The College football season is 3/4th done and we are getting close to the college football playoffs. This is the time where Quarterbacks make their Heisman cases and their playoff pushes.
This is also when the NFL scouts are watching the hardest and when they see who steps up in the big moment. After the season ends the next thing most players look forward to is the draft and that means one big thing for football fans.
Every football fan’s favorite pastime, claiming they know who is the next 10 year starter and the next big bust. This year is an especially big year for incoming quarterbacks, so let the predictions begin.
The reason it is so big is because this year’s class has a chance to be one of the best quarterback classes ever. In this class there are at least 10 quarterbacks to me that seem like they could make multiple Pro Bowls.
Just for the record, Tru-Yak quarterback rankings are based on college and their probability to succeed in the NFL. I know it may seem unfair to rank someone based on potential in the NFL, when they’re in college, but the NFL is the main goal for all quarterbacks so that is how they are going to be judged.
That being said, let’s dive in.
10-6
- J.J, McCarthy
McCarthy is putting on a great season despite Michigan being accused of cheating. He is not letting that affect him and is still putting on a show. He has thrown for 2,134 yards, 18 touchdowns and only 3 picks along with 137 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground.
That makes him responsible for 2,271 yards and 21 touchdowns. That is not as good as some of the other quarterbacks in the class, but he is in a run-heavy offense that has a Hiesman worthy running back so that is not his fault.
Despite his numbers being low he is still a good decision maker and he is still a very smart and accurate passer. He is 3rd in the nation at 75.7% completion percentage. He led Michigan to the college football playoffs and is looking like he is going to do it again.
He gets the last ranked spot however because he seems like he could be a system quarterback but nothing more than that. On a team that has a good running back he could definitely be in the gym but he is not shown anything that would make him special or different.
He also crumbled on the biggest stage and lost to TCU in the first round of the CFP in a game where he was forced to throw the ball more than normal. He looked rattled and very uncomfortable. He threw two interceptions in that game that is very unlike him and he did not get his team the win.
I could see him being like a Joe Flacco or a Ryan Tanehill. It is also hard to tell how good he really is since he is on a run heavy stacked team that makes it easy for him. He could be a solid starting quarterback but he has no elite traits.
- Dillon Gabriel
Gabriel is an undersized QB who makes up for his size just about everywhere else. He is a high IQ quarterback who has a big arm and can make plays on the ground. After having a really good start last year, but then getting injured and having a rocky end of the year, Gabriel has responded perfectly.
Gabriel was a UCF transfer that was electric at UCF, and has shown that he can still do it against better competition. Gabriel has had a stellar season putting up 2,646 yards with 20 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He also has added 287 rush yards with 8 touchdowns making him responsible for 2,933 yards and 28 touchdowns.
He is also 8th in completion percentage with 71.3%.
Oklahoma is ranked 15 with a 7-2 record, but was a top 10 team before two recent losses. Oklahoma was upset two games in a row, and Gabriel’s play has been shaky in those two games, but he did not play too badly and I do not think he is at fault for those losses.
However he had such a strong start to the season and I think he will bounce back in the last few weeks so he still makes the list. He does like to try to make players and that causes him to throw picks sometimes, but he is still a very smart and talented QB.
I think he has the brain and arm of an NFL quarterback. With Bryce Young being the recent 1st pick it is shown that height does not matter as much to GM’s as it used too.
- Bo Nix
Nix is a big arm, big play quarterback who had a rough start to college but since transferring to Oregon has completely upgraded his play. He’s a stat sheet stuffer who is sneaky athletic and leading the 6th ranked Oregon to another really good season
Nix has thrown for 2,732 yards which is 8th in college football, 25 touchdowns which is ranked 4th and only 4 interceptions. All that along with being the Nations leader in completion percentage at 78.1%.
Nix has been a smart passer who still has an arm this year. He has led the team to a lot of good wins, and their only loss being a game where he played great against the 5th ranked Washington. He also has added 116 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground making him responsible for 2,848 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Even though he has gotten better in a lot of aspects, his ranking is low because I don’t think he is an NFL quarterback, and I think Oregon’s offensive scheme, their help around Nix, and the fact that they’re in the Pac-12 makes him seem better than he is…
I still think his decision making is below average and his accuracy is sometimes really bad, but that is hidden at Oregon. I honestly feel bad for the team that gets tricked into using a high round pick on him.
- Jayden Daniels
Daniels is having a terrific season, even though he just got injured he is still a top 10 quarterback in college football.. Daniels is one of the most dynamic and electric players to watch in recent years. He has thrown for 2,792 yards, which is 5th in college football even though he missed almost a full quarter of one of his best games, 27 touchdowns which is second in the nation, and only has thrown 4 picks.
His 72.1% which is 7th in the NFL shows that he is a great decision maker, he throws a nice deep ball, and he can make plays in and out of the pocket. He impacts the game just as greatly on the ground as in the air.
Beside Jordan Travis of FSU and Caleb Williams of USC, he is the third best dual threat quarterback in this class. To go along with his outstanding passing stats, he also has 684 rush yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground this year.
This makes him responsible for 3,476 yards and 33 touchdowns this year. He continues to impress and just played his best game against 8th ranked Alabama. I think his dynamic play can carry over to the NFL and make him someone that NFL GM’s might regret passing on.
- Sam Hartman
Hartman is a strong armed gunslinger that knows how to make a play. Not only that but he is a great guy as well, his teammates really like him and he seems to just have that YAK-DAWG in him. This season he has put up 2,272 yards with 18 touchdowns and 7 interceptions with 76 rush yards and 3 touchdowns. Now I know the first thought is how the is he so high with those numbers and when Notre Dame is 7-3 and ranked 22. Well listen here young tackling, I am going to tell you.
Notre Dame has had one of the toughest schedules in the nation and he has played very well despite that. He is also in a run heavy offense with not the best receiving core. I know it is a similar argument to the one I made against McCarthy, but any college football fan knows what Hartman is capable of, and has seen him dominate statistically at Wake Forest.
Not to mention he is in his first year of a new offense with a new team. He has played really well considering those circumstances. I also believe Hartman has Pro Bowl NFL talent. He has a big arm, can make plays and he is just so tough.
You can see in his eyes he wants to win, and I hope the NFL scouts see that too.
5-1
- Drake Maye
Maye might be one of the most talented and smartest QB’s in the class. He throws the ball with ease and makes a 50 yard bomb look like an easy flick of the wrist. He can throw on the run and make good decisions under pressure.
Maye has put up 2,803 yards which is 4th best in D1, he also has 20 passing touchdowns with just 5 interceptions. He also has added 254 rush yards with 6 rushing touchdowns. He may not be on pace to have the season he did last year, but he still has showcased all the talent in the world, and it is difficult to put up the stats he did last year.
Last year he put up over 4,300 yards and 38 touchdowns. He has 6 career games with 4 or more touchdowns thrown, and 3 games with over 400 yards. In his college career he is responsible for 59 passing touchdowns and only 12 interceptions, along with over 7,000 career passing yards, over 1,000 rush yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.
These stats are basically over two seasons because he only played in two games his freshman year where he threw for 89 yards and a touchdown. The crazy part is…. There’s still multiple weeks to go in this season.
He is a leader and has all the aspects of a NFL quarterback. He is quiet and likable and lets his game do the talking. I think he is an NFL talent. He reminds me a lot of the last UNC quarterback to go to the NFL in Sam Howell who is having tons of success as the quarterback for the Commanders.
Now with all this praise why he is number 5 and not number 1. He just seems very calm which is good in big situations, but he kind of gives off the vibe that he does not love the game, but he plays because he is talented.
I hate questioning people’s love for the game, but he does not seem to have that yak (dawg in him) . He does not strike me as the type to lower his shoulder for a first down or to put his body on the line to win a game for his team.
That’s the type of thing I look for in a QB and I wish I saw it more in Maye, but I hope he proves me wrong. He is very skilled and talented, but does he love the game or a big check?
We shall see.
- Jordan Travis
To play off of what I said about Drake Maye, Jordan Travis is an ABSOLUTE YAK-DAWG! Travis is the best running threat in the class and the second best dual threat quarterback. He is an incredible playmaker, he has an absolute cannon and is cool as can be when the moment is big.
Travis is another QB in a run heavy offense. He still makes the most of his passing opportunities and has made all the plays this year. He has led FSU to a so far undefeated record where they have had to play a lot of good programs.
Travis started at Louisville, but transferred after not really playing in his first year. He then had to fight over the next two seasons for snaps, until his 4th year where he claimed the starting spot and never looked back. He has since been a phenomenal starting quarterback for FSU.
Travis has put up 2,469 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. He has become such a better decision maker as he was a little shaky early in his career. He throws a really nice deep ball and can throw the ball in tight windows.
He can throw on the run extremely well and he has been very careful with the ball this year. He is top 20 in yards and 21st in touchdowns, but he is only one touchdown back from 1 from being tied for 16th. He has had a very impressive year in the air which is where most of his question marks come from, but his greatest impact may come from his legs.
He is one of the most dynamic runners at the quarterback position and he attacks teams in multiple different ways. This year he has 190 yards (but really like 500 because sacks count as loss of yards) and 7 touchdowns on the ground. What’s so impressive about his running is the multiple ways he uses it.
He is strong and will run through you, he is fast and shifty he will run around you, and he can scramble out the pocket and can make on the run throws with extreme accuracy. His throwing ability with his tremendous running ability makes him a prospect that NFL teams can not ignore and I think he is an NFL level athlete, and talent.
In his career he has over 8,400 passing yards, 65 touchdowns with 20 interceptions, along with 1,964 rushing yards and 31 rushing touchdowns. He is the all time leader in FSU history in total touchdowns, and is only going to build his lead higher.
He has 4 games where he was responsible for at least 4 touchdowns and 5 games with over 100 rushing yards in his career.
The reason he is not number one is sometimes his decision making is shaky, and he plays to his competition a lot. He sometimes struggles against lower competition, but he also plays well against better competition. That being said I still think he can be a success in the NFL.
- Shedeur Sanders
Shedeur Sanders is another YAK-DAWG. He has had one of the most impressive seasons ever and how great he has been is certainly not appreciated enough. Even though he seems to be on every headline, the greatness of the season he is having is still somehow underrated.
Shedeur started at an HBCU called Jackson St. where he dominated the competition. When he transferred to Colorado after two years at Jackson St. the biggest question mark was will he be able to dominate against much better competition. That along with his Hall of Fame dad being the coach and almost everyone who likes college football watching Colorado definitely added tons of pressure on the young quarterback.
Amidst all that pressure he has been nothing short of elite and has shown the world that he really is a top quarterback in the nation, and he can do it against anyone. He has thrown for 2,803 yards which is 3rd in the nation, along with 20 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He is also 11th in complexion percentage at 70.1%, and he is only .1 percent back from being in the top 10.
To be third in the nation in passing yards on a new team against harder competition, and having what is possibly the worst offensive line in college football, is one of the most amazing things I have seen in college football in the last 20 years.
On top of that Colorado only had ONE win last year. So it is not like he was coming to a top team. Obviously a lot of transfers and recruits came to Colorado, but still it is mind blowing to think that he has already led them to 4 wins and they have the possibility to be bowl eligible.
They also played 5 ranked teams and went toe to toe with almost all of them.
Sanders is an accurate passer that is a good decision maker and when the play breaks down he can make something out of it. He can run if he wants to but what I like about Sanders is he keeps his eyes down the field and always looks to make a play. He will run around in the pocket and make a 20 yard pass rather than scrambling for a few yards.
He has 3 rushing touchdowns this year. Unfortunately, due to the O-line that makes him run for his life, he has -80 rushing yards so it is hard to dictate how good of a runner he really is.
In his career he has 9,845 pass yards, 94 touchdowns with 17 interceptions. He also has totaled up 76 rush yards which is impressive because two of his three seasons he’s had negative rush yards, and 12 rushing touchdowns.
He has 12 games with at least 4 touchdowns and 3 games with over 400 yards passing including a school record 510 passing yards in his first game with Colorado.
These are outstanding stats at any level, and I think Sanders is a perfect NFL talent. He is the best pocket presence in the nation and he has an NFL arm. He is a smart passer and he is a playmaker.
- Michael Penix
Michael Penix is who I think might be the best quarterback in the class and has the potential to be a longtime All-Pro. Penix has all the attributes as a quarterback you could want. He is an accurate and strong armed quarterback that can make plays, and he is a leader in the locker room.
Penix started at Indiana where he balled out, but after 4 years at Indiana he wasn’t getting the NFL looks he wanted, so he decided to transfer to Washington. He was a top 5 QB last year and a top two quarterback this year. It will be a shame if he is not the second quarterback taken off the board in the draft this year.
He is leading the nation in passing yards with 3,021 passing yards, he is third in the nation with 26 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions. He is also 13th in completion percentage at 69.4%. He can do it all at quarterback, and he might even get the Heisman this year.
In the Washington offense which is a Pac-12 offense he is basically asked to throw the ball all game. The fact that he has only thrown 7 interceptions and is 13th in completion percentage is jaw dropping since he is 10th in passing attempts.
He has the ability to run but only runs when he has to and he is another quarterback who is really good at staying in the pocket and keeping his eyes downfield. He has one rushing touchdown and -13 rushing yards, but do not let that fool you. He can run if he needs to.
Also when he does rush he makes the most of it. He may not rush often and it may not be for too many yards, but he runs hard and with heart. He fights for every inch and will throw his body on the line for the sake of the team.
He has over 12,000 career passing yards, 86 touchdowns with 30 interceptions and 244 rush yards with 11 rushing touchdowns. He also has a career 63.9% completion percentage.
He has led Washington to a 9-0 record making them the 5th ranked team and they are right at the cusp of making the CFP playoffs. Last year he led Washington to a 11-2 record and to being the 8th ranked team.
Penix has 10 games with at least 4 touchdowns and 5 of those games were this year. He also has 7 games with at least 400 passing yards including 3 games in a row this season and a career high 516.
He has all the traits of a Hall of Fame quarterback and all the talent to back it up. He has the brains, confidence, and the calmness that strikes fear in opposing defenses. I think he should be the second quarterback taken in the draft even though he may not be.
He even has been seen freestyling about coming back against Oregon on the bench right before coming back. That says everything you need to know about him. Michael Penix will shake up the NFL next year and may even get a chance to play in the CFP.s
- Caleb Williams
Now at the number one spot as everyone pretty much expected we have Caleb Mother yacking Williams. The baddest man in college football right now. He can make any throw, he can run making him the best dual threat quarterback in college football, and he has an elite football IQ.
Williams was last year’s Heisman and was a potential candidate to do it again, however they have lost 3 in a row to really good teams leaving them unranked and making it unlikely to win again. Also only one player ever, Ohio State running back Archie Griffin in 1974-75, has won the Heisman back to back.
Williams was the best quarterback in college football last year and nothing has changed since then. He started out at Oklahoma where he quickly stole the job from former number one recruit Spencer Rattler. After his freshman season ended he decided to follow his coach Linoln Riley to USC and the rest is history.
This season he has put up 2,958 passing yards which is second in the nation, along with the most touchdowns in D1 football with 28 passing touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. He also has 146 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.
Williams might be the most fun player in college football to watch right now. He can make any throw, he can throw in the pocket, on the run, sidearm, he probably could throw it pretty accurately backwards if he tried. He is accurate, with a rocket launcher, and has the ability to make a man miss and he will run right through you.
Williams can also extend plays and make some of the most incredible plays you have ever seen. His love for the game is certainly never in question as he is a warrior for every yard and he has never had trouble sacrificing for his team. He also does not turn the ball over often.
He has career stats of 9,407 passing yards, 91 touchdowns with only 13 interceptions. He has 991 rush yards in career and has added 26 rushing touchdowns which totals up to 117 total touchdowns. WOW!
One thing I must say which can not be said enough is he is the best quarterback in what may be one of the best quarterback classes of all time. That means he is truly the best of the best. NFL teams are already tanking for him and he seems like the consensus number one pick unless the team with the first pick does not need a quarterback.
His teammates rally around him, he is a good guy and confident, but not too cocky. He has all the skill, talent, and brains to be an all time NFL great. It is so hard to make a comparison for him.
The only guys to really compare to him are Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers, but he is a better runner than both of them. I am so excited to see what franchise he becomes a part of, and I can not wait to see him go up against the best of the best.
There is not too much bad to say about him, even in games he loses he normally plays really well. USC has had a terrible defense and in most of the games he has lost in his career he has probably put up about 40 points and still lost.
He was even seen crying after his most recent loss. All of his losses have also come from really good ranked teams. He has never lost to an unranked team and he always fights until the last moment.
Caleb Williams is getting ready to take the NFL by storm.
ONWARD!
TRU-YAK
