College Football's Pre-Spring Rankings: Top 20 Quarterbacks for 2024

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With the transfer portal, coaching changes, and ongoing legal issues facing the NCAA and conferences, college football’s offseason never really ended. However, with spring practice starting soon for all 134 teams, the focus will shift back to the on-field action and some of the names returning to the sport for 2024. The quarterback position saw a few big-time names like USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, LSU’s Jayden Daniels, and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. depart for the NFL, leaving a void under center for the upcoming season.

However, the cupboard for quarterback talent isn’t bare across college football. The SEC is home to several talented signal-callers, including Georgia’s Carson Beck, Texas A&M’s Conner Weigman, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe. Former UCF and Oklahoma signal-caller Dillon Gabriel tops the list of options in the Big Ten after transferring to Oregon.

With spring practice in mind, Athlon Sports takes a look at the top 20 quarterbacks returning in college football for 2024. Keep in mind, this list will change several times during the offseason with names moving up and down based on spring performance and other factors before the start of next year.

Pre-Spring Conference Ranks: ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | SEC

College Football’s Pre-Spring Rankings: Top 20 Quarterbacks for 2024

Pre-spring rankings (and subject to change several times this offseason)

1. Carson Beck, GeorgiaStetson Bennett left big shoes to fill in Athens last offseason, but Beck quickly emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC. In 14 starts, Beck threw for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns to only six picks. Also, his completion percentage (72.4) ranked fourth nationally, while his yards per attempt (9.5) tied for sixth among FBS quarterbacks.

2. Dillon Gabriel, OregonThe Ducks landed two of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal with the arrival of Gabriel (Oklahoma) and Dante Moore (UCLA). Gabriel’s transfer ensures the Oregon attack won’t have any drop in production with Bo Nix off to the NFL, as the Hawaii native arrives in Eugene after throwing for 14,865 yards and 125 touchdowns combined in stints at UCF and Oklahoma.

3. Jalen Milroe, AlabamaNew Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer is one of the top offensive minds in the nation, so it will be intriguing to see how far Milroe develops under a new staff. Although there is plenty of room to grow and develop as a passer (especially on the intermediate game), Milroe is one of the nation’s most-dynamic signal-callers. In his first year as the team’s starter, Milroe accounted for 3,365 total yards and 35 overall scores.

4. Quinn Ewers, TexasEwers’ development helped Texas win the Big 12 Championship and earn a trip to the CFB Playoff last year. Is another step forward in store in 2024? It’s needed for the Longhorns to win in the SEC, but Ewers enters this season entrenched as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks. The Texas native threw for 3,479 yards and 22 touchdowns last season and increased his completion rate by 11 points (58 percent to 69).

5. Jaxson Dart, Ole MissDart was under to pressure to improve in 2023 after Ole Miss landed two quarterbacks (Spencer Sanders and Walker Howard) in the portal. Although Dart was solid in ’22, he elevated his overall performance to the next level last season, emerging as one of the SEC’s top signal-callers. The Utah native threw for 3,364 yards and 23 touchdowns to only five picks and rushed for 389 yards and eight scores. Per PFF, Dart connected on 20 big-time throws and averaged 10.5 yards on depth per target.

6. Jalon Daniels, KansasDaniels was poised to rank among the nation’s top quarterbacks in 2023 but an injury limited him to just three games. The California native is on track to return to full strength and is supported by a deep cast of skill talent, including running back Devin Neal (1,280 yards in ’23). Will the offense see any drop in production with play-caller Andy Kotelnicki off to Penn State?

7. Noah Fifita, ArizonaFifita was one of the nation’s top freshman in 2023 and is a big reason why Arizona enters the Big 12 as one of the favorites to win the conference this fall. The California native opened ’23 as the backup to Jayden de Laura but was pressed into action due to injury and never surrendered the starting job the rest of the way. Fifita threw for 2,869 yards and 25 touchdowns to only six picks in 12 contests last year.

8. Shedeur Sanders, ColoradoInjuries and a struggling offensive line slowed Sanders late in the ’23 season, but the Jackson State transfer still passed for 3,230 yards and 27 touchdowns in his first year in Boulder. The arrival of a handful of transfers up front will keep Sanders better protected in ’24, and Colorado still has plenty of weapons at receiver to deploy under new coordinator Pat Shurmur.

9. Cameron Rising, UtahRising missed all of the 2023 season due to a significant knee injury suffered in the Rose Bowl loss to Penn State for the ’22 campaign. Assuming Rising is back to full strength, the senior is poised to return to a spot among the nation’s top signal-callers. In ’22, Rising led the Utes to a Pac-12 title after throwing for 3,034 yards and 26 touchdowns and running for 465 yards and six scores.

10. Nico Iamaleava, TennesseeIamaleava – a five-star recruit in the ’23 signing class – is ready for primetime as Tennessee’s No. 1 quarterback. The California native was impressive in limited action last year, which included a start in the Citrus Bowl against a standout Iowa defense. Iamaleava connected on 12 of 19 throws for 151 yards and a score and added three more on the ground.

11. Brady Cook, MissouriThere were plenty of doubts about Cook going into the 2023 season after an up-and-down ’22 campaign. However, after getting his shoulder repaired after an in-season injury, Cook looked like a different quarterback and emerged as one of the best in the SEC. The St. Louis native led a much-improved Missouri offense by accounting for 3,636 yards and 29 overall scores.

12. Garrett Greene, West VirginiaGreene was one of the Big 12’s biggest surprises last season. After entering the ’23 campaign as a question mark, Greene emerged as one of the conference’s top signal-callers. In 12 appearances, the Florida native recorded 2,406 yards and 16 scores through the air and ran for 772 yards and 13 touchdowns. Greene’s 772 rushing yards were the most by a quarterback in the Big 12 last fall.

13. Riley Leonard, Notre DameLeonard was poised to push for a spot among the nation’s top quarterbacks last season, but his progress was hindered by a couple of injuries, including a season-ending ailment suffered in a 23-0 loss at Louisville on Oct. 28. Considering the limited playing time in ’23, Leonard’s numbers from ’22 at Duke (2,967 passing yards and 20 touchdowns and 699 yards and 13 rushing scores) provide much better insight into the type of player he can be in South Bend this year.

14. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

LSU’s offense is going to look significantly different next fall with quarterback Jayden Daniels and receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas in the NFL. However, the Tigers should still remain one of the top attacks in the SEC. Nussmeier is a breakout candidate for ’24 after playing well in limited time, including a start in the Outback Bowl against Wisconsin (31 of 45 for 391 yards and three scores).

15. Conner Weigman, Texas A&MWeigman appeared poised for a breakout year in 2023 but a leg injury against Auburn in late September prevented him from seeing the field again last season. Prior to the injury, Weigman posted impressive numbers in four games (82 of 119 for 979 yards and eight touchdowns). New coordinator Collin Klein should help Weigman emerge as one of the SEC’s top signal-callers.

16. Kaidon Salter, LibertySalter thrived in first-year coach Jamey Chadwell’s offense and was instrumental in Liberty’s run to a New Year’s Six bowl. The Tennessee transfer threw for 2,876 yards and 32 touchdowns to only six picks and rushed for 1,089 yards and 12 scores. Salter’s 9.9 yards per attempt ranked fourth nationally, and his rushing yardage (1,089 yards) was third among FBS quarterbacks in ’23.

17. Cameron Ward, MiamiWard’s decision to exit the NFL Draft process and return to college for a year at Miami was a huge win for coach Mario Cristobal. The Texas native started his career at Incarnate Word before transferring to Washington State prior to the ’22 season. Ward passed for 6,968 yards and 48 touchdowns in two years with the Cougars. He also added 13 more scores on the ground. Ward’s skill set should be a good fit for coordinator Shannon Dawson’s scheme, while the return of receiver Xavier Restrepo provides the ‘Canes with one of the ACC’s top weapons in the slot.

18. DJ Uiagalelei, Florida StateUiagalelei is back in the ACC after a one-year (and successful) stop at Oregon State. In 12 games with the Beavers, Uiagalelei threw for 2,638 yards and 21 touchdowns and ran for another 219 yards and six scores on the ground. Prior to the ’23 season in Corvallis, Uiagalelei threw for 5,681 yards and 36 touchdowns over 35 games at Clemson. With two promising young quarterbacks in Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek, Uiagalelei is the perfect bridge signal-caller for coach Mike Norvell.

19. Drew Allar, Penn StateAllar’s production as a first-year starter in 2023 wasn’t bad (2,631 yards and 25 touchdowns to only two picks). However, he struggled in high-profile games against Ohio State, Michigan, and Ole Miss and connected on just five throws of 40-plus yards. Talent isn’t the issue for Allar, but he also needs to play with more consistency and has to get more help from the receiving corps in ’24. New coordinator Andy Kotelnicki was hired from Kansas to help elevate Allar’s game this fall.

20. Will Howard, Ohio StatePencil in the winner of the Ohio State quarterback battle between Howard, Julian Sayin, Air Noland, Devin Brown, and Lincoln Kienholz somewhere at the top of the Big Ten rankings. Howard transferred to Columbus after throwing for 5,786 yards and 48 touchdowns at Kansas State from 2020-23. He also added 921 yards and 19 scores on the ground.

The Next Tier: Avery Johnson, Kansas State; Grayson McCall, NC State; Haynes King, Georgia Tech; KJ Jefferson, UCF; Will Rogers, Washington; Aidan Chiles, Michigan State; Miller Moss, USC; Byrum Brown, South Florida; Seth Henigan, Memphis; Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma; Graham Mertz, Florida; Joey Aguilar, Appalachian State; Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech; Preston Stone, SMU; Kyle McCord, Syracuse; Jordan McCloud, Texas State