed in the right direction since King’s arrival from Texas A&M. The sixth-year Senior returns for his third season as the starter. King had a good season in 2024 despite struggling with a shoulder injury. Even then he still threw for over 300 yards and rushed for 110 as he almost led the Yellow Jackets to an overtime victory over Georgia.
- Carson Beck, Miami – Beck reset the NIL QB market when he left Georgia for Miami in the portal. Becks’ numbers declined from 2023 to 2024 without talented receivers like Brock Bowers. And while Miami has a good offensive line, the receiving talent isn’t any better than what he struggled with last season at Georgia. Beck suffered an elbow injury during the playoffs last season and missed spring ball but should be ready for the fall.
- Jake Retzlaff, BYU – Retzlaff led BYU to an 11-2 season in his first year as a starter, throwing for 2,947 yards and 20 TDs. Expectations are those number will get even better with an improved BYU talent level in 2025.
- Fernando Mendoza, Indiana – Mendoza played 20 games at Cal and threw for 4,712 yards and 30 TDs. He is a proven QB and Cignetti knows how to use talent. Rourke led Indiana to an 11-win season and Mendoza is a better talent. His addition should allow Cignetti to continue to boast, “All I do is win, Google me.”
- Josh Hoover, TCU – With Hoover leading the Horned Frogs to four consecutive victories in the four games and passing for over almost 4,000 yards and 27 TDs in only his second season, expectations are high. If he can take another step forward, TCU could be dangerous in the Big XII title race.
- DJ Lagway, Florida – Lagway’s freshman numbers aren’t going to blow anybody away, however he led Florida to four straight wins to end the season. Two of those were over LSU and Ole Miss. With his talent and leadership, he perhaps should be higher on the list.
- Jayden Maiava, USC – Maiava passed for 3,085 yards and 17 TDs as a freshman at UNLV before transferring to USC. He then took over for a benched Miller Moss and performed at an acceptable level in seven games, throwing for 1,200 yards, 11 TDs and 6 interceptions. With USC having a loaded receiving crew look for further improvement.
- Avery Johnson, Kansas State – Johnson flashed enough brilliance in his freshman season for Kansas State to send Will Howard to Ohio State. However, Johnson went through somewhat of a sophomore slump in a hit and miss season. Johnson has a strong arm and the ability to run, but he is prone to mistakes. He’ll need to work on ball security to improve on last season.
- Aiden Chiles, Michigan State – Chiles has talent and has excelled at both Oregon State and now Michigan State starting 21 games. Throwing for 2,724 yards and 17 TD’s last season he’ll continue to get better under head coach Johnathan Smith.
- Miller Moss, Louisville – Moss started 10 games at USC before being benched and hitting the transfer portal. He will attempt to get back on track at Louisville under HC Jeff Brohm who sent his last three QBs to the NFL. Moss was higher rated than all three of those QBs coming out of high school. Look for Moss to have a good enough season to also get a look from the NFL.
- Mark Gronkowski, Iowa – Gronkowski is a proven winner with a record of 49-6 in four seasons at South Dakota State. He led the Jackrabbits to two national titles and was twice named Offensive Player of the Year. He is the most talented QB Iowa has had in years. Think Cam Ward going from Incarnate Word to Miami.
- Marcel Reed, Texas A&M – Reed didn’t enter last season as the starter but found himself on the field for ten games. HC Mike Elko believes in Reed after he rushed for at least 60 yards in five games and had six multi-touchdown passing games. He may be the best dual threat QB in the SEC, and that’s saying a lot.
It’s safe to say people won’t agree with my ranking, and that’s okay. I might change my mind on some of these tomorrow. But out of the gate, I like what I’ve got.
For more on Husker football go to Off The Cob