Ranking All 16 Big 12 Starting Quarterbacks

Who is the best quarterback in the Big 12 Conference heading into 2024?

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The 2024 college football season is just around the corner and this year, the Big 12 is loaded with talent at the quarterback position. Who is the best among the group? Glad you asked. Here are my preseason Big 12 quarterback rankings, listed from worst to first.

16. Sam Leavitt (Arizona State)

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We don't know all that much about Leavitt, who transfers in from Michigan State. He has 23 career passing attempts but figures to be the leader for the Sun Devils QB job over veteran Jeff Sims who previously spent time at Georgia Tech and Nebraska.

15. Jake Retzlaff (BYU)

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Gerry Bohanon will push for the starting job, but it appears to be Retzlaff's job to lose. He has to be more accurate with the football, but more importantly more careful with where and how he's throwing it. He has that baseball background where he can release the ball at different points/slots but sometimes it gets him in trouble.

14. Brendan Sorsby (Cincinnati)

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The Indiana transfer gives Cincinnati an upgrade at quarterback, although he's far from a finished product. I'd like to see him use his legs a little bit more and in Scott Satterfield's system we should see that come to fruition. If you take out his three interception game against Purdue, he only threw three interceptions in 205 pass attempts.

13. Dequan Finn (Baylor)

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Finn was a very streaky quarterback last season at Toledo. He would go two or three games completing passes at a high percentage and then follow that up with a couple games of living in the mid 50s percentage-wise. If he can iron out those ups and downs and be more consistent, Baylor will have a chance to reach bowl eligibility one year after going 3-9.

12. Josh Hoover (TCU)

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Hoover threw for over 300 yards in five of his seven starts, including a pair of 400-yard games. Although the ranking may not show it, I'm big on Hoover's potential and believe he will eventually be a top four quarterback in this conference. Of the quarterbacks outside the top 10, he has the best chance to end the season in the top eight (top half of the league).

11. Behren Morton (Texas Tech)

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Morton wasn't expected to be the Red Raiders' signal-caller for much of the season but another injury to Tyler Shough thrust him into action. He did fairly well considering the circumstances, leading Texas Tech to a 6-2 record in his eight starts.

10. Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State)

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Despite having Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State threw the ball a ton in 2023. Bowman logged 501 attempts which was the most of any Big 12 QB last season with Donovan Smith having the 2nd-most with over 100 fewer. The problem? Their production just wasn't there. 15 touchdowns to 14 picks - a ratio that must improve if the Cowboys want to be in the mix for a trip to Arlington.

9. Avery Johnson (Kansas State)

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Johnson saw some action here and there throughout the season while backing up Will Howard. He got the start in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against NC State and put on a show. He threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns and added another 71 yards and one score with his legs. The former five-star will be a problem in the Big 12 for years to come.

8. Rocco Becht (Iowa State)

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It took a while for Becht, and really, the entire Iowa State offense to get going but once they did they were a problem. He threw for 3,120 yards on the season completed 63% of his passes while only getting sacked 13 times. In the Liberty Bowl against Memphis, he tossed the ball all over the yard throwing for 446 yards and three touchdowns.

7. Donovan Smith (Houston)

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Smith has a ton of potential and could become a day two pick in next year's NFL Draft if he can take better care of the football. He threw 13 interceptions last year - ten of which came in the final six games of the season. In the month of November, he had three straight weeks of tossing multiple picks. The arm talent is there, he just has to get better control of where it's going and make better decisions.

6. Jalon Daniels (Kansas)

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The only reason Daniels isn't higher on this list is because he has yet to play a full season in his four-year career. If he can't play 10+ games, the Jayhawks's chances to win the Big 12 decrease significantly. For his career, he's thrown 31 touchdowns to 12 interceptions and has rushed for 602 yards and 13 scores.

5. KJ Jefferson (UCF)

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Jefferson had a very productive three-year run as QB1 at Arkansas, but took a small step back in 2023. The Razorbacks' offense completely centered around KJ as he led the team in rushing with just 447 yards. I can't believe I'm saying this but he'll have more weapons to work with at UCF. The addition of Jefferson makes UCF an intriguing darkhorse in the Big 12.

4. Cameron Rising (Utah)

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Rising enters his seventh season in college football and believe it or not, he has an eighth year of eligibility if he chooses to use it. He guided Utah to back-to-back PAC 12 championships, securing two straight trips to the Rose Bowl. He's not the fastest dual-threat QB, but he can harm you on the ground. Rising has rushed for 953 yards and 12 touchdowns in his career while completing 64% of his passes.

3. Noah Fifita (Arizona)

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Fifita had a phenomenal season in 2023, turning the Wildcats into a legitimate contender in the PAC 12 - something no one saw coming. He ranked fourth nationally in completion percentage at 72.4%, ranking behind only Bo Nix (Oregon), Jacob Zeno (UAB), and Graham Mertz (Florida). It'll be interesting to see how he translates to the Big 12 with a new head coach in place.

2. Garrett Greene (West Virginia)

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Greene had a breakout year in his first full year as the Mountaineer starting quarterback. The completion percentage is lower than he or Neal Brown would like, but it's a little skewed due to how much they threw the ball downfield. Although he's number two on this list, there's a case to be made for him to be ahead of Sanders. He's the most dynamic quarterback in the league when you add in what he can do running the football.

1. Shedeur Sanders (Colorado)

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Sanders has the potential to be a top five pick in next year's NFL Draft. He doesn't offer much with his legs, but he's one of the nation's most accurate quarterbacks and does an exceptional job of protecting the football. He was sacked 52 times last season and although much of that was from poor o-line play, he had a hand in that too by holding onto the ball. For the Buffs to be competitive, Sanders has to be elite.

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