There’s plenty of talk about Carson Beck, Shedeur Sanders and Quinn Ewers with the 2024 season just on the horizon, but they aren’t the only quarterbacks to keep an eye on this fall.
Despite not being heralded nearly as highly as last year’s crop of quarterbacks, there are still several names who could develop into something special, including many who have flown under the radar.
Here’s a look into the five most underrated quarterbacks in college football with the season just around the corner:
1. Garrett Greene, WVU
In terms of quarterbacks who don’t get enough credit for the amount of value they bring to their team, Garrett Greene may be the most overlooked, underrated quarterback of them all nationally.
According to Pro Football Focus, Greene led the FBS in big-time throws (10.2%), something that is not surprising given how he’s made the most of his opportunities in pivotal moments, even under pressure.
In addition to what he’s able to do as a passer, Greene’s improvisation ability and mobility play a large role into how truly dynamic of a football player he really is.
Greene finished out the 2023 season with a 52.9% completion rate, passing for 2,406 yards with 16 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He also rushed for 772 yards and 13 touchdowns.
His 91.0 overall PFF grade last season tied him for the sixth-highest graded quarterback among Power Five passers, right there with Heisman Trophy finalist Michael Penix Jr.
2. Brady Cook, Missouri
Cook had his ups and downs early on as the starter, but he developed over time and has quietly become one of the nation’s best quarterbacks and a force to be reckoned with in the SEC.
He put together the best season of his career with a top-10 team in 2023, connecting on 66.1% of his passes for 3,317 yards with 21 touchdowns and 6 interceptions in 2023, adding 319 rushing yards and 8 scores on the ground. When looking purely at the stat sheet, it’s important to note all of Cook’s interceptions came in the first seven games of the season and that he greatly improved in the area as time went on.
Heading into the 2024 season, Cook has made clear he and the Tigers have the lofty expectations of making it to the national championship, though that’s going to mean having to push aside the fortress that is the Georgia Bulldogs.
Cook could very well use this season as an opportunity to send his draft stock into the stars as he’s already impressed with his abilities both from the pocket and when called upon to use his legs, ball placement and speed of release.
3. Graham Mertz, Florida
There was a time Graham Mertz was looked upon as one of the lower-tier quarterbacks of college football, but those days are over after Mertz burst onto the SEC scene
Mertz completed 72.9% of his passes for 2,903 yards with 20 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in 2023, putting up much-improved numbers individually behind a subpar offensive line. On the ground, he rushed for 4 scores.
The former Wisconsin quarterback’s 80.2% adjusted completion rate is the second-highest among returning Power 4 conference quarterbacks. In addition to how he’s been commended for who he is as a communicator from an intangibles perspective, Mertz has also impressed with the way he’s able to work off-platform, the situational awareness he has and rarely putting the ball in harm’s way (as his stellar touchdown-to-interception ratio from 2023 would suggest).
If Mertz can build upon the new foundation he set at Florida last year heading into the 2024 season, he could quickly fly up the draft boards.
4. Jalon Daniels, Kansas
Daniels has flashed several times, catching some national attention, but the chief question is as to whether or not he can remain healthy long enough to remain in the spotlight. The veteran signal-caller saw action in just three games last season and has yet to put together a 10-game season in his college career.
2022 was his best season, when he completed 66.1% of his passes for 2,014 yards with 18 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Daniels saw the field for three games in 2023, completing 74.7% of his passing attempts for 705 yards with 5 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also rushed for 74 yards.
It’s easy to get the sense Daniels could be one of college football’s most electric players if he can stay on the field with the true dual-threat presence he brings between the way he’s continuously improved as a pure pocket passer and the pure speed he has on the ground.
5. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
It’s coming time to give the gunslinger a bit more credit. He’s patiently waited his turn and could show to be the quarterback who had the highest ceiling in the Tigers’ room of signal-callers after all dependent upon how he grows in 2024.
Nussmeier has never lacked confidence in himself, comparing himself to one of college football’s greatest quarterbacks in recent history as just a recruit.
“I think I bring a very Joe Burrow-like mind to the table for LSU,” Nussmeier told me in 2020 before officially committing to LSU. “I see a lot of similarities in the way we play. I’d like to think that we think the same. I know that’s saying a lot. He did an unbelievable job. I’d like to think that I can learn and get to the point to do things the way he did.”
Over six appearances during the 2023 season, Nussmeier completed 61.5% of his passes for 591 yards with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. There’s no question that he’s got superior arm strength in his toolbox, but he also seems to be improving in decision-making from the pocket and has proven his ability to come in clutch.
In his only start at LSU, the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl, Nussmeier led the Tigers on a late fourth quarter touchdown drive to beat Wisconsin, 35-31, passing for 395 yards and 3 touchdowns. Nussmeier was named the MVP for his efforts, with his 31 completions and 395 passing yards against the Badgers ranking as the most in LSU history for a quarterback making his first start.
