The Big Ten will have four new teams when the 2024 football season begins this year. The conference added Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington from the Pac-12 Conference and college football will have a new feel to it come August. I’m going to continue with the Big Ten rankings for the new-look conference.
In this article, I’m going to rank the Big Ten projected quarterbacks. Now that spring is over and the summer is here, we probably have a better understanding of who will start for every team this fall. For my rankings, I’m not just looking at stats from 2023, but forecasting some predictions and talent around them for the 2024 season as well. For what it’s worth 14 out of the 18 teams will have a new full-time starter this season.
2023 stats: N/A
Northwestern lost Brendan Sullivan to the portal and David Braun went out and landed former Vanderbilt dual-threat quarterback, Mike Wright. Back in 2022, Wright was the starter for Vandy and threw for nearly 1,000 yards and rushed for over 500. But he hasn’t played in one full season and it’s a wait-and-see on how Wright will perform for Northwestern.
2023 stats: Edwards; 10-30 (33.3%) 128 yards, and one TD and one INT, 29 rushes for 91 yards and seven TDS — Morris; 65-113 (63%) 719 yards, seven TDs and five INTs
This is the only one I’m not going to name a starter. Billy Edwards has been with Maryland for a few years, but was used mainly for rushing downs and goalline scores. He hasn’t been a very efficient passer, which is probably why Mike Locksley went out and got NC State’s MJ Morris. Morris played in just four games last season, but looked good doing so. I imagine both will have a role with the Terps in 2024, but this won’t be the same offense without Taulia Tagovailoa.
2023 stats: 195-307 (63.5%) 2,207 yards, 11 TDs and five INTs
New head coach Curt Cignetti landed Ohio gun-slinger Kurtis Rourke. He played in just 11 games last year for OU, but he was the MAC Player of the Year in 2022. Rourke can definitely sling it around and it will be interesting to see how he may do in the Big Ten and with an offensive-minded coach like Cignetti.
2023 stats: 156-294 (53.1%) 1,838 yards, 14 TDs, and 9 INTs
Kaliakmanis held down the quarterback spot for Minnesota last season, but things didn’t go as expected for either party, so he is back in the Big Ten with Rutgers. While Kaliakmanis hasn’t been too great as a college quarterback, he has potential, and Greg Schiano feels like it’s an upgrade over what he had in Gavin Wimsatt. I don’t think he will lead the Scarlet Knights to the promised land, but he should be serviceable for Schiano.
2023 stats: 294-459 (64%) 3,464 yards, 29 TDs, and five INTs
Speaking of Minnesota, PJ Fleck landed New Hampshire’s FCS All-American, Max Brosmer. He spent five seasons with New Hampshire and won a ton of awards. If it weren’t for the lack of experience of playing in D-1 football, or the Big Ten, Brosmer would probably be ranked higher to begin the season. But like a lot of FCS quarterbacks making the transition, it’s a wait-and-see.
2023 stats: N/A
It took one season before Matt Rhule landed his star quarterback. Raiola comes in as the top-ranked quarterback in the cycle and is expected to start as a true freshman, Nebraska landed him over the likes of Ohio State and Georgia, among every other program. It’s likely Raiola will have his ups and downs as a true freshman, but the ceiling potential is as high as anyone.
2023 stats: 175-270 (64.8%) 1,883 yards, 13 TDs, and 10 INTs
It was an inconsistent year for the Ole Miss transfer at Illinois in year one. Altmyer struggled to take care of the ball at times, but also showed why he was a sought-after prospect when he was in high school. The talent is there, but can he put it all together? That’s to be determined.
2023 stats: 46-90 (51.1%) 505 yards, four TDs, and three INTs
McNamara played in just five games for Iowa last season before suffering a season-ending injury. Just a few years ago, McNamara helped lead Michigan to a Big Ten title and a CFP birth, but after losing the job to J.J. McCarthy in 2022, McNamara never looked the same. All Iowa needs him to do is get back to being that safe game manager type and get its offense on track. The Iowa defense will do its job, but McNamara also will need to move the chains.
2023 stats: 219-333 (65.8%) 2,703 yards, 19 TDs, and 12 INTs
Sticking with the theme, Van Dyke had a very up-and-down season, and career, with Miami. He played in 11 games for the ‘Canes last year and he was very turnover-prone. Van Dyke is hoping a change of scenery will get his collegiate career back on track and it seems possible with Luke Fickell at the helm. Fickell had good quarterback play at Cincinnati and is looking for that at Wisconsin. Having a guy like Will Pauling to throw to always helps.
2023 stats: 15 rushes 86 yards and one TD
This ranking is strictly a projection. Orji is a great rusher with his size and that’s how Michigan utilized him. He has just one career passing attempt, but we saw him throw during the Spring Game and he looked like he settled in nicely. Michigan doesn’t need J.J. McCarthy-type play from Orji, but more of that game-manager, don’t-make-mistakes type of play. With Orji’s ability to run the football, it will add a whole new dimension to the Wolverines’ offense.
2023 stats: 98-146 (67.1%) 1,136 yards, 11 TDs, and three INTs
Garbers was in a quarterback carousel last year with Dante Moore – who is now at Oregon. Moore had the five-star rating and potential, but he sure wasn’t as efficient as Garbers. Throwing just three interceptions last year, he was a safe option for the UCLA offense. There shouldn’t be any doubt that Garbers will start the 2024 season with new head coach DeShaun Foster at the helm. Garbers will need to take it up another level for the Bruins to succeed next season.
2023 stats: 24-35 (68.6%) 309 yards, four TDs; 17 rushes for 79 yards and three TDs
Chiles followed Jonathan Smith to Michigan State after playing behind DJ Uiagalelei at Oregon State. Chiles, who was a bigger recruit, did play in nine games for the Beavers last season. Although Smith had Uiagalelei as the starter, it was hard not to play the true freshman. Now, Chiles is the clear starter for Smith as they both transition to the Big Ten.
2023 stats: 215-365 (58.9%) 2,387 yards, 15 TDs, and eight INTs; 93 rushes for 203 yards and five TDS
Card came over from Texas last season and put up some nice yardage numbers for Purdue under offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. The Boilermakers allowed Card to throw the ball a ton and while he was a little inefficient completing less than 60% of his throws, he did throw for 15 touchdowns, but also eight interceptions. In year two, Card should get better and the Purdue offense should be better. The only question is, who exactly is Card throwing the ball to this season?
2023 stats: 46-65 (70.8%) 681 yards, seven TDs, and one INT
It’s not going to be an easy task, but Moss will get the first shot to replace Heisman winner and first-overall pick, Caleb Williams. If USC’s bowl game was any insight, Miller looks the part. He threw for 372 yards and six touchdowns in a win over Louisville last season. In Lincoln Riley’s offense and with the weapons there, Moss is set up to succeed right away.
2023 stats: 142-237 (59.9%) 1,626 yards, 12 TDs, and four INTs
Rogers comes from Mississippi State where he was an absolute stat stuffer. During his four seasons with the Bulldogs, he set a total of 29 single-game, season, and career school records at Mississippi State. He leaves Miss. State as the program’s leader with 12,315 passing yards and 94 touchdowns. He comes from Mike Leach’s school of passing, but it shouldn’t change much being under Jeff Fisch whose Arizona Wildcats put up solid numbers a year ago
2023 stats: 219-357 (61.3%) 2,643 yards, 24 TDs, and 10 INT; 81 rushes for 351 yards and nine TDs
After coming onto the scene in 2022, Howard was the full-time starter for Kansas State in ’23. But by the end of the season, the coaching staff decided to play Avery Johnson more and Howard entered the portal. He’s definitely in a better situation now than he was a year ago. While Howard has a couple of freshmen right behind him, he should get the chance to lead the Buckeyes in 2024. Howard is more of a dual-threat player than what OSU had last year in Kyle McCord, but his throwing ability is what’s going to determine how long of a leash he has. Either way, Howard is set up for success in Columbus.
233-389 (59.9%) 2,631 yards, 25 TDs, and two INTs; 74 rushes 206 yards, and four TDs
Allar was probably the second-best quarterback a year ago behind Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. Allar did a great job of taking care of the ball and making plays for Penn State last year, but in typical PSU fashion, he struggled to make the big plays when it counted against Michigan and Ohio State. The Nittany Lions will get another year with Allar as their signal caller and this feels like the year PSU has to capitalize.
2023 stats: 266-384 (69.3%) 3,660 yards, 30 TDs, and six INTs; 93 rushes for 373 yards, and 12 TDs
Gabriel was one of the most explosive quarterbacks last season at Oklahoma and now he has a chance to become even more so under Dan Lanning in Oregon. The Ducks have one of the best offenses in college football. Gabriel will have a ton of weapons around him and it feels evident that he will have a strong case by the end of the season as being the top quarterback in the conference.
– Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI –
Former Michigan Football LB Junior Colson Projected To Do A Major Thing During NFL Rookie Season
Predicting Michigan Football's Defensive Depth Chart In 2024
U-M's Sherrone Moore Near Bottom Of CBS Sports' Big Ten Coach Rankings
TRENT KNOOP
Follow @trentknoop
© 2024 ABG-SI LLC – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. – All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Gambling content intended for 21+. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.
