Preview: Top Quarterbacks in College Football
I know that our readers are savvy connoisseurs of college football, so don’t really need a big introduction into the importance of Quarterbacks in college football, but just know that I think in the vast majority of situations, a team goes as it’s quarterback goes. Exceptions include Alabama who has an average to subpar quarterback but excels because it’s Defense and Running game are so dominant. So unless your school has a defense and running game like Alabama’s, you need a good to great quarterback to carry your team. So without further adieu, here’s my rankings for this upcoming year.
Excellent Quarterbacks – these guys you can trust, and they have proven themselves in the trenches.
1. Ryan Mallett – Arkansas
2. Jake Locker – Washington
3. Jerrod Johnson – Texas A&M
4. Case Keenum – Houston
5. Kellen Moore – Boise State
6. Christian Ponder – Florida State
7. Jerimiah Masoli – Mississippi
Solid Quarterbacks
Scott Tolzien – Wisconsin
Colin Kaepernick – Nevada
Andy Dalton – TCU – He’s not going to blow you away with his ability, but he is definitely a solid and smart quarterback
Andrew Luck – Stanford – We’ll see how he does without a great running game to back him up.
Joshua Nesbitt – GT – more of a runningback than a quarterback.
Overrated but still good
Jacory Harris – Miami – oft injured but talented, we’ll see how he does this year.
Terrelle Pryor – Ohio State – talented? yes. One of the best quarterbacks in the country? Heck No!
Tyrod Taylor – Virginia Tech – just like every VT quarterback ever. A great athlete who has a good running game, defense and special teams to cover his shortcomings and bad decisions.
Preemptively overrated – Dayne Crist – Notre Dame (preview: He’s going to suck)
Going to be really good someday (hopefully)
Zach Collaros – Cincinnati (probably will be very good this year, but look out for some growing pains, especially early)
Dwight Dasher – Middle Tennessee
Landry Jones – Oklahoma
Cameron Newton – Auburn (6-6, 250 and very fast? Vince Young reincarnate!)
John Brantley – Florida (very talented pure passer)
Kyle Parker – Clemson (inexperienced, but has NFL arm)
Garrett Gilbert – Texas
Jake Heaps – BYU (THE best true freshman QB in the country)
Aaron Murray – Georgia
Tell me what you think
Comments
Nellie,
Great stuff. My only comments are regarding the following two players:
Terrelle Pryor – I kind of hope he does super well this year. I’m no Ohio State fan, but they’ve been raped so bad in bowl games by the SEC in the last few years, that they need one of those ‘Vince Young’ type moments. You know what I mean … but only for his sake. I still don’t give a darn about Tressel, his sweater, or the rest of Bucknuts. 
And as much of a long shot as it is in recent years, I’ll continue my tradition of hoping they lose to Michigan, peace and blessings be upon her Blue and Maize.
Zach Collaros – Come on dude … it’s Cincy we’re talking about here!!! Ha, ok, seriously I hope he does well. But this time, I want it for Cincy’s sake, not his.
As I recall, this guy’s a good size, has a great running game, and can throw … really far. Sound familiar? Sound like a Tim Tebow in the shadows???
I hope not. I don’t even like to mention that name. And last year’s bowl game between Florida and Cincy proved dissatisfying, not because the latter got owned but because their head coach bowed out when needed most. Not because Florida is a great team and program with Urban Cryer at the helm (his total douchebaggery has yet to be fully disclosed).
It would be great karma if Florida sucked this year, and Cincy, in reply to Florida and Tearbow, went on to roll people with a big stud quarterback. The only problem would then be Collaros’ head swelling up to Tebow status … but this is Cincy and the midwest we’re talking about here. Not a place where people think they’re Superman and Jesus at the same time that they’re probably getting with Erin Andrews!
No, Collaros is grass-rooted, grass-fed, and grass-stained ready to play like any good ol’ midwest kid. May he never follow in Tim Toolbag’s footsteps, lest I cast off my support of Cincy forever!!!
I’m on board with most of the guys at the top of the list, except for Jake Locker. They guy really hasn’t done anything except have the height, weight, and arm strength of an NFL quarterback. Which is important, and he’ll probably be good at the pro level, but as it stands right now he’s 9-20.
While it’s true that quarterbacks don’t win all games (Alabama won the national championship in spite of, not because of, McElroy) the quarterback position does have a huge impact on individual games, and Jake Locker has yet to show himself capable of making such an impact on a consistent basis. Hopefully this season he’ll have some decent receivers and a good defense so he can recognize his potential.
Now that I’ve made a complete a** of myself, allow me to say that you totally NAILED the ACC QB situation on the head. Florida State would be lost without Ponder, Jacory Harris is only good when he’s not writhing in agony on the turf, and the worship of Tyrod Taylor in Blacksburg borders on the insane. Oh, and Nesbitt really is just a running back who is occasionally called upon to throw the ball, normally with comical results. (See final drive of the GT/UGA game last year)
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WHOA!!! You have got to move Pryor up the list. He will be a Heisman candidate. Yeah he may not make it in the NFL because of his Michael Vick style of play, however, with the O-line that he has…invincible. He is a freak of an athlete and will be the BIG 10 MVP. He belongs higher. Just sayin