Preseason Big Ten Quarterback Power Rankings

While training camp isn’t over yet, and quarterback competitions are still roaring, there’s a good bit of clarity of who will be starting under center in a new-look Big Ten this season.

It’s never too early to fire up a power ranking for the most important position in one of the sport’s most important conferences. I’m going 1-18, ranking each of the projected starting quarterbacks in the Big Ten. Remember, this is a power ranking, meaning it’s a fluid ranking based on recent history and potential — so, yes, players will absolutely move up and down the ladder throughout the season, weekly even.

Alright, let’s get into it.

1. DILLON GABRIEL (OREGON)

Aside from being undersized, Dillon Gabriel is everything you’d want in a college quarterback. For one, the former UCF and Oklahoma star is accurate to all three levels of the field: Gabriel was one of four players nationally last year to connect on at least 30 passes traveling 20-plus yards downfield while also posting a completion percentage of at least 50% in that depth, per Pro Football Focus. What’s more, Gabriel can make things happen with his legs — he scored a career-high 12 rushing touchdowns in 2023.

2. DREW ALLAR (PENN STATE)

While Gabriel is the ideal college quarterback, Penn State’s Drew Allar is the kind of quarterback that makes NFL scouts salivate. Allar has prototypical size for the position, standing 6-foot-5, 238 pounds. He has high-level arm talent and processing ability, however, he’s yet to reach his potential. Although he registered an impressive 25:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio last year, he completed just 59.9% of his passes, including only 30.6% of his 20-plus-air-yard attempts, per PFF.

3. WILL HOWARD (OHIO STATE)

Will Howard did a lot with a little at Kansas State. For instance, he never had a wideout with more than 725 receiving yards in a single season during his four years with the Wildcats. But Howard is coming off a 2023 campaign in which he totaled 33 touchdowns, including nine on the ground. Now clocking in at 6-foot-4, 233 pounds, he’s a true dual threat, something Ohio State hasn’t leaned on since Justin Fields in 2020. If Howard cuts down on mistakes — he had 10 interceptions last season — and develops mechanically, he could significantly boost his draft stock this year with the Buckeyes. He still has to be named the starter over redshirt sophomore Devin Brown, but that feels like a “when not if” situation.

4. WILL ROGERS (WASHINGTON)

Will Rogers is the No. 2 all-time leading passer in SEC history. He’s got 38 career starts under his belt, too. Don’t read too much into his statistical dip last year. Not only was he limited by a shoulder injury, but he was also operating a new, more balanced offense in 2023 than the “Air Raid” system he executed so well under the late Mike Leach. Rogers is a point guard with the ball in his hand. He gets it out quick and throws in rhythm. He may not have the strongest arm, but his back-to-back seasons of 35-plus touchdown passes in 2021 and 2022 are evidence of steady production.

5. MILLER MOSS (USC)

Miller Moss has the near impossible task of filling the shoes of Heisman winner and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. At the moment, Moss doesn’t look like he’s the generational talent Williams clearly is, except, who does? And, besides, there’s no denying the brilliance of Moss’ Holiday Bowl performance against Louisville when he tossed six touchdowns and piled up 372 yards through the air. Moss has only 92 career passing attempts, so his story has yet to be written. He’ll have the weapons around him at USC this season, namely speedy wideout Zachariah Branch, to put up more good numbers in 2024.

6. DYLAN RAIOLA (NEBRASKA)

Dylan Raiola has an opportunity to end Nebraska’s bowl drought, and accomplish so much more in the Big Ten, during his first season of college football. He hasn’t been named the starter yet, although all signs point to the former five-star+ prospect earning QB1 status in Lincoln. Raiola hopped from high school to high school and at different points was committed to Ohio State and Georgia. Cornhuskers fans hope he’ll stick around and help head coach Matt Rhule orchestrate another program turnaround. Raiola can make all types of throws from different arm slots, and he’s physically developed to play right away.

7. AIDAN CHILES (MICHIGAN STATE)

Jonathan Smith is one of the brightest offensive minds in college football. The new Michigan State head coach brought over one of his quarterbacks from Oregon State, Aidan Chiles, to lead the Spartans in Year 1, and perhaps beyond. Chiles was the No. 12 quarterback in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. Another dual threat, the Long Beach, California, native can make opponents pay with both a live arm and powerful legs. Last year, while backing up D.J. Uiagalelei, Chiles completed 24-of-35 passes (68.6%) with no picks while totaling seven touchdowns (four passing, three rushing).

8. TYLER VAN DYKE (WISCONSIN)

Tyler Van Dyke can climb this list if he’s the best version of himself. That’s a big “if,” though, because, after an ACC Rookie of the Year redshirt freshman campaign that saw him throw 25 touchdowns only six interceptions, he’s struggled to achieve the same level of success the last two seasons. Van Dyke dealt with injury issues in 2022 and then had a brutal five-game stretch in 2023 when he accounted for 10 of his 12 interceptions on the year. Now he’s in an “Air Raid” Wisconsin offense that didn’t take off in the first year of the Luke Fickell-Phil Longo, head coach-offensive coordinator partnership.

9. HUDSON CARD (PURDUE)

Could Hudson Card break out his second year under offensive coordinator Graham Harrell? That’s the question. Despite dealing with a less-than-ideal offensive last season, the Texas transfer averaged the third-most passing yards per game (217.0) of any Big Ten quarterback in 2023. He paired 15 touchdowns with eight interceptions in 11 starts and also netted 203 yards and an additional five scores on the ground. Purdue went portaling at the wide receiver position this offseason and could have an underrated tight end duo this time around. Card should be set up for a better 2024.

10. ALEX ORJI (MICHIGAN)

Michigan hasn’t named a starting quarterback, and head coach Sherrone Moore said this week that there isn’t a frontrunner in the competition between Alex Orji, Jack Tuttle, and Davis Warren. For this exercise, we’ll roll with Orji, who Michigan used as a change-of-pace weapon in certain offensive packages last season. Orji is No. 13 on The Athletic‘s list of the biggest “freaks” in college football for a reason. He’s a dynamic athlete, and his 86 rushing yards last year teased his versatile skill set. It sounds like Orji has taken strides as a passer this offseason, especially in regard to his consistency, but he’s thrown only one pass in a collegiate game. From here, Orji could go anywhere on this list — or fall off it if he isn’t QB1.

11. ETHAN GARBERS (UCLA)

Ethan Garbers was UCLA’s starter. Then Dante Moore took over. Then Moore got benched for Garbers. Moore transferred to Oregon this offseason, and Garbers — now a redshirt senior — is once again leading the way for UCLA, this time with DeShaun Foster, not Chip Kelly, as head coach. Phew, got all that? Garbers has seen action each of the last three seasons. He was the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 8 quarterback in the 2020 class and finished 2023 on a high note, throwing 10 scores and just one pick over his final 128 attempts while being named Offensive MVP of the Starco Brands LA Bowl. Factor in new a OC, longtime NFL assistant Eric Bieniemy, and Garbers is even more intriguing.

12. MAX BROSMER (MINNESOTA)

After spending five years at New Hampshire, Max Brosmer transferred to Minnesota this offseason. He’s trying to translate top-level CAA success to the Big Ten. It’s easier said than done, but his numbers the last two seasons are fun to look at: Brosmer posted touchdown-to-interception ratios of 27:8 in 2022 and 29:6 in 2023. Last year, he led the FCS in passing yards (3,464). Minnesota has a veteran defense. It’s relying on Brosmer to get things done on the other side of the ball.

13. CADE McNAMARA (IOWA)

Cade McNamara in Iowa City: Part II — it’s here, ladies and gentlemen. This time, he’s working under new offensive coordinator Tim Lester, who has to yank the offensive bar off the turf of Kinnick Stadium, where punts often inspired more cheers than first downs last year. The Hawkeyes’ defense has been legit, and should remain legit, this season. Coming off his ACL tear from last year, McNamara just needs to operate Lester’s new-look, motion-friendly offense with efficiency, kind of like when he completed 64.2% of his passes for a College Football Playoff-bound Michigan team in 2021. By the way, Northwestern transfer Brendan Sullivan is making a push in camp. So if McNamara isn’t up to the task, don’t be surprised if Sullivan gets a shot at some point.

14. KURTIS ROURKE (INDIANA)

Indiana is led by former JMU head coach Curt Cignetti, a Sun Belt star. Cignetti went to another Group of Five conference to find a Big Ten quarterback. Enter, Kurtis Rourke, who made 33 starts over five seasons at Ohio University. Rourke earned MAC Offensive Player of the Year honors as a junior and was a second-team all-league pick as a senior. He’s completed at least 63% of his passes and netted at least 200 rushing yards, while posting three or more rushing touchdowns, each of the last three seasons.

15. MJ MORRIS (MARYLAND)

MJ Morris was at the center of one of the weirder college football storylines in 2023. At the time in his second year at North Carolina State, Morris replaced a turnover-prone Brennan Armstrong five games into the season. He led the Wolfpack to a 3-1 record before going to head coach Dave Doeren and asking to preserve his redshirt, effectively giving the starting job back to Armstrong. N.C. State still finished 9-3, including 6-2 in ACC play, and Morris transferred to Maryland. It’s not official Morris will be the starter — he’s still competing with Billy Edwards Jr. and Cameron Edge, but his 5-2 record with the Wolfpack and a dual-threat skill set are surely helping his case in this Big Ten quarterback battle.

16. ATHAN KALIAKMANIS (RUTGERS)

Rutgers brought in former Minnesota starter Athan Kaliakmanis to compete with incumbent starter Gavin Wimsatt, a dangerous runner who occasionally flashed in the pass game but also recorded the lowest completion percentage (47.8%) among all qualifying quarterbacks last season. Kaliakmanis wasn’t a whole lot more accurate, clocking out at 53.1%, but he tossed 14 scores and offered the Golden Gophers a good bit of mobility, too. Kaliakmanis won the Rutgers job in the spring, and Wimsatt transferred to Kentucky. Kaliakmanis will have the luxury of an experienced O-Line and star running back Kyle Monangai.

17. LUKE ALTMYER (ILLINOIS)

Like many of today’s Big Ten quarterbacks, Luke Altmyer didn’t start his college career with his current team: He spent two years at Ole Miss before transferring to Illinois. Last year, he completed 64.8% of his passes, but he notably struggled on intermediate throws. In fact, he hit on just 24-of-50 passes traveling 10-19 air yards, per PFF. His 10 interceptions didn’t help himself, or a five-win Fighting Illini team. Altmyer has to find more consistency in the pass game, but he’s got the legs to complement the Illinois run game.

18. MIKE WRIGHT (NORTHWESTERN)

Another Big Ten transfer, Mike Wright is hoping the third time’s the charm. After three years at Vanderbilt and one year at Mississippi State, Wright is now at Northwestern, where he’s in position to lead the second year of the David Braun era. Granted Wright is competing with Wildcats redshirt sophomore Jack Lausch, but Wright has the experience advantage. In Rogers’ absence last season at Mississippi State, Wright started three games and finished the year with six total touchdowns (three passing, three rushing) to go along with three interceptions and a 56.5% completion percentage.