Inside The Bears

Big 12 Football: Ranking the top 10 QBs ahead of the 2025 season

With Shedeur Sanders leaving a void at the top of the Big 12 QB mountain, and college football less than 45 days away, we here at Baylor on SI decided to to take a crack at a Big 12 Top 10 quarterback rankings, seeing which teams should have the most (or least) confidence in their guy under center going into the 2025 season.

Josh Crawford

Ranking the Big 12's top 10 quarterbacks going into the 2025 season
Ranking the Big 12's top 10 quarterbacks going into the 2025 season / Via: On3
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With Shedeur Sanders leaving a void at the top of the Big 12 QB mountain, and college football less than 45 days away, we here at Baylor on SI decided to to take a crack at a Big 12 Top 10 quarterback rankings, seeing which teams should have the most (or least) confidence in their guy under center going into the 2025 season.

1. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State

You lead your team to the Playoff after starting the year unranked, you get the top spot, simple as that. Make no mistake about it, Cam Skattebo was the heart and soul of last year’s Sun Devils squad, but Leavitt made play after play last year, finishing the year as one of only two QBs in the conference with an 80+ QBR rating, and emerging as one of the most dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks in the country the second half of the season. From a nearly flawless Big 12 championship performance vs. Iowa State (out-dueling #2 on this list), to dragging Texas to double overtime in his playoff debut, Leavitt offers lightning strike big-play ability every snap without the usual turnover concerns from a young QB (only Big 12 QB with 200+ passing attempts and less than 6 interceptions in 2024). The Michigan State transfer is a potential Heisman candidate who should form one of the most dynamic 1-2 passing duos with All-American Jordan Tyson at wideout. 

2. Rocco Brecht, Iowa State

It’ll be interesting to see if Becht can maintain his level of production after his two top receivers both got drafted by the Houston Texans. Regardless, Becht has been tapped by some evaluators as having a higher ceiling than former Cyclone and current $200 million man Brock Purdy. He’s not the athlete Leavitt is, but he offers playmaking with his legs, totaling over 300 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground. As for his arm, his poise, anticipatory throwing, and deep ball accuracy should make him an intriguing Day 2 or 3 NFL QB prospect. He’ll need to improve on his sub-60% completion percentage, but after leading Iowa State to their first 11-win season in school history, he’s proven to be a gamer that gets it done consistently in the biggest moments 

3. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor

It was actually Robertson, not Leavitt or Shedeur Sanders, who led the Big 12 in QBR last year with an 83.7 rating. If he had started the entire year, he might have been #1 on this list. The Texan and Mississippi State transfer led Baylor on a 6-game winning streak after early season struggles, and at 6’4, 220 pounds, offers prototypical size that Big 12 defenses dealt with, with Baylor utilizing him on designed runs throughout the year. With a full off-season to prepare as the starter, he looks like a prime breakout candidate to launch himself into the national conversation, with his ball placement and improvisation making him as fun a watch as anybody in the conference. Robertson will have two early chances to become a star, with Baylor hosting former 5-star Jackson Arnold and Auburn in Week 1, before traveling down to road to Dallas to face off against Kevin Jennings and SMU, fresh off a playoff appearance.

4. Josh Hoover, TCU

If this list was based purely on stats, Hoover would be no lower than second. Second behind Shedeur Sanders last year in both passing yards (3,949) and completion percentage (66.5%), Hoover can make the case as the best arm talent in the conference. But, Hoover’s essentially a non-runner, and with four multi-interceptions games, and 11 total coming in just below the league-high, he has to make better decisions about where he’s putting the ball. He too will have a chance to make an early season splash, with the Horned Frogs traveling to Chapel Hill Week 1 to welcome Bill Belichick (and Jordan Hudson?) to the world of college football.

5. Avery Johnson, Kansas State

Johnson entered last year with a lot of hype, displaying tantalizing potential as a dual-threat prototype after beating a ranked NC State in the Pop-Tart Bowl to close out 2023. However, he showed just how raw he still was in 2024, completing just 58% of his passes and being near the rear of passing yards for Big 12 starters despite over 370 attempts. He’s still one of, if not the best QB athlete in the conference, depending on how you feel about Jalon Daniels, but, if he wants to make the jump from theoretical to an actually good college quarterback, he has to be able to do more damage with his arm and within the pocket in 2025. 

6. Behren Morton, Texas Tech

Impressive-looking stats that are slightly inflated by Tech’s Air Raid system, Morton was the first Texas Tech quarterback since some guy named Mahomes to start all 12 regular season games for the Red Raiders. He consistently puts impressive zip to fit balls into tight windows, and I think the biggest vote of confidence on Morton is that, with NIL money growing on trees in Lubbock, Joey McGuire, college football’s new coach boy wonder, didn’t pursue a QB in the portal. With McGuire bringing in the conference’s best recruiting class, if Micah Hudson can put this weird offseason stuff behind him, and become the guy his talents sugges he can, this could be too low for Morton by season’s end. 

7. Jalon Daniels, Kansas

A situation similar to Johnson’s, Daniels had the college football world captivated in 2022 with the playmaking he displayed with his legs, but two injury-plagued seasons, and a 2024 season featuring a 14/12 touchdown-to-interception ratio severely dampened the excitement around him and Kansas. But, Daniels has one last chance to remind fans why we actually cared about Kansas football two years ago. A knee procedure in February further muddies Daniel’s future, but, with the Jayhawks getting three ranked wins in their final four games last year, Daniels and Co. have proven they have a puncher’s chance versus anybody in the conference.

8. Devon Dampier, Utah

Transparently, Sorsby should probably be here (and maybe above Jalon Daniels, too). But, I’m sorry, 1,100 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground, I’ll take a chance on the dynamic dual-threat transfer from New Mexico, who’s coming in as a package deal alongside former Syracuse QB coach Jason Beck. Dampier is by far the least polished thrower of the football on this list, completing 57.9% of his passes last year with a 12-to-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio, but, he does have the arm to place the ball into tight windows, and he does still look to make plays with his arm once he vacates the pocket. Working behind a stout offensive line with two surefire NFL bookend tackles (Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu), along with a host of transfer portal receiver acquisitions, Kyle Whittingham has the pieces for both a physical and dynamic offense in 2025 with Dampier at the helm.

9. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati

Sorbsy comes in 9th on this list after finishing 9th last year in passing yards by conference QBs with a little over 2,800 yards through the air. He did however, finish 3rd in completion percentage for guys attempting over 300 attempts at 64%, while also being near the top with a 72.6 QBR. The key for Sorbsy and the Bearscats will be to avoid the late-season slide they had last year, closing out the year on a five-game losing streak that saw him toss just 5 TDs and 3 picks to down the stretch. Another guy that poses a threat with his legs (447 rushing yards and 9 TDs, including 143 yards vs. Iowa State), if FCS transfer and Walter Payton finalist Jeff Caldwell can become a bonafide #1 receiver, Sorsby and Cincinnati could surprise some people this year. 

10. Kaidon Salter, Colorado

Salter regressed in 2024 at Liberty after his 2023 campaign featured a 32/6 TD-to-INT ratio, a shade under 2,900 yards, and nearly 1,100 yards and 12 TDs on the ground, all while leading the Flames to a 13-1 record and a top-25 finish. Maybe he entered the portal a year too late, but in the new age of college football, I’ll commend the loyalty. While 5-star freshman Julian Lewis appears to be nipping at his heels for the starting job, there isn’t many guys in the country with as much talent and experience as Salter. If he can regain his 2023 form, this will be WAY too low for him, and his head coach likes to say, he won’t be too hard to find. 

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Josh Crawford
JOSH CRAWFORD

Josh began covering Baylor athletics in July 2025. Before this, he previously wrote for Syracuse men's basketball and football at SI from 2022-24. As a former Division I defensive lineman at Prairie View, Josh is passionate about storytelling from a former athlete's perspective. When he's not covering Baylor, he enjoys traveling, listening to podcasts and music, and loves cooking a good meal.

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