ACC Quarterback Rankings: Where is Virginia QB Chandler Morris in the New 247Sports Rankings?

Morris is taking over as the starter for the Cavaliers this season and is looking to bring Virginia to a bowl game

Sep 14, 2024; Lubbock, Texas, USA; North Texas Mean Green quarterback Chandler Morris (4) prepares to give the ball to running back Damashja Harris (44) in the first half at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images / Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

The offseason is prime for list making in college football and now that spring is over and the season is getting (somewhat) closer, you are going to see more lists than you know what to do with.

The last offseason rankings list comes from 247Sports Carter Bahns, who ranked every starting quarterback in the ACC. Bahns ranked Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris near the bottom of the league, putting him 12th. Morris ranked ahead of North Carolina's Gio Lopez, Boston College's QB Battle, Cal's QB Battle, Stanford's Elijah Brown, and Wake Forest's QB battle.

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This does feel fair heading into the season, but Morris has a chance to outplay this ranking and be higher.

There is little doubt that Morris is going to the the starting quarterback for UVA this season, but how much better can he make the offense? The Cavaliers have not had a strong passing attack in a few years, despite having one of the best wide receivers in the ACC, Malachi Fields. Fields is now gone to Notre Dame so Morris is going to have to find a new No. 1 target.

There is a chance that Morris could in fact be a huge upgrade at the position, but he only has one real season to show for it. Morris only played in five total games during his lone season with Oklahoma and then transferred to TCU. He played in four games for the Horned Frogs in 2021, including a standout performance in an upset win over No. 12 Baylor. Morris was 29-41 for 461 yards and two touchdowns in that game.

He would battle an injury that would limit his playing time in both 2022 (when the Horner Frogs made an appearance in the national championship game) and then in 2023, when he only played in seven games. Morris threw for 1,532 yards, 12 touchdowns, and five interceptions while completing 66% of his passes. He would then transfer to North Texas, where he would have the most productive season of his collegiate career.

For the Mean Green last season, Morris threw for 3,774 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while completing 63.1% of his passes. He also had 242 yards rushing and four touchdowns. According to PFF, Morris finished as the highest-grade player on the North Texas offense with 78.9 grade in 887 total snaps at quarterback.

It comes down to if 1) Morris can stay healthy and 2) Was his production a product of the kind of teams he was facing on the field last season? I would argue that when he was healthy at TCU, he did have games where he put up big numbers, so last season might not have just been a product of facing weak defenses. 

Additional Links

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