Starting Quarterbacks Oregon State Football Will Face in 2024
As the Oregon State Beavers seek their own answer at quarterback, they will face a slew of talented signal callers in the 2024 campaign. That group contains everything from experienced award winners, to true freshman looking to make a name for themselves.
As of Week Zero, here are all the starting quarterbacks that the Oregon State Beavers are projected to face this year.
RELATED: State of the Beavs: In-State Standouts For OSU Football + Crunch Time For QB Decision
Idaho State - Jordan Cooke & Hunter Hays
Year: Junior // Senior
2023 Stats: Combined for 3335 yards passing with 21 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Combined for 7 rushing touchdowns.
Notes: Cooke and Hays split time at quarterback last year and both were successful in their own ways. Hays is a bit more of a running specialist, for example. It is very likely that the Bengals continue in a similar fashion in 2023.
San Diego State - Danny O'Neil
Year: True Freshman
2023 Stats: N/A
Notes: A three-star prospect from Indiana's Cathedral High School, O'Neil went 32-7 as a high school starting quarterback, winning one Indiana state title and reaching the 2023 Elite 11 Finals showcase. It's a bit of a gamble for Sean Lewis to start a true freshman, but the midwestern boy is the Aztecs' best option.
Oregon - Dillon Gabriel
Year: Senior
2023 Stats (@ Oklahoma): 66 of 384 for 3,660 passing yards with 30 touchdowns, 6 interceptions - 93 rushing attempts for 373 yards and 12 touchdowns
Notes: Now on his third (or fourth, depending on how you look at it) school, Gabriel ranks tied for fourth in NCAA history in career total touchdowns (152), seventh in total yards (15,925), eighth in passing yards (14,865) and eighth in passing touchdowns (125). His experience makes him especially dangerous.
Purdue - Hudson Card
Year: Redshirt Senior
2023 Stats: 215 of 365 passing for 2,387 yards, 15 touchdowns, 8 interceptions - 93 rushing attempts, 203 rushing yards, 5 touchdowns
Notes: The ex-Texas Longhorn ranked third in the Big Ten in passing yards per game and completions per game last season.
Colorado State - Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi
Year: Redshirt Sophomore
2023 Stats: 292 of 470 passing for 3460 yards, 22 touchdowns, 16 interceptions - 33 rushing attempts, -19 yards, one touchdowns
Notes: Fowler-Nicolosi handled getting thrown into the spotlight well last season. A 62.1% completion rate is very solid, but throwing fewer interceptions is a definite priority for him this season.
Nevada - Brendon Lewis
Year: Redshirt Junior
2023 Stats: 131 of 236 passing for 1,313 yards, 2 touchdowns, 6 interceptions - 100 rushing attempts, 495 yards, 4 touchdowns
Notes: Lewis was recently named the starter for Jeff Choate's first team at Nevada. The Wolf Pack could be willing to experiment after two-straight two-win seasons, so the pressure to perform is on.
UNLV - Matthew Sluka
Year: Senior
2023 Stats (@ Holy Cross): 122 of 197 passing for 1,728 yards, 20 touchdowns - 186 rushing attempts, 1,247 yards, 9 touchdowns
Notes: At Holy Cross, Sluka a two-time finalist for the Walter Payton Award (the FCS Heisman, basically). The three-year starter adds a ton of experience to a team that seemed to excel without a lot of it on last season's team.
Cal - Fernando Mendoza, CJ Harris, or Chandler Rogers
Cal head coach is playing his cards extremely close to the chest on this one, but last year's starter Mendoza may be the option that makes the most sense. That being said, until the season actually starts, it's unlikely we'll know who the definitive guy is.
San Jose State - Emmett Brown, Walker Eget, or Xavier Ward
This is a unique spot for Ken Niumatalolo's program. The starter for the Spartans isn't clear, as the former Navy coach and offensive coordinator Craig Stutzman implement a new offense that will be a bit more pass-heavy than SJSU's previous one and much more than Niumatalolo's old triple-option offenses.
Air Force - John Busha
Year: Junior
2023 Stats: 9 of 19 for 152 passing yards - 13 rushing attempts, 11yards and a touchdown
Notes: Seeing action in just four games last season, Busha is a question mark on a team full of question marks. Air Force have the least returning production of any team in college football this year.
Washington State - John Mateer
Year: Redshirt Sophomore
2023 Stats: 13 of 17 for 235 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception - 20 rushing attempts, 61 rushing yards, 3 touchdowns
Notes: Mateer won the job over Bryant transfer Zevi Eckhaus earlier this month, replacing Cam Ward as the Cougs' starting quarterback. Head coach Jake Dickert has frequently cited Mateer's impressive ability to perform "off-script" which means the Beavers need to keep an eye on his scrambling ability.
Boise State - Maddux Madsen
Year: Redshirt Sophomore
2023 Stats: 81 of 32, 1191 passing yards, 9 touchdowns, 3 interceptions - 33 rushing attempts, 120 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns
Notes: Madsen won Boise's starting quarterback job over USC transfer Malachi Nelson in the offseason. After splitting time with Taylen Green last season, Madsen should see a major increase in time if he can stay healthy.
JOE LONDERGAN
Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.