With the dog days of summer ahead, preparation for the upcoming college football season continues to gear up for teams and fans alike.
All teams have likely cemented their rosters for the coming season, with some slight additions and subtractions to programs coming before the opening kickoff in late August. The Big Ten Conference is no different, despite the changes to the conference landscape over the past year.
With the addition of Washington, Oregon, USC and UCLA, the Big Ten will have a new variety of depth and talent coming to challenge some of the conference's traditional powers. That sentiment carries especially with quarterbacks in the coast-to-coast league.
Teams such as Ohio State, Michigan and Washington are looking to replace last year's starters while rising stars at Nebraska and Minnesota could provide some parity in the Big Ten. With all things being considered, here are some Big Ten quarterback ratings entering the fall camp. This list is meant to encapsulate the entire quarterback room, not just the expected starter.
Expected Starter: MJ Morris
For a team expected to replace one of the more prolific quarterbacks in school history in Taulia Tagovailoa, there are more questions than answers so far for Maryland.
Head coach Mike Locksley said his Terps are "still a long way from naming a starter" after spring practices and after seeing redshirt junior Billy Edwards Jr. in action. Maryland also added NC State transfer MJ Morris, who played in nine games with the Wolfpack over two years, completing less than sixty percent of his passes.
Maryland relied on Tagovailoa's prowess to win games in 2023. The Terps may need to rely on the rest of the roster to get to a bowl game in 2024.
Expected Starter: Athan Kaliakmanis
The former Minnesota Gopher entered the portal and switched sides of the conference, landing near the Big Apple and forcing out the former Scarlet Knight starter.
The previous starter, Gavin Wimsatt, had a breakout year with Rutgers and took his talents to Kentucky. Head coach Greg Schiano gave the go-ahead to Kaliakmanis, a decidedly stronger pocket passer than Wimsatt.
While Kaliakmanis has never lit the field on fire passing – he is just shy of 2,800 passing yards and has only 17 passing touchdowns in 23 games played – Rutgers must feel better about the consistency they can have throwing the ball in 2024. Because of Wimsatt's transfer, they do slide in these rankings.
Expected starter: Mike Wright
After a tumultuous offseason in which projected starter Brendan Sullivan departed to Iowa via the portal, Northwestern now looks to rebuild its quarterback room. Backup Ryan Hilinski has some experience entering Week One, including a stint at South Carolina, but will likely give up the job to May transfer Mike Wright out of Vanderbilt.
Wright has started 14 games – including three at Mississippi State, his first stop – tossing 24 touchdown passes and scoring 10 rushing touchdowns. His appearance makes a questionable quarterback room viable to return to a bowl game, especially with new offensive coordinator Zach Lujan leading the charge. The Wildcats finished 2023 averaging 202 passing yards per game, good for seventh in the Big Ten.
Expected Starter: Luke Altmyer
In terms of depth, Illinois is not in a terrible position. Returning starter Luke Atlmyer grew in his first season leading the Illini, but after only nine starts and ending his season with an injury and being relegted to a backup role, plenty of questions still remain.
He will be pushed by Donovan Leary, who by all accounts had a strong spring and may be ready to take over the team if given the chance. Altmyer did finish his season strong throwing 10 touchdown to three interceptions in his final six games.
The former Ole Miss transfer could take a step forward or could be called upon to lift the offense if the reins are given to Leary.
Expected Starter: Max Brosmer
Admittedly, this pick could fly up the rankings. However, too many variables stack against Minnesota to comfortably fit the Gophers' new quarterback into an higher tier of the conference's best.
However, Max Brosmer – the New Hampshire graduate transfer – was already named a captain in the spring by his peers, and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award as one of the nation's top players in the FCS last season.
The Wildcats relied on Brosmer's 56-14 touchdown-to-interception ratio over the past two seasons in their pass-first offense. How much more can he provide to a Gopher offense that finished 11th in the conference in passing yards? With last year's starter Athan Kailakmanis transferring, depth may be a concern as two freshmen sit behind Brosmer.
Expected Starter: Cade McNamara
A new offensive coordinator could finally lift the curse of the Hawkeyes' offensive troubles.
While McNamara's experience pushes him up the list, Iowa's lack of big-play potential drops the Hawkeyes to the second half of the conference. Deacon Hill transferred out as Northwestern's Brendan Sullivan came in. Sullivan does provide stability in case of another McNamara injury.
If the former Wolverine stays healthy and adjusts to the new offense, Iowa could recover from two woeful offensive seasons.
Expected Starter: Kurtis Rourke
After developing from a two-star recruit to a sought-out graduate transfer, Rourke aims to bring his three years of starting experience from the Mid-American Conference to the Big Ten.
After claiming the MAC Offensive Player of the Year honor with Ohio, Rourke leads an interesting group of quarterbacks that includes former starter Tayven Jackson.
Rourke is coming off a knee injury that slowed him in 2023, but a healthy Rourke could surprise some of the Big Ten. If he is hampered again, Jackson would need to take a step up to lead the Hoosiers back to bowl eligibility.
Expected Starter: Ethan Garbers
Garbers leads the pack of quarterbacks for the Bruins in 2024, as former starter Dante Moore entered the portal to join Oregon (more on him later).
In the final four games of the season, Garbers threw 11 touchdown passes with no interceptions. However, a tough slate to open the year could spell a change early if Garbers struggles.
Redshirt junior Collin Schlee also showcased playmaking skills in the bowl game against Boise State, and with two freshman quarterbacks also in the fold, the depth and talent mixed with experience is a good fit for UCLA's first year in a new conference.
Expected Starter: Alex Orji
The defending national champion will have plenty of question marks to answer in 2024. That begins with who will take the snaps under center.
Orji saw spot duty in run-heavy packages last season and has not attempted a pass yet for Michigan. He continues to battle highly touted freshman Jadyn Davis for the starting spot, but expect the experienced Orji to take the lead at first.
The potential for Michigan's run-first offense is high, but quarterbacks will have some big shoes to fill after J.J. McCarthy's departure.
Expected Starter: Hudson Card
The former Texas transfer hopes to keep some of the offensive momentum from his first year with the Boilermakers.
Card threw 15 touchdown passes in 2023, which placed him sixth in the conference. To reach that next tier of Big Ten quarterbacks, Card will be asked to take a step up in new offensive coordinator Graham Harrell's offense. Harrell was a disciple of the Mike Leach offense from his playing days with Texas Tech, potentially setting up Card for a big year.
Behind Card, two freshmen provide depth, including Ryan Browne, who saw action in one game where he looked efficient against Northwestern.
Expected Starter: Dylan Raiola
While the nod could go to the experienced Heinrich Haarberg, most signs lead to the five-star freshman receiving significant playing time at some point in his first season with the Big Red.
Haarberg won all five games for the Huskers in 2023, and his running ability allowed him to lead Nebraska in rushing last season. However, to expand the offense and limit turnovers, Matt Rhule may hand the keys to one of the most highly-anticipated recruits in Nebraska's history.
Add in recent additions such as fellow freshman Daniel Kaelin and NAIA Player of the Year Jalyn Gramstad, and Nebraska has reason to feel excited about improvement under center heading into 2024.
Expected Starter: Aidan Chiles
First-year Spartan head coach Jonathan Smith brought his quarterback with him to East Lansing from Oregon State, as Aidan Chiles brings his talents to the Big Ten.
Chiles could be the next best Big Ten quarterback, as he accounted for seven touchdowns (four passing, three rushing) during his freshman season in Corvallis in which he played in nine games. The team did lose two quarterbacks in the portal, but the Spartans likely feel comfortable with Chiles as the go-to option for 2024.
Behind Chiles, however, are unproven commodities, including three-star recruit Alessio Milivojevic. He was considered a rising quarterback after a strong senior season.
Expected Starter: Tyler Van Dyke
Van Dyke was regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in the country after throwing for nearly 3,000 yards as a freshman in 2021. But, after three different offensive coordinators in Miami, Van Dyke elected to transfer to the fast-spaced spread of Wisconsin's new pass-happy offense.
The biggest question for the second year in the new system: Can Van Dyke lead the Badgers to a more efficient season in 2024? Tanner Mordecai was able to finish sixth in the conference with 2,066 passing yards but tossed only nine touchdowns in 10 games. The former Badger transferred out after last season.
Backup Brayedn Locke can also step up when needed, playing in five games in 2023 with five touchdowns to one interception.
Expected Starter: Miller Moss
This Top Five selection may be more of a nod to the ability of Lincoln Riley as a quarterback whisperer and recruiter. Considering his past signal callers include Baker Mayfield, Caleb Williams, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, Spencer Rattler and others, Riley deserves credibility when working with newer faces.
Moss was a star in the Trojans' bowl win over Louisville, completing 23 of 33 passes for 372 yards and six touchdowns with an interception – a game in which Williams sat due to his NFL draft stock.
Spring reports say Moss was "lights out" in practices, fending off sophomore UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava. Maiava threw for 3,000 yards his freshman season, giving Riley another talented signal caller to turn to if Moss falters. A lot of upside for a quarterback room with less film.
Expected Starter: Will Rogers
No program in the Big Ten is going through as much change as the Washington Huskies – including their quarterbacks.
After a season that had the Huskies in the national title game, coach Kalen DeBoer left the program to lead Alabama and a prolific passing attack took a hit when quarterback Michael Penix departed to the NFL. Instead, the next wave for Washington under Jedd Fisch will rely on former Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers.
Rogers was a budding star in the Air-Raid system with the Bulldogs under the late Mike Leach, but a change in offensive philosophy stagnated his final year in the SEC with 12 touchdown passes compared to 71 in his prior two years.
Expected Starter: Drew Allar
It has to be comforting for a fan base to have a five-star recruit who put up solid numbers in his first season, but much more is expected from Allar to take Penn State into the upper echelon of college football.
A new offensive coordinator could create more big-time passing moments for Allar, as backup Beau Pribula also saw action in 11 games as a rushing threat.
The Nittany Lions finished sixth in the Big Ten in passing yards, but led the conference in passing touchdowns and tossed just two interceptions. Only completing 59% of their passes limited them to 215 passing yards per game, as Penn State may look to open up its offense further in 2024.
If Allar and the offense take the next step, the College Football Playoff is well within reach.
Expected Starter: Will Howard
Although head coach Ryan Day won't budge on updates to his quarterback battle, it is safe to assume the Buckeyes' championship-caliber roster is ready for whoever takes over the reins from departing starter Kyle McCord.
Howard, a grad transfer from Kansas State, has been the most-proven commodity on campus since his arrival, having a pedigree of success with the Wildcats including 24 games played, nearly 6,000 passing yards and 48 passing touchdowns.
If Day wants to go younger, his treasure trove of riches continues with junior Devin Brown back in another camp battle after falling short to McCord last season. Sophomore Lincoln Keinholz could also compete, while five-star freshman Julian Sayin also is an option. It is safe to say Ohio State could remain at the top of these ratings regardless of who receives the first snap.
Expected Starter: Dillon Gabriel.
A no-brainer for college football fans. Gabriel is expected to be a Heisman front-runner, as the former Oklahoma signal caller replaces first-round NFL draft pick Bo Nix. If the Big Ten schedule becomes too wearing on the up-tempo former Sooner, the Ducks can turn to UCLA transfer and former five-star recruit Dante Moore.
Expect Gabriel to put up career numbers in Eugene and have Oregon competing for a conference and national championship. If Gabriel goes down, the Ducks may miss a beat but are better suited to rebound with Moore.
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AUSTIN JACOBSEN
Austin Jacobsen is a radio broadcaster and former Sports Director in Central Nebraska. He has seen the Cornhusker state from all corners; growing up in the Panhandle, completing his college degree in Kearney, working in the rural Sandhills, and now residing in Omaha. Austin is a statewide, regional, and national radio award winner and can usually be found at a high school football field on Friday nights and tuning in to the Huskers wherever they travel. If he is not on the road, Austin enjoys movie dates with his girlfriend and their dog, Ava.
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