Ranking Top Big Ten Quarterbacks: Oregon Ducks' Dillon Gabriel Clear-Cut No. 1?

The Big Ten is littered with talented quarterbacks, both transfers and returnees. Let's take a dive in and talk about the five best, including the new Oregon Ducks QB Dillon Gabriel.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel walks the field during practice with the Ducks Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024 at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Big Ten Conference is going through a change.

Four new teams have entered the fray, including the Oregon Ducks. Transfers litter the rosters of both the new and legacy programs. And an expanded College Football Playoff has more teams competing for postseason spots.

Among those changes are the top quarterbacks in the league. Below are the top five.

5. Miller Moss, USC Trojans

Dec 27, 2023; San Diego, CA, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Miller Moss (7) gestures during a running play against the Louisville Cardinals in the second half at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Two things separate Miller Moss from every other quarterback on this list. The first is experience, Moss has one career start and that comes from the 2023 Holiday Bowl against Louisville, where he threw for 372 yards and 6 touchdowns in the Trojans' 42-28 win. The second is he is coached by Lincoln Riley. Riley is college football's quarterback whisperer, and the evidence is the three Heisman winning quarterbacks under his watch.

Moss hasn't even technically won the starting job yet, but all signs point to the redshirt junior taking the first snap against LSU on Sept. 1. He arrived at USC as a highly-touted four-star recruit and displayed patience as he sat behind Caleb Williams for two years.

After showing off a small sample of what he can do, it is hard to deny the talent. Riley doesn't usually miss with his quarterbacks, and it will be a gauntlet of a schedule ahead for Moss and the Trojans, but with Moss' strong mental processing and quick release, the quarterback should be able to navigate his way through the Trojans' inaugural Big Ten season.

4. Will Rogers, Washington Huskies

Nov 23, 2023; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers (2) breathes on his hands to warm them up prior to the game at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The first transfer on this list is also one of the most proficient quarterbacks in SEC history. Will Rogers spent four productive years at Mississippi State and now heads to the Pacific Northwest. Rogers owns the record for the most career pass completions in SEC history with 1,301 and is second in career passing yards, behind Georgia's Aaron Murray.

Rogers had actually committed to the Huskies when former head coach Kalen DeBoer was still on staff. After DeBoer left to take the Alabama job, Rogers stayed loyal to his commitment when Jedd Fisch took over the job. Working with a nearly entirely new offense, it will be interesting to see how Fisch utilizes Rogers.

With 43 games played and 12,315 career passing yards, one thing is certain: the Huskies are going to air the ball out with their gunslinger behind center.

3. Drew Allar, Penn State

Apr 13, 2024; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) throws a pass during the first quarter of the Blue White spring game at Beaver Stadium. The White team defeated the Blue team 27-0. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports / Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Drew Allar got to Penn State in 2022 with big expectations as he was the most-heralded quarterback recruit the Nittany Lions have landed since Christian Hackenberg back in 2013. In his first full season of work in 2023, Allar threw for 2,631 yards and 25 touchdowns and led Penn State to a 10-3 record, however the Nittany Lions dropped games against Ohio State and Michigan by a combined 17 points.

Penn State is returning 16 starters. The Nittany Lions also added Ohio State wide receiver transfer Julian Fleming, who caught 79 balls for 963 yards in four years for the Buckeyes, and Wisconsin offensive line transfer Nolan Rucci, who comes in to replace Olu Fashanu, a 2023 NFL Draft first round pick, at the tackle position. If Allar takes the next step with his development, and with another solid season of production, he could be in day one conversations in the 2024 NFL Draft.

2. Will Howard, Ohio State

Aug 8, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) takes a snap during football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Complex. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Another transfer on the list, Howard takes the No. 2 spot based on his experience and ceiling for this season. Howard comes in and takes over after the Kyle McCord experiment lasted only season in Columbus. He is going to be tasked with a lot in his lone season as a Buckeye, with beating Michigan and getting back to the playoff high on the list.

The redshirt senior set career-highs in 2023 with 2,643 passing yards and 24 touchdowns in 12 games. The Kansas State transfer walks into one of the best situations in college football. Chip Kelly left his head coaching job at UCLA to become the offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes. Howard will have no shortage of weapons as wide receivers Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss are looking to take huge sophomore strides and Emeka Egbuka is gearing up to be the next great wideout out of Ohio State. The sky's the limit for this offense.

Howard, who rushed for 351 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2023, offers a nice dual-threat option that will pair nicely in a backfield with TreVeyon Henderson and transfer running back Quinshon Judkins.

1. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon Ducks

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel looks to pass during the Ducks’ fall camp Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Dillon Gabriel passed for a career-high in yards and completion percentage with 3,660 yards and 69.3% last year at Oklahoma under offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby. Lebby took the head coaching gig at Mississippi State and Gabriel entered the portal where he found a picture perfect fit with Oregon's offensive coordinator, Will Stein.

Gabriel flashed serious NFL potential last season by leading the Sooners to a 10-3 record with an appearance in the Alamo Bowl to cap the season. The Ducks let the ball fly last year as they were the No. 2 passing offense in the country and with Bo Nix heading to the Broncos in the 2024 NFL Draft, Gabriel figures to slide right into his spot and shine in Will Stein's high-powered offense.

Expect Grabiel's production to skyrocket with one of the country's best receiving corps residing in Eugene. Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden, and Gary Bryant Jr. are all coming back and they combined for 2,076 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns last year. Add in transfer wide receiver Evan Stewart from Texas A&M, who was a 2022 SEC All-Freshman team honoree, and Gabriel has all the tools he needs to help lead the Ducks to the College Football Playoff.

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