Top 25 Big Ten Quarterbacks In The Jim Harbaugh Era

Jim Harbaugh has been at Michigan for five complete seasons giving us a chance to see where his guys stack up against the rest of the conference.

There are some landmarks when it comes to coaching careers. College coaches always get judged on their first year, after four seasons when all of "their" players are in place and then usually at five and ten years, if they make it that far. We're at the five-year mark with Jim Harbaugh, so now we can take a look back at how his guys have done compared to the rest of the conference. 

Today, we'll take a look at the top 25 quarterbacks in the Big Ten since Jim Harbaugh took over at Michigan.

1. Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State

Haskins was only the starter for one season at Ohio State but he had the best statistical campaign in the history of the Big Ten that year. During that 2018 season, Haskins completed 70% of his passes and had 4,831 yards through the air. He tossed 50 touchdowns against just eight interceptions and helped the Buckeyes capture a Big Ten title.

2. Justin Fields, Ohio State

Fields didn't start out at Ohio State but he's there now and that's all that matters to Buckeye fans. The dangerous dual-threat quarterback started for the Bucks last year and led the conference in passing with 3,273 yards with 41 touchdowns and a minuscule three interceptions. He also added 484 yards rushing and 10 additional scores on the ground. He's a problem for the Big Ten and the entire country with his skill set at 6-3, 227 pounds.

3. Trace McSorley, Penn State

During McSorley's first two years as a starter in 2016 and 2017, he led the Big Ten in passing with 3,614 and 3,570 yards respectively. He dipped down a bit as a senior in 2018, but was still quite productive and finished 8th in the conference in total passing yards. He led the Nittany Lions to a Big Ten title in 2016 and was always at the top of every opponent's scouting report because of his playmaking ability and knack for taking off and running at the most opportune times. He rushed for 798 yards as a senior and piled up 30 scores on the ground while at Penn State.

4. JT Barrett, Ohio State

Barrett was never viewed as a pure passer at Ohio State because he was such an effective runner, but he actually had pretty good throwing numbers while in Columbus. In 2016, he racked up 2,555 yards through the air with 24 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He also had 845 yards rushing and nine more scores that season. In 2017 he was even better, throwing for 3,053 yards and 35 touchdowns against just nine interceptions. Again he also got it done on the ground piling up 798 yards rushing and another 12 touchdowns. He led Ohio State to a Big Ten title in 2017 and Ohio State hasn't looked back since.

5. Connor Cook, Michigan State

Cook only played against Jim Harbaugh once but it was during MSU's 12-2 season in 2015. The Spartans won the conference that year and Cook was a massive part of it. He finished second in the Big Ten with 3,131 yards and 24 touchdowns against just seven interceptions. He only completed 56.1% of his passes that year but he seemed to come up big in the clutch every time he needed to. 

6. Tanner Morgan, Minnesota

7. Peyton Ramsey, Indiana

8. Shea Patterson, Michigan

9. David Blough, Purdue

10. Clayton Thorson, Northwestern

11. Brian Lewerke, Michigan State

12. Nate Sudfeld, Indiana

13. Nate Stanley, Iowa

14. Tommy Armstrong Jr., Nebraska

15. Richard Lagow, Indiana

16. Jake Rudock, Michigan

17. Wilton Speight, Michigan

18. Adrian Martinez, Nebraska

19. Tanner Lee, Nebraska

20. Alex Hornibrook, Wisconsin

21. CJ Beathard, Iowa

22. Wes Lunt, Illinois

23. Jack Coan, Wisconsin

24. Sean Clifford, Penn State

25. Mitch Leidner, Minnesota