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“If Ewers goes down, Manning is more than ready to step into the fray.”
It’s no secret that Texas football is home to one of the top quarterback rooms in the country, but how do they stack up among other teams? Continue reading “Texas among CBS Sports’ deepest quarterback rooms in the country for 2024”
“Drake Maye has a ton of awesome traits, but is still a bit of a project.” Simms ranks Maye 6th among the quarterbacks.
Every year, some in the media world seem to pick one quarterback prospect to nitpick. This year, it’s North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.
That’s how you know it’s draft season. Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels are in contention to likely be the No. 2 overall pick behind Caleb Williams (USC). There’s a chance Maye or Daniels go No. 1, but it’s a slim chance.
At last week’s NFL combine, there was a strong buzz that Maye was behind only Williams. At the end of the combine, the pendulum swung back in Daniels’s favor when Rich Eisen revealed things he’d heard last week in Indianapolis from various defensive coordinators.
Former NFL player Merril Hoge weighed in on Maye, saying he didn’t believe he was a first-round pick.
Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms of NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk has weighed in with his quarterback rankings, and they are interesting.
To Simms’ credit, he’s usually a bit unconventional when he ranks players. Seeing different perspectives and opinions is always good, and Simms provides those.
Without further ado, here are his top six quarterbacks for the 2024 NFL draft.
Here’s my Top 6 QBs in this year’s Draft. These rankings are based on film.
Full pod coming soon pic.twitter.com/RvCdgBhBg4— Chris Simms (@CSimmsQB) March 6, 2024
Here’s a tweet from Simms on his ranking on Maye:
“Drake Maye has a ton of awesome traits, but is still a bit of a project,” Simms said.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. He could be right on Maye. Many could be right on Maye. But calling him a talented project seems like a bit much. While Caleb Williams is the unquestioned No. 1, no passer in this draft has the combination of Maye’s size, arm strength, and tools. He’s had good tape at North Carolina. There has been bad, too.
Two players Maye is often compared to are Josh Allen and Justin Herbert. Those comparisons are unfair for obvious reasons, but you can see why they are made. All have similar size, arm strength and terrific athleticism. They can make every throw on the field but entered the draft with questions.
Allen and Herbert turned out OK.
There is still a long way until the NFL draft. Washington fans should be thankful for having a front office led by Adam Peters that will make the best decision for the franchise. Sure, it may not work, but the process is correct for once. And credit the Commanders for building a coaching staff that is quarterback-centric, featuring offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, assistant head coach Brian Johnson, quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard and assistant quarterback coach David Blough. All four were college starters, and Kingsbury and Blough have NFL playing experience.
If you want to hear Simms discuss the quarterbacks, it’s available on his podcast at this link.
Buckle up. There’s still a long way to go until April 27 in Detroit.
Where does Jackson Arnold rank among SEC quarterbacks heading into spring ball?
As the SEC expands to 16 teams in 2024, the conference is stacked at the quarterback position. From former five-star prospects to 2024 Heisman contenders to intriguing transfer additions, there will be some fantastic quarterback play on display this fall in the SEC.
Seven of the last nine Heisman winners have come from Oklahoma and the SEC. Two of those seven were non-quarterbacks, DeVonta Smith and Derrick Henry.
Much of what will determine which teams emerge as SEC title and College Football Playoff contenders will be on the shoulders of the quarterbacks who will lead their team in 2024.
There are some quarterback competitions that need to take place, but here’s our pre-spring ball SEC quarterback rankings.
Where does Wisconsin’s Tyler Van Dyke fall?
Official preparation for the 2024 Big Ten football season begins next month as programs across the country open spring practice.
This year in the Big Ten will be unlike any we’ve previously seen. There are four new additions, obviously, but there are also traditional stalwarts looking to evolve with the direction of the sport.
Looking ahead to the season, we’ve already ranked all 18 programs in the Big Ten, ranked all 18 head coaches, predicted each Big Ten team’s 2024 record and checked in on the Las Vegas win totals for each team in the conference.
Related: You might be surprised where Wisconsin football is on ESPN’s early 2024 SP+ rankings
Now we look at where the conference stands at the quarterback position. First, here is our quarterback ranking list entering last season. Northwestern’s Brendan Sullivan and Rutgers’ Gavin Wimsatt exceeded expectations, while Iowa’s Cade McNamara and Nebraska’s Jeff Sims were injured and terrible, respectively. Other than that, the rankings were pretty spot-on.
But 2023 only included 14 Big Ten teams, plus several quarterbacks we had history with. 2024 is anybody’s guess. The 18-team conference has everything from highly touted young quarterbacks with no experience to some five-year veterans looking for a final chance.
This year was much harder to predict. That said, here are our initial Big Ten quarterback rankings entering 2024:
This ranking seems a bit low for Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers.
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is expected to be one of the top players in the nation for the upcoming season. Continue reading “PFF ranks Texas’ Quinn Ewers the No. 5 returning QB in 2024”
No quarterback room has more star power than Texas.
The Texas quarterback room has star power. According to 247Sports’ Brad Crawford, no other quarterback room can match the Longhorns in that regard.
Crawford ranked the top quarterback rooms in college football based on star quality. To qualify for the list, teams not only had to have a playmaking starting quarterback, but a room full of signal callers with potential to contribute positively on the field.
The Longhorns made the cut with three players with FBS starter ability. Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers leads the list after leading his team to a College Football Playoff and Big 12 championship. Fellow five-star Arch Manning prevents much drop off, while freshman quarterback Trey Owens also has starter potential down the road.
Here’s a look at Crawford’s six most star-studded quarterback rooms.
The Heisman Trophy seems to be down to a two-man race between Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix. Who does On3 have at their top quarterback?
On3 has released its rankings of the top 25 quarterbacks after Week 14. The regular season is over, and now all that is left are conference championship games and bowl games. The Heisman Trophy seems to be down to a two-man race between [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and Bo Nix.
Who does On3 have at the No. 1 spot in its quarterback rankings?
To the surprise of no one, Daniels is still at No. 1 on On3’s list. He is the best player in college football. He has thrown for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns while rushing for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has the Tigers on the verge of back-to-back 10-win seasons.
Bo Nix comes in at No. 2 on the list. The former Auburn quarterback has thrown for 3,906 yards and 37 touchdowns in the Pac-12 for the Oregon Ducks. The Ducks take on the Washington Huskies on Friday in the Pac-12 championship game. Rounding out the top 5 are Caleb Williams, Michael Penix Jr. and Drake Maye.
Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.
After a tremendous season, Dillon Gabriel finished top 5 in the nation and ahead of Caleb Williams in Bleacher Report’s quarterback rankings after the regular season.
The Oklahoma Sooners offense had an incredible year. At the forefront of the Sooners offensive explosion was [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], who had a career year.
Gabriel set career highs in completion percentage (69.3%), passing yards (3,660), yards per attempt (9.5), rushing touchdowns (12), passer rating (172) while throwing for 30 touchdowns, the second-highest total in his career.
This season, Gabriel had seven games with more than 300 yards passing and three with more than 400 yards through the air. He set an Oklahoma record for touchdowns in a game (8) in the Sooners’ 59-point outburst vs. West Virginia.
More: Big 12 Bowl Projections from USA TODAY Sports
Under Gabriel, the Sooners scored 50 or more five times and more than 60 twice. Oklahoma is No. 3 in the nation in scoring and No. 4 in total yards.
A year after Oklahoma won just six games, Gabriel and the offense exploded to lead OU to their first 10-win season under Brent Venables.
In his incredible campaign, Gabriel earned a lot of respect from around the country and, at one point, thrust his name into the Heisman conversation. He led an incredible game-winning touchdown drive in the final minutes against Texas and earned unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 first team.
And with that, Gabriel’s shot up the ranks of Bleacher Report’s top 25 quarterbacks, including ahead of a former Sooners quarterback and Heisman winner.
Jayden Daniels once again beat out Bo Nix, who is likely his top competitor for the Heisman.
In a year headlined by strong quarterback play, no signal-caller in the country has been more impressive than [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag].
He finds himself a finalist for nearly every quarterback and national player of the year award, and he may even be the frontrunner to win the Heisman Trophy.
While that remains to be seen, Daniels once again leads the way on CBS Sports’ quarterback power rankings from Tom Fornelli following the conclusion of the regular season. He’s ahead of Bo Nix, who is currently the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman but sits at No. 2 in Fornelli’s power rankings.
Here’s his take on Daniels.
It says a lot that Daniels can throw for 235 yards, rush for 120, finish with four touchdowns in a game against Texas A&M … and it feels like he had an off week. I don’t know if he will win the Heisman Trophy, and he’s certainly at a disadvantage of not having the final word with LSU not playing this week. But, statistically, nobody comes close to what he’s done this year.
As Fornelli points out, Nix does have the added benefit of an extra game and making the final statement to voters, but it would be tough to argue any player has been more impressive this season than Daniels.
Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno
And Patrick Mahomes falls to the third tier. Numbers, man.
Brock Purdy is 12-3 as an NFL starter in the regular season. His passer rating over that year-plus stint is a league-leading 112.2. He is operating within the confines of Kyle Shanahan’s low risk, high reward offense and thriving.
Does that make him 2023’s best quarterback? The numbers say yes, even if watching his game tape fails to inspire the same confidence.
Purdy has been an upgrade over Jimmy Garoppolo in an offense meant to blunt the liabilities of a shaky downfield passers with motion, movement and a ton of open space to create massive gains after the catch. But when pressed to fit big throws into tight windows downfield, the second-year passer has struggled. His 24 deep throws rank 23rd most in the NFL, a number that looks better than it is given the rash of quarterback injuries that have shaken up starting lineups this fall.
All five of his interceptions this season came in a three-game losing streak that stands as the only blemishes on his team’s 2023 record. Four came on throws at least 13 yards beyond the lin of scrimmage, showcasing his struggles when asked to force the ball downfield in disadvantageous situations. Purdy is very good, but he’s not in the circle of trust just yet.
That doesn’t keep him from holding down the top spot in this week’s advanced stats QB rankings — by a wide margin, in fact.
Let’s talk about those stats. Expected points added (EPA) is a concept that’s been around since 1970. It’s effectively a comparison between what an average quarterback could be expected to do on a certain down and what he actually did — and how it increased his team’s chances of scoring. The model we use comes from The Athletic’s Ben Baldwin and his RBSDM.com website, which is both wildly useful AND includes adjusted EPA, which accounts for defensive strength. It considers the impact of penalties and does not negatively impact passers for fumbles after a completion.
The other piece of the puzzle is completion percentage over expected (CPOE), which is pretty much what it sounds like. It’s a comparison of all the completions a quarterback would be expected to make versus the ones he actually did. Like EPA, it can veer into the negatives and higher is better. So if you chart all 32 primary quarterbacks — the ones who played at least 176 snaps in 11 weeks — you get a chart that looks like this:
Top right hand corner is good. Bottom left corner is bad. Try splitting those passers visually into tiers and you get an imperfect eight-layer system that looks like this:
These rankings are sorted by a composite of adjusted EPA and CPOE to better understand who has brought the most — and the least — value to their teams across the small sample size. It’s not a full exploration of a player’s value, but it’s a viable starting point. Let’s take a closer look.
