Trevor Lawrence, Arch Manning highlight top 10 quarterback recruits of the past decade

When it comes to recruiting, no other position is quite as coveted as the quarterback. To make that jump into a playoff contender, coaches know that they need an elite signal-caller running their offense.

The last decade has proven just that.

While some of yet to truly make their mark on the game as they’re just getting started, their predecessors laid the ground work by winning the Heisman Trophy, winning a national title or by being selected as a first round draft pick.

Here’s a look at the the top 10 quarterback recruits of the past decade according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

1. Trevor Lawrence – Clemson

High School: Cartersville (Ga.)
On3 Industry Rating: 99.69
The Skinny: Trevor Lawrence was ranked as the top-prospect in the country and committed to Clemson over Georgia in December 2016. At Clemson he led the Tigers to the national title as a freshman, back to the national championship game as a sophomore and back to the College Football Playoff as a junior. After throwing for 10,098 yards and 90 touchdowns in college, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Lawrence with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Following an up-and-down rookie season, Lawrence found his footing during the 2023 season. He led the Jaguars to the AFC South title and a first round playoff win finishing the season with 4,113 yards and 27 touchdowns.

2. Justin Fields – Georgia/Ohio State

High School: Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison
On3 Industry Rating: 99.67
The Skinny: Justin Fields followed closely behind Lawrence as the No. 2 player in the country for the 2018 class. Originally signing with Georgia, Fields played sparingly in Athens as a freshman before transferring to Ohio State in 2019. Fields found plenty of success at Ohio State during his two years in Columbus leading the Buckeyes to a 20-2 record, two College Football Playoff appearances and an appearance in the 2021 national championship.

Fields finished his college career with 5,701 yards passing and 67 passing touchdowns to go along with 19 rushing touchdowns. The Chicago Bears selected Fields with the 11th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and despite the team’s struggles during his two years there, Fields started to find his footing in 2022 throwing for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and also rushing for eight more touchdowns.

3. Arch Manning – Texas

High School: New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman
On3 Industry Rating: 99.53
The Skinny: Arch Manning is the nephew of NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning. The No. 1 overall player for the 2023 class, Arch announced his commitment to Texas last June picking the Longhorns over Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Ole Miss. He finished his high school career passing for 8,539 yards and 115 touchdowns to go along with 19 rushing touchdowns.

Paired with the Longhorns’ third-team offense in Texas’ spring game, Manning completed 5 of his 13 passes for 30 yards.

4. Bryce Young – Alabama

High School: Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
On3 Industry Rating: 99.51
The Skinny: The No. 2 overall player and No. 1 quarterback for the 2020 recruiting cycle, Bryce Young quickly emerged as the nation’s best quarterback once he took over for Alabama in 2021. Young led the Crimson Tide to the national championship game in his first year as a starter and won the Heisman Trophy passing for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns.

Injuries hampered Young a bit last season but he still finished the year with 3,328 passing yards and 32 touchdowns. The Carolina Panthers selected Young with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft making him the first Alabama quarterback in NFL history to go No. 1 overall.

5. Quinn Ewers – Ohio State/Texas

High School: Southlake (Texas) Southlake Carroll
On3 Industry Rating: 99.24
The Skinny: After reclassifying from the 2022 class to 2021, Quinn Ewers was ranked as the No. 1 quarterback during that cycle and originally committed to Texas before decommitting in October and committing to Ohio State a month later. Ewers signed with Buckeyes and spent a season in Columbus before transferring to Texas after the 2021 season.

As Texas’ starter last season, Ewers played in 10 games completing 58% of his passes for 2,177 yards and 15 touchdowns.

6. Dante Moore – UCLA

High School: Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King
On3 Industry Rating: 99.22
The Skinny: Dante Moore finished the 2023 recruiting cycle ranked as the No. 3 overall player in the country and the No. 2 quarterback. Entering his senior year Moore was committed to Oregon but flipped his commitment from the Ducks to UCLA on December 19, 2022.

Moore won back-to-back state titles to close out his high school career passing for 2,392 yards and 32 touchdowns as a senior. He finished his high school career with with 9,880 passing yards and 135 touchdowns.

7. Nico Iamaleava – Tennessee

High School: Long Beach (Calif.) Warren
On3 Industry Rating: 99.01
The Skinny: Josh Heupel landed his quarterback of the future on March 21, 2022 with a commitment from Nico Iamaleava. Ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect in the country and No. 3 quarterback according to the Industry Comparison, On3 ranked Iamaleava as the No. 1 overall player in the country.

As a senior Iamaleava threw for 1,986 yards and 25 touchdowns while also rushing for six more touchdowns. He finished his high school career passing for 5,234 yards and 75 touchdowns while only throwing seven interceptions.

8. Jackson Arnold – Oklahoma

High School: Denton (Texas) Guyer
On3 Industry Rating: 98.94
The Skinny: Oklahoma had plenty of turnover at the quarterback position after Lincoln Riley’s departure but Jackson Arnold remained a constant for the Sooners. Arnold committed to Oklahoma on January 24, 2022 and signed with the Sooners despite the coaching change.

The No. 8 overall player and No. 4 quarterback during the 2023 recruiting cycle, Arnold was named Texas’ Gatorade Player of the Year passing for 3,476 yards and 33 touchdowns to go with 921 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns as a senior.

9. Malachi Nelson – USC

High School: Los Alamitos (Calif.)
On3 Industry Rating: 98.80
The Skinny: Malachi Nelson was an Oklahoma commitment but quickly decommitted from the Sooners and committed to USC once Lincoln Riley took over as the Trojans head coach. Nelson was ranked as the No. 11 overall player and the No. 5 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting cycle.

The 2022 California Gatorade Player of the Year, Nelson threw for 2,898 yards and 35 touchdowns as a senior. He finished his high school career with 7,988 passing yards and 105 touchdowns.

10. Caleb Williams – Oklahoma/USC

High School: Washington (D.C) Gonzaga
On3 Industry Rating: 98.76
The Skinny: Caleb Williams was the No. 7 overall prospect in the 2021 cycle committing to Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma in July 2020. Williams sat behind Spencer Rattler to start the 2021 season but took over as the Sooners’ starter following his performance against Texas. He would finish the year passing for 1,912 yards and 21 touchdowns.

After Lincoln Riley was named USC’s new head coach, Williams quickly followed him to Southern California. He immediately found success with the Trojans winning the Heisman Trophy after finishing the year with 4,537 yards passing and 42 touchdowns.