2024 Quarterback Unit Rankings: With Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning, Texas leads Top 10
With spring practice in the books and the second transfer portal window closed, it’s time to kickstart our summer series evaluating 2024 positional unit rankings.
Naturally, quarterbacks take the spotlight on Day 1.
Managing a quarterback room has never been trickier in today’s transfer portal era.
Guys want to play. Immediately. So depth, even at the best programs, is rather rare. However, Oregon and Georgia have both taken unique approaches to building its quarterback rooms, while Ohio State and Texas have done a nice job stockpiling blue-chip talent — and then keeping them in town.
Notably, this is not a ranking of the top individual quarterbacks in 2024.
Shedeur Sanders might be among the best next season. Same for Noah Fifita. But the depth behind the two Big 12 gunslingers is iffy.
With that, the Top 10 quarterback rooms in 2024:
1. Texas
Steve Sarkisian is blessed with the best quarterback situation in America in 2024: He has a Top 5 starter in Quinn Ewers, who has the talent to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
He then has Arch Manning waiting in the wings, and the former top recruit could be an X-factor for the Longhorns this fall if Ewers, who has missed games the last two seasons, gets hurt. Even freshman signee Trey Owens looked promising in Texas’ spring game.
2. Ohio State
Somehow, the Buckeyes exited the second portal window with all five scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. Will Howard and Devin Brown are competing for the starting job, while 5-star freshman transfer Julian Sayin is nipping at their heels for playing time, too.
Lincoln Kienholz remains a developmental option, and 5-star freshman Air Noland could vie for the QB1 role in 2025 if he’s able to push Sayin.
Ryan Day must decide who his guy is going to be in Ohio State’s all-in 2024 season, but flush with options, it’s a problem most every other coach in the country wishes they had.
3. Oregon
The Ducks lost two-year starter Bo Nix, who was 22-5 at Oregon, and former top recruit Ty Thompson to a transfer, yet their quarterback room is as healthy as ever with the addition of veteran starter Dillon Gabriel, former 5-star UCLA transfer Dante Moore and 4-star freshman Luke Moga.
Thus far, Oregon has also managed to hold onto Austin Novosad — a promising redshirt freshman Dan Lanning flipped from Baylor in the 2023 cycle.
Gabriel, who led the Big 12 in passing and touchdowns in 2023 at Oklahoma, should put up monster numbers in Will Stein’s offense, with Moore and Novosad battling for the backup role and job in 2025.
4. Georgia
Carson Beck might be the No. 1 quarterback in the country in 2024, and while the the Bulldogs don’t have a definitive No. 2 just yet, they have quality options in redshirt sophomore Gunner Stockton (three years in the system) and recent transfer addition Jaden Rashada.
Rashada spent last season starting a handful of games at Arizona State, but the former 4-star quarterback is willingly taking a developmental season before battling with Stockton and freshman Ryan Puglisi for the starting gig next fall.
5. Alabama
Had Alabama not lost 5-star Julian Sayin to Ohio State, the Tide’s quarterback room might rank only behind Texas in 2024.
Jalen Milroe is back and is a potential Heisman Trophy contender, while Kalen DeBoer brought former 4-star Washington signee Austin Mack with him to Tuscaloosa. Ty Simpson, a former 5-star who had a strong spring, is still around, as is Dylan Lonergan, who was also highly recruited and generated some buzz last summer.
6. Notre Dame
The Irish have to feel good about their quarterback room entering 2024, as Marcus Freeman has a potential veteran starter in Duke transfer Riley Leonard plus two talented underclassmen in CJ Carr and Steve Angeli, both of whom made waves this spring with Leonard sidelined recovering from ankle surgery.
7. Ole Miss
Ole Miss has a solid stable of quarterbacks led by former USC 5-star Jaxson Dart, who is the Rebels’ cemented starter and one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC in 2024. Behind Dart, Lane Kiffin could turn to former LSU transfer Walker Howard or Austin Simmons if need be.
It will be interesting to see how Kiffin navigates the post-Dart world next season, but for now, Ole Miss’ quarterback room ranks among the best in the country.
8. LSU
LSU lost Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels, but the Tigers have kept Garrett Nussmeier around for a reason and the country will see why this fall. Just in case, Brian Kelly added some interesting insurance to the QB room as well, grabbing Vandy transfer AJ Swann (27 touchdowns, nine picks in his career).
9. Florida
The Gators have one of the more intriguing quarterback situations in 2024. Graham Mertz returns, and the former Wisconsin transfer was much better than most expected last season (20 touchdowns to just three interceptions, 73% completion).
Still, waiting in the wings is 5-star freshman DJ Lagway, who opted to hold his commitment to Billy Napier despite the head coach’s much-rumored hot seat. Lagway impressed in the spring and could push for playing time early in 2024 — despite Mertz’s strong debut season in Gainesville just a year ago.
10. Texas A&M
The Aggies have one of the wilder ceiling-to-floor quarterback rooms in the country this fall. Mike Elko inherited a trio of potential high-upside arms … but minimal overall experience.
Connor Weigman has struggled to stay healthy for two seasons, but when available, the former 5-star recruit has flashed the talent to be the best quarterback in College Station since Johnny Manziel. Jaylen Henderson and Marcel Reed, two former blue-chip signees, put up big numbers (nearly 10.0 yards per attempt) in relief.