Ranking the Big Ten: Quarterback
As the 2022 college football season quickly approaches, it is time to look at the top players in the Big Ten Conference.
We start our Ranking the Big Ten series by ranking the top five quarterbacks in the conference.
1. CJ Stroud, Ohio State
The 2022 Heisman Trophy favorite will be back dominating the Big Ten for his second year leading the Buckeye’s offense.
As a freshman in 2021, Stroud went 317-of-441 for 4,435 passing yards, completing 44 touchdowns with six interceptions.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) rated him as the No. 1 QB in the Big Ten in 2021 in overall offense grade (91.6) and passing (91.1). Stroud’s passing grade was third in the Power Five and his offense grade came in fifth.
The 2022 Nation’s No.1 QB by Lindy’s can improve in his run grade (65.8), ranked 14th in the conference, and fumble grade (57.8), which was 21st.
Stroud was named an Athlon Sports preseason First-Team All-Big Ten selection. This season, he will have four other First-teamers, one second-team selection in wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and center Luke Wypler, who made the third team, alongside him.
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2. Aidan O’Connell, Purdue
Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell snuck up on the college football world in 2021 as he didn’t start in last season’s first four games. But he took over as QB1 and led the Boilermakers to a bowl game victory over Tennessee.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound QB completed 71.6 percent of his passes in 2021, going 315-of-440 for 3,712 yards. The sixth-year senior threw 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Against both Michigan State and Tennessee, O’Connell threw for over 530 passing yards and had five touchdowns against the Volunteers. The 2021 All-Big Ten second-team selection had six games with over 370 passing yards.
O’Connell, a 2022 preseason All-Big Ten second-team selection by Athlon Sports, ranked second in the Big Ten in his overall offense grade of 91.2 last season.
3. Cade McNamara, Michigan
Cade McNamara is entering a big senior season after having a breakout junior year. The 6-foot-1, 212-pound quarterback helped lead Michigan to the College Football Playoff semifinals against Georgia.
However, he played his worst game of the season against the Bulldogs, grading in the low 40s in PFF’s overall offense and passing grades. Nebraska was his worst game before that.
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Now, McNamara has an entire season of experience leading a team under center to the biggest stage in college football.
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The 2021 All-Big Ten third-team selection is challenged this offseason by talented sophomore J.J. McCarthy. The job is his but competition makes the best athletes better.
4. Payton Thorne, Michigan State
Payton Thorne led his team to an 11-2 finish and a New Year’s Six victory over Pitt in his first season as a starting quarterback for the Spartans.
Thorne helped Michigan State to a top 10 national ranking and broke Kirk Cousins’s single-season passing touchdown record with 27 TDs. He ranks among MSU’s single-season best with 3,414 total offensive yards, including 3,233 passing yards.
The Athlon Sports fourth-team selection had the lowest PFF grade of the five players on this list in 2021. He finished No. 8 in overall offense grade with a 77.9 and ranked No. 11 in passing grade with a 74.
5. Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa led the Terps to a bowl game since 2016 as they crushed Virginia Tech 54-10 in the Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium.
The 2022 Nation’s No. 23 best QB by Lindy’s has had a rollercoaster of a career. He transferred to Maryland from Alabama after his freshman season and started four of the Terps’ five total games during 2020.
However, in his first full season with Maryland, the 2021 All-Big Ten honorable mention led this team to its first winning season since 2014. He did it with the third best overall offense (90.1) and passing (86.5) grades of all the starting quarterbacks in the Big Ten.
With a full year of experience and a bowl win added to his resume, Tagovailoa could continue to help break records for Maryland.
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