An early look at all the talented quarterbacks Stanford will face in 2023 after Sam Hartman's transfer to Notre Dame

Stanford will have to face off agains six of the best quarterbacks in the sport

Going 3-9 and having to replace David Shaw just a week before early signing day likely wasn't the dream season that Stanford fan's envisioned this past year.

Looking ahead to next season, which will be the first season under new head coach and offensive mastermind, Troy Taylor, it may be tough sledding as well. Taylor inherited a team that is losing almost all of their starters, and also happens to be playing what projects to be one of the toughest schedules in the country. Looking ahead to their 2023 schedule and basing it off this year's rankings, Stanford is set to play six teams that are ranked in the top-25 with four them being ranked within the top-15. 

However the rankings of those teams will seem almost irrelevant when you realize that Stanford will have to attempt to defend some of the sport's best single callers next season. USA TODAY provided a ranking of the 10 best college quarterbacks, and four of them will be on Stanford's schedule next season. Five of the quarterbacks on their schedule ranked within the top-15 in passing yards this season, four ranking in the top-15 in passing touchdowns, and of course three of them ranking in the top-15 in passing efficiency, 

While Stanford fans badly want their beloved program to bounce back and return to its former glory, they will need a much improved offense, defense, and a whole lotta luck in slowing down these passers. Let's take a look at each of the quarterbacks they will be facing next year in Taylor's first year as the Cardinal head coach. 

Brayden Schager, Hawai'i, Week 1

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2022 Stats: 2,348 Passing Yards, 13 TDs, 10 Ints 

Team Record: 3-10 

Stanford gets to open the season against a Hawai'i program that is also attempting turn things around. Schager had the most success this season behind center for Hawai'i, so I expect that the third year quarterback will take that next step and see a major improvement next season .

Jake Dunniway, Sacramento State, Week 2

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2022 Stats: 2,412 Passing Yards, 19 TDs, 15 Ints

Team Record: 12-1

In a game that can be considered the Troy Taylor Bowl, Taylor will be hosting his former team at his new gig. Sacramento State became notorious for their two quarterback system, but Dunniway was the starter between the two. He is a senior this season, but has yet to publicly announce a declaration for the NFL Draft, so he may be using the COVID-19 extra year of eligibility. If he is who Stanford faces off against, he is an experienced passer who might have some extra motivation going up against his old coach. If he doesn't return next season, the only other quarterback on the roster that isn't a senior this year is Kaiden Bennet, who has nine career passing attempts. 

Sam Hartman, Notre Dame, Week 3

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2022 Stats: 3,701 Passing Yards, 38 TDs, 12 Ints

Team Record (Notre Dame): 9-4

Some might say that Notre Dame was a quarterback away from taking that next step this season. Well luckily for the Irish, they were able to add the best quarterback in the transfer portal in Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman. The super senior quarterback has tons of experience under his belt, throwing for nearly 13,000 yards and 110 touchdowns in his career. Notre Dame will be the first of many teams Stanford plays with playoff aspirations, and Hartman will be the first real test of how good the defense is. 

Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, Week 4

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2022 Stats: 3,732 Passing Yards, 40 TDs, 6 Ints

Team Record (Colorado): 1-11

Sanders was one of many Jackson State transfers to follow his dad, Deion, to Colorado. There is really no telling how good he actually will be considering how easily he lit it up HBCU teams, but some outlets actually believe he has a chance to win the Heisman next season.  Needless to say, this will not be the same Colorado team that we saw this past season that rotated through three different quarterbacks. 

D.J. Uiagalelei, Oregon State, Week 5

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2022 Stats: 2,521 Passing Yards, 22 TDs, 7 Ints

Team Record (Oregon State): 10-3

The Beavers beat Stanford on a miracle this past season, and finished the year off ranked in the top-15. They won 10 games without competent quarterback play, which likely means that Clemson transfer D.J. Uiagalelei will allow them to be even better next year assuming he can be a steady hand. At Oregon State he won't have a five-star quarterback breathing down his neck and a fan base clamoring for his replacement to play, which likely will help him relax a little. Not to mention, Johnathan Smith will surely help him improve his game and take it to the next level. 

Jayden de Laura, Arizona, Week 6

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2022 Stats: 3,685 Passing Yards, 25 TDs, 13 Ints

Team Record: 5-7 

Don't let Arizona's record fool you, something is happening down there in Tucson and Jayden de Laura is the catalyst. He was third in the conference in total passing yards and passing yards per game, while also helping the team take a major step from a year ago. He along with one of his best weapons, Jacob Cowing, are set to return next season and could help the program get on the right side of .500. This Arizona team will continue to improve and be a tough test for the Stanford defense who will be replacing their entire starting secondary except for Ethan Bonner. 

Cal TBD

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Team Record: 4-8 

Cal is the one team on Stanford's schedule whose quarterback situation is completely unknown. They lost both Jack Plummer (Louisville) and Kai Millner to the portal, leaving them without a quarterback. They are expected to either add someone else from the portal, or have a chance to regain Millner who reportedly didn't realize Plummer intended to enter the portal as well. 

Bo Nix, Oregon, Week 8

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2022 Stats: 3,593 Passing Yards, 29 TDs, 7 Ints

Team Record: 10-3

Bo Nix played the best football of his college career this past season, and decided to return for a fifth year. He will likely open next year as a Heisman favorite, and will also be one of the most dangerous quarterbacks Stanford has to face. He absolutely torched the Cardinal this season with his arm and his legs, and if he continues to improve next season, it may get ugly for the Pac-12. 

Dante Moore, UCLA, Week 9

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Team Record: 9-4

UCLA has a few options at quarterback to replace Dorian Thompson-Robinson, with names such as Ethan Garbers, Justyn Martin, Kent State transfer Collin Schlee, and of course who most people think will get the nod, five-star Dante Moore. The prized recruit of their 2023 class who they flipped from Oregon, ranks as the No. 3 player in the class, and will likely be vying for the starting spot. Even if he doesn't win it to begin the season, I doubt any of their other quarterbacks will be good enough to fend him off. In a world where players want to play immediately or will leave, I don't think Chip Kelly will risk losing the highest ranked quarterback commit in program history. 

Michael Penix, Washington, Week 10

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2022 Stats: 4,641 Passing Yards, 31 TDs, 8 Ints

Team Record: 11-2

Another transfer quarterback that came to the Pac-12 and absolutely dominated this past season, Penix led the Huskies' top ranked offense to amazing success and announced he's coming back for more. Washington is set to return all of their best receivers, and have also added some weapons via the transfer portal. It's a scary thought for Stanford, but this Washington team is only getting better. 

Caleb Williams, USC, Week 11

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2022 Stats: 4,537 Passing Yards, 42 TDs, 5 Ints

Team Record: 11-3

In what will be a fun four week stretch of possibly facing multiple Heisman finalist, the Cardinal get to face this year's Heisman winner. Caleb Williams is arguably the best quarterback in college football, and will likely be in the midst of a College Football Playoff push if everything goes right for the Trojans. Williams has a cannon of an arm, can run with the best of them, and he rarely makes mistakes. This is probably the worst time to catch USC, and it will also be another daunting task for an inexperienced defense. 

Cam Ward, Washington State, Week 12

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2022 Stats: 3,232 Passing Yards, 23 TDs, 9 Ints

Team Record: 7-6 

Cam Ward is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country, and having another year of experience at this level will only help him. He displayed magical moments countless time last year, and the Cougars will only rely on him more next year. Stanford fans didn't see much of this electricity that I'm mentioning when the two teams faced off due to the fact that the Cougars were able to run all over the Stanford defense, but don't let that distract you from the fact that Ward is one of the best arm talents in the country. It is just a matter of protecting him and the Cougar's defense holding up.