Ranking Every Starting Big Ten Football QB Based On PFF Grade Through Four Weeks

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We're four complete weeks into the college football season and the '23 season is a third of the way over. We're starting to get a better idea of what each team is made of, and with big games on the way, we're going to know even more about some teams.
Looking more at the quarterback position, specifically, I'm going to turn my attention to a site I use quite a bit. Pro Football Focus, or PFF, is an analytical site that dives into each play and grades players for their performance in every game.
I'm going to rank each starting Big Ten quarterback by their passing grade on PFF. We're going to start from the bottom and work our way to the top.
14. Jeff Sims/Heinrich Haarberg (Nebraska) 37.8/55.1 passer grade(s)
Sims' stats: 20-for-34 (58.8%) 220 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions
Haarberg's stats: 24-for-47 (51.1%) 278 yards and four touchdowns
Sims started the first three games of the year and has a 37.8 passing grade and Haarberg, who has played in every game and started the last one, has a 55.1 grade.
13. Ben Bryant (Northwestern) 57.0 grade
Stats: 81-for-136 (59.6%) 804 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions
12. Athan Kaliakmanis (Minnesota) 58.5 grade
Stats: 59-for-107 (55.1%) 599 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions
11. Noah Kim (Michigan State) 61.1 grade
Stats: 66-for-116 (56.9%) 897 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions
10. Cade McNamara (Iowa) 61.4 grade
Stats: 43-for-85 (50.6%) 459 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions
9. Hudson Card (Purdue) 63.4 grade
Stats: 93-for-148 (62.8%) 1,027 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions
8. Gavin Wimsatt (Rutgers) 64.1 grade
Stats: 45-for-87 (51.7%) 587 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception
7. Luke Altmyer (Illinois) 65.7 grade
Stats: 77-for-118 (65.3%) 874 yards, four touchdowns, and seven interceptions
6. Kyle McCord (Ohio State) 68.7 grade
Stats: 74-for-113 (65.5%) 1,055 yards, six touchdowns, and one interception
5. Tayven Jackson (Indiana) 71.9 grade
Stats: 54-for-86 (62.8%) 749 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions
4. Taulia Tagovailoa (Maryland) 78.8 grade
Stats: 87-for-135 (64.4%) 1,112 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions
3. Tanner Mordecai (Wisconsin) 79.6 grade
Stats: 85-for-128 (66.4%) 877 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions
2. Drew Allar (Penn State) 88.8 grade
Stats: 84-for-125 (67.2%) 903 yards, eight touchdowns, and zero interceptions
1. J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) 90.3 grade
Stats: 71-for-89 (79.8%) 915 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions

Trent began writing and covering Michigan athletics back in 2020. He became a credentialed member of the media in 2021. Trent began writing with Sports Illustrated in 2023 and became the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI during the 2025 football season. Trent also serves as the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI. His other bylines have appeared on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.
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