Where does Drake Lindsey land in our re-ranking of 2025 Big Ten starting QBs?

Drake Lindsey entered his first season as Minnesota's QB1 as one of the most unproven signal callers in the Big Ten. He had an up-and-down redshirt freshman campaign, completing 63.2% of his passes for 2,235 yards, 20 total touchdowns and six interceptions. Where does that rank among Big Ten starting quarterbacks?

*NOTE: This list is based on 2025 production. I ranked each quarterback in terms of who I would want on my team if I was preparing to win a bowl game this winter.

1. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

After putting together the first Heisman Trophy-winning season at Indiana, it's hard to place Mendoza anywhere other than No. 1. He didn't have the best stats, but he played the quarterback position more efficiently than anyone else in the country, which is why the Hoosiers took home the Big Ten championship.

Dec 13, 2025; New York, NY, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza wins the Heisman Trophy during the trophy presentation at Jazz at Lincoln Centerís Appel Room. Mandatory Credit: Todd Van Emst/Heisman Trust via Imagn Images | Todd Van Emst/Heisman Trust via Imagn Images

2. Julian Sayin, Ohio State

Saying was the No. 1 overall quarterback recruit in the 2024 high school class, and he arguably lived up to those lofty expectations in his first season as a starter. With 3,322 yards, 31 touchdowns and only six interceptions, you could make an argument for him at No. 1 on this list.

3. Dante Moore, Oregon

Moore was a bit of a wildcard entering the season as the replacement for Dillon Gabriel at Oregon. He was a former five-star recruit himself, and he delivered on those expectations. Completing 72.3% of his passes for 2,733 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions, he has the Ducks back in the College Football Playoff for the second straight year.

4. Jayden Maiava, USC

USC quietly put together a 9-3 season, and Maiava was even more quietly one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He completed 66.2% of his passes for 3,431 yards, 29 total touchdowns and eight interceptions. He has already announced his return for 2026, and he should be among the best signal callers in the conference again next season.

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5. Demond Williams Jr., Washington

I flirted with putting Williams higher on this list, and I think five is the absolute lowest he should be. He had over 3,000 passing yards, over 500 rushing yards, 31 total touchdowns and eight touchdowns in his first season as a full-time starter. He's a dark-horse Heisman candidate in 2026.

6. Malik Washington, Maryland

Washington's performance as a true freshman is probably the biggest reason why Mike Locksley is still the head coach at Maryland. He completed 57.7% of his passes for 2,963 yards, 21 total touchdowns and nine interceptions. He's a major breakout candidate in 2026.

7. Luke Altmyer, Illinois

Illinois had huge expectations heading into 2025, and it's hard to argue that Altmyer wasn't at least a little underwhelming. He completed 68.1% of his passes for 2,811 yards, 25 total touchdowns and five interceptions. I expected more from such a veteran quarterback.

8. Mark Gronowski, Iowa

Grownoski had one of the weirdest statistical seasons you'll find from a quarterback. He finished with just over 1,500 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns and six interceptions. But he had over 500 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground.

9. Drake Lindsey, Minnesota

Lindsey found himself near the bottom three of most preseason rankings, and he proved that he belongs near the middle of these lists. Some people might call me a home for this ranking, but he out-dueled Kaliakmanis and Raiola, while doing more with less than some people below him on this list.

10. Athan Kaliakmanis, Rutgers

Kaliakmanis had great numbers with 3,124 passing yards, 24 total touchdowns, and a career-high 62.2 completion percentage, but it's hard to put him much higher on this list after Rutgers missed a bowl game.

11. Dylan Raiola/TJ Lateef, Nebraska

It looked like Raiola was going to take a step in his development before suffering a season-ending injury, but I was still relatively underwhelmed in his first eight games. He finished with less than 200 yards three different times.

12. Ryan Browne, Purdue

Purdue had the worst roster in the conference on paper by a wide margin, and Browne was a big reason why they weren't a complete laughing stock. He completed 58.9% of his passes for 2,153 yards, 13 total touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

13. Drew Allar/Ethan Grunkemeyer, Penn State

Allar obviously would've been much higher on this list if he didn't suffer a season-ending injury, but that's football. Grunkemeyer did a solid job replacing him, completing 69.4% of his passes for 1,079 yards, seven total touchdowns and four interceptions.

14. Bryce Underwood, Michigan

Comparing Underwood to other first-year starters is why he falls so far low on this list. He completed 61.1% of his passes for only 2,229 yards, 14 total touchdowns and nine interceptions. You could see why he was such a highly-touted high school prospect, but he still has some steps to take in his development.

15. Aidan Chiles/Alessio Milivojevic, Michigan State

Milivojevic quietly had a great season once he replaced Chiles as Michigan State's starting QB. It started with 311 yards against the Gophers, and he finished with 1,267 yards on the season, to along with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.

16. Preston Stone, Northwestern

Stone led Northwestern to a bowl game, which is higher expectations than many people had for them in the preseason. He completed under 60% of his passes for 2,174 yards, 15 total touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

17. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA

There was a moment where it looked like Iamaleava and UCLA were going to be one of the best stories in college football. But he still finished with only 1,928 passing yards, 17 total touchdowns and seven interceptions.

18. Hunter Simmons/Danny O'Neil/Carter Smith/Billy Edwards Jr., Wisconsin

Wisconsin's quarterback play was among the worst in all of Power Conference football this season.