Ranking The Top 10 College Quarterbacks Ahead Of Week 3
Week 2 of the 2023 college football season is officially in the books, and with plenty of games still on the horizon, there has still been no shortage of shakeup in the rankings of quarterbacks and teams across the nation alike.
Several signal-callers who found themselves projected as early-round draft prospects and potential Heisman Trophy contenders maintained their status, while others faltered and will have to work to restore their former status on the radar.
Here's a look into where the top-10 quarterbacks in the country stand ahead of the third week of action:
(Editor's note: rankings are based upon a quarterback's individual performance independent of strength of supporting cast, level of competition narrative and injury issues. Evaluations are made upon mechanical soundness, level of mental processing ability, improvisation ability and intangibles. Quarterbacks are moved up and down based on what they bring to the table from a scouting perspective and how much that improves or falters from the above evaluation criteria of a long period of time. Those still worthy of mention based upon what they bring to the table who have been out of play due to injury for two or more consecutive games will be removed from the list and moved to IR below the top-10 rankings).
1. Caleb Williams, USC.
One word that's used repeatedly when scouts and analysts talk about Williams is "special." The USC signal-caller is in a class of his own particularly with what he brings as a pure passer from the pocket and from a mental perspective.
He's only continued to build upon that in 2023, something that's held true through the first couple of weeks of the season. USC's met recent 56-10 win over Stanford was something of a highlight reel for Williams, despite the fact it only required him to play one half of football.
He finished 19-of-21 passing for 281 yards with 4 total touchdowns in a stellar outing.
2. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado.
Those who have kept up with Sanders from his early college days before his transfer for Colorado know just how little flaw there was to his game. That has only continued to come to light -- and it's against quality competition as the son of Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders makes history.
Sanders is spreading the wealth among a number of different targets on offense, showing the ability to make things happen even when the protection isn't adequate and when the run game isn't quite up to snuff, getting things done through the air with decisiveness and accuracy, both on and off platform.
Sanders was 31-of-42 passing for 393 yards with 2 touchdowns in the 36-14 win over Nebraska as the Buffaloes maintain an undefeated record.
3. Drake Maye, UNC.
Maye has had somewhat of a rough go at it through the first couple of weeks of the season, but that is hardly his fault at all. Just as the same question was asked about Sam Howell at one point with the Tar Heels as to whether or not it was his fault or if it was his supporting cast hurting him, some of Maye's success is being overshadowed by some of the shortcomings that surround him.
Maye is still the same quarterback -- the one who is accurate at all levels of the field, can perform when the pocket collapses, throw with touch and velocity and make teams pay both through the air and on the ground.
He remains in the elite category where arm talent is concerned and made all the difference in UNC's 40-34, double-overtime win over a talented Appalachian State team, 21-of-30 passing for 208 yards, also with 57 rushing yards and 1 touchdown on the ground.
4. Michael Pratt, Tulane.
One of the best-kept secrets in college football for the better part of his career, Pratt played a truly perfect game in Week 1. As Tulane soared 37-17 over South Alabama, he completed 14-of-15 passes for 294 yards with 4 touchdowns.
His only incompletion was dropped touchdown pass by wide receiver Jha'Quan Jackson, giving him an incredible 97% completion rate as he showed improved decisiveness and the same type of ability to make plays both in and out of structure with dead-on accuracy that we also saw last year.
Pratt was out with a reported knee injury in Saturday's 37-20 loss to Ole Miss, something that caused him to miss out on a big chance to build upon his resume with several NFL scouts watching in-person.
5. Jordan Travis, Florida State.
If there's anything that stands out about Travis at first glance, that's got to be the "it" factor he brings to the table. He was absolutely electric in the season-opener against LSU, leaving the Tigers with a bad taste in their mouths as he completed 23-of-31 passes for 342 yards with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception in the 45-24 win.
There is still some fine-tuning to be done, as Travis needs to maintain a bit of a healthier level of aggression in the passing game after taking some risky shots he shouldn't have early in the season, but when looking at the stat line at some points, dropped passes by receivers also need to be taken into account.
Travis completed 15-of-29 passes for 175 yards with 2 touchdowns in a 66-13 win over Southern Miss that only required him to take the field for one half of football.
6. Bo Nix, Oregon.
While Nix was one of the biggest cases of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in his time at Auburn, he's found his footing with a change of scenery in Oregon. According to sources, Nix was projected to be an early draft pick ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, yet he chose to stay in college for another year to build upon the foundation he had set.
It's safe to say the positive version of Nix that turned heads and is nothing reminiscent of some of the down points he had on The Plains is here to stay with the consistency he's maintained for most of his time with the Ducks.
Staying mentally steady while battling through an up-and-down game against Texas Tech, Nix was nails in the comeback effort, connecting on all but one of his final 13 passing attempts of the game.
He finished 32-of-44 passing 359 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
7. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan.
McCarthy was one of the most intriguing quarterback prospects in the nation ahead of the 2023 season and he still is so with the first two games in the books.
Known for his arm strength with the accuracy to equal it, McCarthy has shown equally impressive athletic ability as well as the ability to think on his feet. In the first half alone in the 35-7 win over UNLV, McCarthy was 17-of-18 passing for 188 yards with a touchdown.
McCarthy was seen as a high-ceiling prospect with development to be had entering the season, but it's clear he's polishing things up and will continue to rise up the draft boards. He ended off the victory 22-of-25 passing for 278 yards with 2 touchdowns.
8. Quinn Ewers, Texas.
Talk about making a statement...
There's been the sense that the Alabama team that the Texas Longhorns recorded a 34-24 win over in Week 2 is one of the shakiest we've seen in recent history as the Georgia Bulldogs appear to be the next dynasty team in college football. Ewers, formerly a highly rated recruit, was a big part of that effort.
While he was raw in some aspects before the season likes me of the other prospects on this list, Ewers seems to have improved his lower-body mechanics and is steadily becoming more accurate.
Ewers finished the game against Alabama 24-of-38 passing for, 349 yards and 3 touchdowns away from home.
9. Austin Reed, Western Kentucky.
Reed was touted as a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate ahead of the season, and that's something that should not have changed at this point into the season given what he accomplished last year and what he's put on the tape so far in the 2023 season.
Yet, as seems to be the case with so many G5 quarterbacks, it seems Reed is not being talked about quite as much despite the rave reviews he drew from his peers at the Manning Passing Academy on top of everything else. That's got everything to do with the false level of competition narrative.
Reed finished out Week 1 going 27-of-33 for 253 yards and 4 touchdowns in the 52-22 victory over Houston Christian, and was 29-of-50 passing for 336 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 41-24 win over South Florida within WKU's high-flying Air Raid offense.
10. Sam Hartman, Notre Dame.
After playing in the "Clawfense" at Wake Forest, Hartman is making a good first impression with the Fighting Irish.
Commended for his pocket presence, ability to stand tall in the face of pressure, maintain accuracy off-platform and more, Hartman has kept himself in the conversation among the best NCAA quarterbacks.
Despite some sputtering toward the beginning of the contest and holding onto the ball too long initially after the team experienced a 90-minute weather delay in the 45-24 win over NC State, Hartman eventually hit his stride.
He finished with a stat line of 15-of-24 passing for 286 yards with 4 touchdowns.
