Ranking college football's 10 best quarterbacks for the 2022 season
No matter what changes about the game of college football, one thing remains a constant: quarterback play is the No. 1 factor that wins or loses games.
Coming into the 2022 season, fans should get an up-close look at some of the better athletes to play the quarterback position in recent years.
Ranking college football's 10 best quarterbacks this season
10. Tyler Van Dyke
Where he plays: Miami
2021 stats: 202-324 (62.3%), 2,931 yards, 25 TD, 6 INT
Van Dyke stepped in for the Canes when starter D'Eriq King went down with a shoulder injury and immediately made this offense better.
After one bad outing against UNC, he dramatically improved down the stretch, not throwing another pick in four games out of six and passing for 20 touchdowns.
Just six points kept Miami from going perfect in ACC games with Van Dyke at the wheel and now the Hurricanes are anxious to see what he can do with a full offseason to prepare and a whole year as the starter.
9. Hendon Hooker
Where he plays: Tennessee
2021 stats: 206-302 (68.2%), 2,945 yards, 31 TD, 3 INT
One of the best players to watch on offense in the SEC last season, Hooker finished with 31 scores and just three picks despite starting the 2021 campaign as the backup following his transfer from Virginia Tech.
He averaged nearly 10 yards per pass attempt a year ago, placing No. 2 in the SEC in that category, and was third nationally in pass efficiency, leading the No. 9 overall offense in college football. He gets Cedric Tillman back at receiver, in addition to Bru McCoy, who transferred in from USC this year.
8. Jake Haener
Where he plays: Fresno State
2021 stats: 329-490 (67.1%), 4,096 yards, 33 TD, 9 INT
For a time, it looked like Haener would follow head coach Kalen DeBoer to Washington, but he elected to stay at Fresno and stick with head coach Jeff Tedford, who first recruited the quarterback to the school.
Haener is never short on production, last season ranking 8th in college football in passing yards per game, ninth in total yards and completions per game, ranking 11th in total offense per game and passing touchdowns, and placed top 15 in points responsible per game and total points.
7. Grayson McCall
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Where he plays: Coastal Carolina
2021 stats: 176-241 (73%), 2,873 yards, 27 TD, 3 INT
McCall could be the difference between the Chanticleers making or not making a New Year's bowl this season. CC was mixed in the two games he didn't play because of injury, going 1-1, but clearly was a better team with him on the field. He finished last season with the FBS record in efficiency rating (207.7).
6. Devin Leary
Where he plays: NC State
2021 stats: 283-431 (65.7%), 3,433 yards, 35 TD, 3 INT
Leary was one of the most efficient passers in the ACC a year ago, not throwing a pick in eight games and comes back to a conference that seems more wide open than usual.
He placed second in QBR in league games and comes back with another year of experience surrounded by a solid group of skill players.
NC State needs to patch up some holes on the offensive line and replace two running backs, which means there'll be more on Leary's plate, but he's shown he can handle it. Just four points kept the Wolfpack from a perfect ACC record last fall.
5. Dillon Gabriel
Where he plays: Oklahoma
2021 stats: 70-102 (68.6%), 814 yards, 9 TD, 3 INT
Gabriel was limited to just three games last fall because of a broken collarbone, but is ready for a major bounce back after transferring to OU.
In the process, he meets up again with offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby: the two orchestrated a top 10 offense at UCF two years ago and have the weapons to repeat that success this season. Gabriel boasts over 8,000 career passing yards in 26 games with 70 touchdowns and just 14 interceptions.
4. Sam Hartman
Where he plays: Wake Forest
2021 stats: 299-508 (58.9%), 4,228 yards, 39 TD, 14 INT
Hartman returns to Wake a fifth-year junior with a real chance to break the college football career yardage record. He comes back as the point man on an offense that placed No. 11 nationally last season and passed its way into the ACC title game.
Wake should stay in the Top 25 rankings all this year and make a run at the ACC and a New Year's bowl, chiefly based on what Hartman can dish out from behind center. (It certainly won't be because of the Deacs' defense.)
3. Caleb Williams
Where he plays: USC
2021 stats: 136-211 (64.5%), 1,912 yards, 21 TD, 4 INT
For all the pub Williams gets, it's important to remember he's still short on experience and coming into a true sophomore season.
He played most of just eight games a year ago, and had a very rough November, including three straight games where he completed under 53% of his passes.
But the consensus 5-star recruit and former No. 2 prospect still has tons of unearthed potential. Re-uniting with Lincoln Riley at USC and working with a few blue-chip transfers, especially reigning Biletnikoff winner Jordan Addison at receiver, can bring it out for the quarterback who should be the best in the Pac-12 this fall.
2. C.J. Stroud
Where he plays: Ohio State
2021 stats: 317-441 (71.9%), 4,435 yards, 44 TD, 6 INT
Stroud had a majorly productive redshirt freshman season, in his first year as OSU's starter engineering the No. 1 total offense in college football and finishing up as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Stroud even looked great in the Buckeyes' two losses, never completing under 65% and throwing just one pick despite passing 103 times in games against Oregon and Michigan.
He went off in the Rose Bowl, throwing for 573 yards with six touchdowns in a win over Utah. Stroud loses two of the best receivers Ohio State ever had, but he inherits a very talented group again in 2022 and is in position to do it all over again.
1. Bryce Young
Where he plays: Alabama
2021 stats: 366-547 (66.9%), 4,872 yards, 47 TD, 7 INT
Low on experience but high on potential a year ago, the former 5-star prospect burst onto the scene in 2021, turning out raw production that's rare to see, culminating in a Heisman Trophy, the first for an Alabama quarterback.
Young wasn't only the most efficient passer in college football when working from a clean pocket, he was also one of the 10 best when passing under pressure — which was pretty often, around 37 percent of the time. Now, Young has a shot to join Archie Griffin as a two-time Heisman winner this year.
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