Projecting The Top Ten Quarterbacks For The 2024 College Football Season
As the 2024 season approaches, now is the perfect time to talk about the top returning quarterbacks in college football. We've got four SEC quarterbacks, three Big 12 quarterbacks, one Big Ten quarterback, one ACC quarterback, and one C-USA quarterback on this list.
Narrowing the list to ten quarterbacks was hard, so we have a few honorable mentions. Let's look at my honorable mentions and top ten quarterbacks for the 2024 NCAA season.
Honorable Mentions
Drew Allar, Penn St
Cam Rising, Utah
Brady Cook, Missouri
Will Howard, Ohio St
Byrum Brown, South Florida
Seth Henigan, Memphis
Joey Aguilar, App State
Jordan McCloud, Texas St
10. Garrett Greene, West Virginia
2023 Stats: 2,406 yards passing, 16 TD passes, 4 INTs, 772 yards rushing, 13 TD Rushes, 75.8 QBR.
Garrett Greene is the most underrated quarterback in the country. He's a weapon with his legs, rushing for 13 touchdowns, the most of any quarterback and the sixth most rushing yards by a quarterback last season. While his legs are a big part of his game, he has one of the best deep balls in the nation, posting an FBS-high 10.2% big-time throw rate per PFF, and is elite at extending the play.
9. Cam Ward, Miami
2023 Stats: 3,735 yards passing, 25 TD passes, 6 INTs, 144 yards rushing, 8 TD rushes, 65.2 QBR.
Cam Ward had a very eventful offseason. He entered the transfer portal from Washington State and entered his name into the NFL Draft. After a few months, he withdrew his name and decided to transfer to Miami. At Miami, Ward will have the best-supporting cast he's had as a college quarterback, with Hurricanes' leading receiver Xavier Restrepo, who had the ninth-most returning receiving yards in the nation, leading the way. If Ward can develop more consistent play, he can help Miami make the College Football Playoff.
8. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
2023 Stats: 3,230 yards passing, 27 TD passes, 3 INTs, -77 yards rushing, 4 TD rushes, 63.1 QBR.
Shedeur Sanders was one of the most pressured quarterbacks in the country, being pressured on 39.9% of his dropbacks. Despite the pressure, he took care of the ball, posting a 1.6% turnover-worthy play rate. He set the record for Colorado's single-game passing record (510 yards) vs. TCU, set a single-season Colorado passing record (3,230 yards), and threw 27 touchdowns, just one shy of the school record.
7. Kaidon Salter, Liberty
2023 Stats: 2,876 yards passing, 32 TD passes, 6 INTs, 1,089 yards rushing, 12 TD rushes, 83.7 QBR.
It's hard to believe that people don't think Kaidon Salter is a top-ten quarterback in the country. He finished sixth in passing touchdowns and was the only quarterback outside Jayden Daniels to rush for over 1,000 yards, all while leading Liberty to a 13-1 record. Salter is in a prime position to lead the Flames to the 12-team College Football Playoff.
6. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
2023 Stats: 3,364 yards passing, 23 TD passes, 5 INTs, 391 yards rushing, 8 TD rushes, 78.5 QBR.
Jaxson Dart had the best season of his career last year, posting career highs in yards, touchdowns, and completion percentage while cutting his interceptions in half and leading Ole Miss to a bowl win over Penn State, giving Ole Miss its first 11-win season in the program history. Receiver Tre Harris, who led the Rebels in receiving yards last season, Jordan Watkins, and Peach Bowl MVP tight end Caden Prieskorn are all set to return, giving Dart plenty of weapons to build off his 2023 season. The Rebels, with Dart and the returning production, have every reason to make the College Football Playoff.
5. Noah Fifita, Arizona
2023 Stats: 2,869 yards passing, 25 TD passes, 6 INTS, -33 yards rushing, 0 TD rushes, 83.8 QBR.
Noah Fifita took over as the starter in week five against Washington after Arizona's starting quarterback, Jayden De Laura, suffered an ankle injury in week four against Stanford. Things didn't start well for Fifita, losing back-to-back games to Washington and USC before seven straight wins, ending the season with a win over Oklahoma in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Fifita recorded 2,265 yards and 17 touchdowns in that seven-game stretch with only four interceptions. He also has running mate wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan returning, who has the second-most returning receiving yards in the nation.
4. Jalen Milroe, Alabama
2023 Stats: 2,834 yards passing, 23 TD passes, 6 INTs, 531 yards rushing, 12 TD rushes, 80.5 QBR.
Jalen Milroe was benched after Alabama's week two loss to Texas. After that, Milroe looked like a different quarterback. From week four, he passed for 2,385 yards and eighteen touchdowns, adding 439 yards and ten touchdowns on the ground. The biggest question is: how will he adjust to the new coaching staff led by Kalen DeBoer? If he continues improving his ability to read defenses and execute short-to-intermediate passes, along with his exceptional mobility and deep ball, the sky is the limit.
3. Quinn Ewers, Texas
2023 Stats: 3,479 yards passing, 22 TD passes, 6 INTs, 75 yards rushing, 5 TD rushes, 78.3 QBR.
Quinn Ewers had a strong 2023 campaign, passing for 3,479 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions, leading Texas to its first 12-win season since 2009, only dropping games to Oklahoma and Washington in the College Football Playoff. Ewers has the job of steering the Texas offense in its transition to the SEC with games against Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, Texas A&M, and out-of-conference Michigan.
2. Carson Beck, Georgia
2023 Stats: 3,941 yards passing, 24 TD passes, 6 INTs, 116 yards rushing, 4 TD rushes, 85.2 QBR.
After waiting for three seasons behind Stetson Bennett and JT Daniels, Carson Beck got the chance to be a full-time starter and didn't disappoint. He led the Bulldogs to an undefeated regular season and was one game away from the College Football Playoff while passing for an SEC-high 3,941 yards and 24 touchdown passes. Carson Beck is a Heisman favorite and has all the talent around him needed to win the award.
1. Dillion Gabriel, Oregon
2023 Stats: 3,660 yards passing, 30 TD passes, 6 INTs, 373 yards rushing, 12 TD rushes, 87.0 QBR.
Dillon Gabriel is about to start his sixth season in college football and is currently playing for his third team. He spent three seasons at UCF and two seasons at Oklahoma. Last season, Gabriel ranked in the top ten in both yards and touchdowns, making him the only quarterback on this list to achieve this. He currently holds the eighth position in career passing yards with 14,865 yards and is only 4,352 yards away from breaking the record held by Case Keenum, who had 19,217 yards. Since former Oregon quarterback Bo Nix passed for 4,508 yards last season, it seems possible for Gabriel to set the all-time passing yards record. Achieving this would significantly increase his chances of becoming the second Oregon player to win the Heisman Trophy.
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