Best high school quarterbacks in the nation entering the 2023 football season

Expect these 20 quarterbacks to thrive on a national level this fall

Don't get too comfortable with summer, because it's time to start getting excited for the 2023 high school football season.

Several of the nation's top teams start their season in less than a month, so SBLive Sports is going to start highlighting some of the best players in the nation.

Over the next few weeks we'll be taking a position-by-position look at some of the best of the best in high school football. We started with the defensive backs, and now it's the quarterbacks' turn.

Micah Alejado, sr., Bishop Gorman (Nevada)

Alejado led Bishop Gorman to a 13-1 record and the Class 5A state championship during a record-breaking junior season. The Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year threw for 3,403 yards and a state-record 53 touchdowns with just two interceptions, completing 170-of-224 pass attempts. He also rushed for 335 yards and three touchdowns.

Cedrick Bailey, sr., Chaminade-Madonna (Florida)

Bailey was a threat with his arm and his legs as a junior, earning first-team SBLive Florida All-State honors. Bailey threw for 3,355 yards and 45 touchdowns against just five interceptions and also rushed for 215 and two scores for one of the best teams in the country. The 6-foot-6 QB committed to NC State in March.

Elijah Brown, sr., Mater Dei (California)

Brown completed 184 of 270 passes (68%) for 2,785 yards, 31 touchdowns and only four interceptions in 2022 as a junior. He was the most consistent quarterback in California high school football last fall. The SBLive California All-State honoree enters his senior season with a 29-1 career record as a starter.

Navi Bruzon, sr., Peoria Liberty (Arizona)

Bruzon earned Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a junior, as the 5-foot-11, 195-pound quarterback passed for 3,041 yards and 33 touchdowns, leading Liberty (11-1) to the Open Division state tournament semifinals. He also had 409 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

CJ Carr, sr., Saline (Michigan)

Carr finished his junior season with 2,685 passing yards and 26 touchdowns, plus 227 rushing yards and seven TDs on the ground. The 6-foot-3 Notre Dame commit had one of the highlights of the 2022 season with a scrambling, no-look pass for a touchdown in November. He's the grandson of longtime Michigan Wolverines head coach Lloyd Carr.

Jadyn Davis, sr., Providence Day (North Carolina)

As a junior, Davis was named North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year after throwing for 3,425 yards and 43 touchdowns while leading Providence Day to a state championship. He committed to Michigan live on ESPN in March.

Micah Ford, sr., Toms River North (New Jersey)

As good as Ford has been at quarterback and DB, he's expected to be a running back at Stanford. As a run-first QB, he led Toms River North to a 14-0 record and the Group 5 state championship as a junior, rushing for 2,360 yards and 33 touchdowns while passing for 1,203 yards and 17 TDs. 

Ethan Grunkemeyer, sr., Olentangy (Ohio)

Grunkemeyer's strong offseason has him flying up the recruiting rankings. The 6-foot-3 quarterback threw for 2,649 yards and 24 touchdowns as a junior with another five TDs on the ground. The Penn State commit's late ascendence in the recruiting world is very similar to former Ohio Mr. Football Drew Allar, who's expected to be Penn State's starting quarterback this fall.

Antwann Hill, jr., Houston County (Georgia)

Hill was at his best in a 29-28 playoff win over Brunswick last fall, throwing for 404 yards and four touchdowns. As a sophomore, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound signal-caller completed 70.5% of his passes while throwing for 3,663 yards and 40 touchdowns.

DJ Lagway, sr., Willis (Texas)

Lagway is committed to play football at Florida, but the two-sport star might also end up playing baseball for the Gators as a pitcher or outfielder. In eight games playing QB for Willis as a junior, the 6-foot-3 dual threat threw for 2,081 yards for 24 touchdowns with just three interceptions while running for 517 yards and seven scores. 

Julian Lewis, soph., Carrollton (Georgia)

The 6-foot-1 quarterback threw for 4,118 yards and 48 touchdowns to lead Carrollton High to the state finals last fall in Georgia's biggest classification. The top college prospect in his class, Lewis set a state finals record with 531 passing yards and five touchdowns.

Drake Lindsey, sr., Fayetteville (Arkansas)

Few outside Northwest Arkansas were familiar with Lindsey before last season, when he finally got his turn after backing up Bladen Fike. It didn't take long for the Minnesota commit to burst onto the scene, as the 6-foot-5 gunslinger finished with 3,620 yards and 37 touchdowns along with just three interceptions to earn first-team SBLive Arkansas All-State honors.

George McIntyre, jr., Brentwood Academy (Tennessee)

Expect McIntyre to make an enormous leap as a junior. In his first season as a starter last fall, the 6-foot-5 quarterback threw for 2,341 yards with 19 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also led Brentwood Academy to a state championship in basketball in the spring and has drawn Power Five offers in both sports.

Air Noland, sr., Langston Hughes (Georgia)

Noland is coming off a stellar junior season in which he led Langston Hughes to the 6A state championship while nearly breaking the state's single-season touchdown passes record with 55 (and just four interceptions). The 6-foot-3 Ohio State commit threw for 4,095 yards and rushed for 156 and another five touchdowns.

Dylan Raiola, sr., Buford (Georgia)

Raiola completed 178 of 278 passes for 2,435 yards and 22 touchdowns with five interceptions for Chandler (Arizona) as a junior last season. He transferred to Pinnacle in January and again last month to Buford, which is just 40 miles away from the University of Georgia, where he committed to in May.

Stone Saunders, jr., Bishop McDevitt (Pennsylvania)

Saunders led Bishop McDevitt to the PIAA 4A state championship last season, earning Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a sophomore. He threw for 3,583 yards and 54 touchdowns, including a championship game-record five TD throws in McDevitt’s 41-18 win over Aliquippa.

Julian Sayin photo by Rudy Schmoke

Julian Sayin, sr., Carlsbad (California)

Sayin was the most consistent quarterback at the 2023 Elite 11 Finals over the summer, beating out Raiola to earn MVP honors. The Alabama commit threw for 2,708 yards with 27 touchdowns and four interceptions in 12 games for Carlsbad last fall.

Bryce Underwood, jr., Belleville (Michigan)

Underwood led Belleville to its second straight state championship last fall with 304 total yards in the title game. He finished his sophomore year with 2,762 yards and 37 touchdowns through the air and 632 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.

Jonas Williams, soph., Bolingbrook (Illinois)

Williams finished his stellar freshman campaign with 2,737 passing yards and 37 touchdowns in 10 games. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound signal-caller enters his sophomore season already holding offers from Arkansas, Tennessee, Michigan, Purdue and Illinois.

Isaac Wilson, sr., Corner Canyon (Utah)

A 6-foot, 190-pound playmaker who's the younger brother of NFL quarterback Zach Wilson, Isaac Wilson committed to Utah in May. He finished his junior season with 3,774 passing yards and 40 touchdowns, plus 695 yards rushing and another five touchdowns.