Ranking projected Big Ten starting quarterbacks in 2024
Twenty-twenty-four will bring a new era to college football as Pac-12 evacuees USC, Washington, UCLA and Oregon join the Big Ten. The timing couldn't be better for current Big Ten teams because three of the best quarterbacks in college football – USC's Caleb Williams, Washington's Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon's Bo Nix – are all going to be selected in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Michigan and Ohio State will also have new quarterbacks as JJ McCarthy enters the draft Kyle McCord has transferred to Syracuse. Only four or five of the 18 teams in the Big Ten will have the same starting QB in 2024 that they started with in 2023.
Top row: Max Brosmer, Jadyn Davis, Billy Edwards Jr., Drew Allar, Devin Brown, Miller Moss. Middle row: Ethan Garbers, Dillon Gabriel, Aidan Chiles, Athan Kaliakmanis, Hudson Card, Tyler Van Dyke. Bottom row: Will Rogers, Brendan Sullivan, Luke Altmyer, Cade McNamara, Kurtis Rourke, Dylan Riaola.
Photos courtesy of USA Today SPORTS and New Hampshire Athletics
With more moving and shaking still possible, here's a way-too-early look at our 2024 Big Ten starting quarterback rankings.
1. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Gabriel starred at Central Florida from 2019-2021 before spending the past two seasons as the starter at Oklahoma. Now entering his sixth year of college football, Gabriel has transferred to Oregon where he'll likely be the starter over UCLA transfer Dante Moore, who was a 5-star recruit and the No. 4 player in the country as a high school senior in 2023.
2. Will Rogers, Washington
The Mississippi State transfer will be Michael Penix Jr.'s replacement at Washington and the veteran signal caller couldn't be better suited to take over an aerial attack like the Huskies employ. Rogers' 12,315 passing yards and 94 touchdowns rank second and fourth in SEC history, respectively.
3. Drew Allar, Penn State
Allar is one of the top returning quarterbacks in the Big Ten in 2024 after lighting up opponents for 25 touchdowns to only two interceptions as a sophomore in 2023. The junior to be completed 59.9% of his attempts for 2,631 yards this season.
4. Will Howard, Ohio State
With McCord off to Syracuse the Buckeyes just received a commitment from Kansas State transfer Will Howard. Howard threw for 24 touchdowns and ran for nine more this past season at K-State.
5. Miller Moss, USC
Moss has been the backup to Caleb Williams the past two seasons, but he's only thrown 59 passes in three seasons. Moss has the experience in Lincoln Riley's system and with 2023 5-star recruit Malachi Nelson entering the transfer portal, his path to the starting job looks unquestioned.
6. Tyler Van Dyke, Wisconsin
Van Dyke is in Madison after starring at Miami the past few seasons. He was the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2021 and this season he threw for 2,703 yards with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. If the Badgers get the 2021 version of Van Dyke they could be in good hands in 2024.
7. Max Brosmer, Minnesota
The Gophers signed the New Hampshire transfer with hopes of developing the offense into a more explosive pass-oriented unit in 2024. Brosmer led the FCS in passing yards and finished the season with 29 touchdowns to six interceptions.
8. Aidan Chiles, Michigan State
Chiles was considered 247Sports' No. 1 quarterback in the transfer portal after leaving Oregon State for the Spartans, where he followed new head coach Jonathan Smith. Chiles is unproven at the college level, though he did complete 24-of-35 pass (68.6 %) for 309 yards and four touchdowns in limited duty as a true freshman this season. He added 79 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Chiles was the No. 7-ranked quarterback by 247Sports in the Class of 2023 and the No. 58 overall recruit in the nation.
9. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
Nebraska's 129th ranked passing offense got a boost when Raiola flipped his commitment from Georgia to the Cornhuskers, and the 5-star 2024 recruit will immediately shoulder the pressure to put Nebraska football back in the national spotlight. He's one of the best prospects in the country and now he has to prove it.
10. Ethan Garbers, UCLA
Garbers is the next man up at UCLA after Moore transferred to Oregon. The 6-foot-3 redshirt senior played in 11 games this season and completed 67.1% of his passes for 1,136 yards with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions.
11. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana
It's not impossible that 4-star recruit Tyler Cherry could push for the starting job next season, but Rourke is a transfer who projects to be the Hoosiers' starting quarterback. He's the former MAC Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for 55 touchdowns and nearly 8,000 yards in three years at Ohio University.
12. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
Altmyer lit up the Gophers on Nov. 4 before suffering a season-ending injury on the final drive of the game, but he is the unquestioned Illini starter heading into 2024. In nine games this season he completed 64.8% of his passes for 1,883 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
13. Jadyn Davis, Michigan
Davis, a 5-star or 4-star recruit depending where you look, is an early enrollee at Michigan so he's already practicing with the Wolverines. It certainly appears that the 2023 North Carolina Mr. Football winner will have an opportunity to start as a true freshman in 2024.
14. Cade McNamara, Iowa
McNamara had four passing touchdowns before suffering a season-ending injury in Iowa's fifth game of the season. That's when Deacon Hill took over and proceeded to throw a total of five touchdowns and eight interceptions the rest of the season for one of the country's least efficient offenses. McNamara will be the starter in his sixth season in 2024.
15. Brendan Sullivan, Northwestern
Ben Bryant is off to the Senior Bowl after six seasons of college football and his departure leaves a gaping hole for the Wildcats to fill. Brendan Sullivan, who got plenty of playing time this season, is projected as Northwestern's 2024 starter. He completed 63-of-99 passes for 714 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions this season.
16. Hudson Card, Purdue
It was a down year for the Boilermakers in 2023 but Card and the offense gained momentum down the stretch and Card's senior year in 2024 could see that momentum continue. Card threw for six touchdowns and zero interceptions in his last two starts against Minnesota and Indiana.
17. Billy Edwards Jr., Maryland
Edwards Jr. is expected to try and fill the shoes of Taulia Tagovailoa, who opted out of the Terps' bowl game likely to prepare for the NFL Draft. Tagovailoa, the younger brother of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, leaves Maryland as the Big Ten's all-time leader in passing yards (11,356).
18. Gavin Wimsatt or Athan Kaliakmanis, Rutgers
Unless Rutgers offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca can work some magic, Rutgers could be in for another frustrating season passing the ball in 2024. Kaliakmanis arrives at Rutgers as a transfer from Minnesota, where he struggled mightily in the Gophers' run-first offense. Wimsatt, meanwhile, completed just over 47% of his attempts this season.
