Early 2024 College Football QB Rankings: Studs, Breakouts, And Sleepers

Justin looks at the top 20 college football quarterbacks ahead of the 2024 season. Who are the stars, sleepers, and breakouts at QB?

Every year, some great college quarterbacks move on to the NFL. This year, guys like Caleb Williams and Drake Maye will hear their names called as they shift to the next level.

But there's still plenty of talent left in the college ranks. From returning stars to guys poised for a breakout campaign, the quarterback position looks loaded for the 2024 college football season.

Let's rank the top 20 quarterbacks in college football for the 2024 season.

20. Garrett Nussmeier - LSU

It appears to finally be Garrett Nussmeier's time to shine. In his ReliaQuest Bowl start against Wisconsin, the third-year QB threw for 395 yards and three touchdowns. Ignore how long it's taken him to get the starting job. He's a gifted passer who is set for a big 2024 campaign.

Jayden Daniels celebrating with Garrett Nussmeier after his first win as a starter at LSU pic.twitter.com/iRSj9WHICG

— Matthew Brune (@MatthewBrune_) January 1, 2024

19. Drew Allar - Penn State

Drew Allar is a tough quarterback to figure out. He had 25 touchdowns to just two interceptions last season but finished with a 59.9% completion percentage and 2,631 yards. Can he continue to improve in 2024?

18. Garrett Greene - West Virginia

While accuracy was a major concern for Garrett Greene in 2023 as he completed just 53.1% of his pass attempts, he showed some improvement down the stretch. Greene was over 60% in two of the final three games. Overall, his rushing ability is what makes him so dangerous, as he ran for 772 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2023 for the Mountaineers.

17. Brady Cook - Missouri

Mizzou was a pleasant surprise last year, thanks in large part to a breakout campaign from quarterback Brady Cook. Cook completed 66.1% of his attempts for 3,317 yards and 21 touchdowns for the Tigers. He also added eight touchdown runs. With running back Cody Schrader off for the NFL, Cook will have to do even more for Missouri to be playoff contenders in 2024.

16. Cade Klubnik - Clemson

While Clemson's Cade Klubnik didn't show the development that people hoped for last season, he still played some solid football. The sophomore quarterback completed 63.9% of his passes for 2,844 yards and 19 touchdowns, though he was picked off nine times. He's got to get a little more accurate with his ball placement, but he's still young and he's got the arm talent to figure things out.

#Clemson QB Cade Klubnik

Make a man miss, extend the play, deliver a strike off-platform for six.

Best football is ahead for QB1 ? pic.twitter.com/y5QKvsdtrA

— Johnny Falduto (@johnnyfalduto) October 2, 2023

15. Conner Weigman - Texas A&M

Conner Weigman played in just four games in 2023, but I liked what I saw in that stretch. He completed 68.9% of his passes for 979 yards and eight touchdowns. In 251 career pass attempts, Weigman has been picked off just twice while throwing 16 touchdown passes.

14. Grayson McCall - NC State

Grayson McCall returned to Coastal Carolina last year, but played in just seven games and had a 10:6 touchdown to interception ratio. Still, if he can get close to the level he was at from 2020 to 2022, he can be one of the ACC's top quarterbacks in his new home at NC State. McCall's an accurate passer who largely avoids turning the football over.

Grayson McCall wasn't highly recruited out of high school. He became the first three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year at Coastal Carolina. Now, he's in the driver's seat at NC State.

"He just finds a way to win."

Inside McCall's path to Raleigh: https://t.co/uUbZHVPbyH pic.twitter.com/UIydJZwTSf

— Noah Fleischman (@fleischman_noah) February 1, 2024

13. Riley Leonard - Notre Dame

Riley Leonard heads to Notre Dame after three seasons at Duke, including an injury-plagued 2023 that saw him attempt just 165 passes. Putting Leonard this high is putting a lot of faith in Notre Dame to coax out the quarterback who threw 20 touchdowns in 2022. The addition of Mike Denbrock as offensive coordinator is a good sign that the Irish can get that done.

12. Nico Iamaleava - Tennessee

Lot of projection here, but Nico Iamaleava was impressive in his only start last season. In a 35-0 win over Iowa, Iamaleava was 12-of-19 for 151 yards and a touchdown while also adding 15 carries for 27 yards and three scores. The former five-star recruit might be the biggest breakout name to watch in 2024.

11. Will Howard - Ohio State

Will Howard is coming off the best season of his college career, setting new career highs in completion percentage, passing yards, and touchdowns with Kansas State in 2023. Now, he heads to Ohio State, where he should be set up for success. The Buckeyes lost a lot of offensive talent, but they also have a way of constantly finding new elite receivers. Howard should have his best season yet.

Will Howard says he believes Coach Day's offense fits him as a player very well.

At Kansas State, Howard was in a run-heavy offense.

"Here, I can be more of that pocket passer and use my legs when I need to." pic.twitter.com/ODCmOvXMYh

— Lantern Sports (@LanternSports) January 30, 2024

10. Cam Rising - Utah

Utah had high hopes for 2023, but those hopes were dashed when Cam Rising missed the entire 2023 season. Back in 2022, Rising threw for 3,034 yards and 26 touchdowns for the Utes while adding 465 yards and six scores on the ground. If healthy, he's a top-10 quarterback heading into 2024 and arguably makes Utah the favorites in the Big 12.

9. Jalon Daniels - Kansas

Unfortunately, injuries have really derailed Jalon Daniels' career. He played in just three games in 2023, though he looked good in that limited action, completing 74.7% of his passes with five touchdowns. If healthy, he's a top dual-threat quarterback who makes the Jayhawks into playoff contenders.

8. Noah Fifita - Arizona

Noah Fifita took over the Arizona job because of a Jayden de Laura injury last season and never gave it back. In just nine starts, he threw 25 touchdown passes to six interceptions and completed at least 60 percent of his pass attempts in every game. He should have ample opportunities to shine as the Wildcats move to the Big 12 in 2024.

7. Cam Ward - Miami

Cam Ward, who started his career at FCS program UIW before spending the past two seasons at Washington State, chose Miami over the NFL this offseason. In two seasons at the FBS level, Ward has thrown for 6,968 yards and 48 touchdowns. He's capable of making almost any throw and should elevate the Hurricanes offense and make Miami an ACC contender.

✍? pic.twitter.com/bRUdvXJsd5

— Cameron Ward (@Cameron7Ward) January 14, 2024

6. Shedeur Sanders - Colorado

It's hard to get a sense of where to rank Shedeur Sanders because we don't know how well the team around him will play. Still, he was extremely good in his first season with the Buffaloes, completing 69.3% of his pass attempts for 3,230 yards with 27 touchdowns and just three interceptions. If his offensive line can give him time to make plays in 2024, Sanders could shoot to the top of this list.

5. Jaxson Dart - Ole Miss

Jaxson Dart seemed to take a leap last year for Ole Miss, completing 65.1% of his pass attempts for 3,364 yards with 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions. The SEC is stacked at the quarterback position, but Dart's one of the conference's best passers. He can also make things happen on the ground, as he rushed for eight touchdowns last season.

4. Carson Beck - Georgia

Carson Beck played well in his first season as a starter at Georgia, completing 72.4% of his passes for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns. He ran for four more scores. Georgia's stacked offense doesn't require elite quarterback play, but Beck might give that to them anyway in 2024, making the Bulldogs the title favorites.

Final SEC Stat Leaderboard (Pass Yards)

1. Carson Beck, Georgia (3941)
2. Jayden Daniels, LSU (3812)
3. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss (3364)
4. Brady Cook, Missouri (3317)
5. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina (3186) pic.twitter.com/0dci8IZDcp

— CFB Home (@CFBHome) February 5, 2024

3. Dillon Gabriel - Oregon

Oregon might have lost Bo Nix to the NFL, but they replaced him with another great signal-caller. Dillon Gabriel heads to Eugene after spending the past two seasons at Oklahoma. He's thrown for over 3,000 yards four times in his career and has a pair of 30-touchdown seasons to his name.

2. Jalen Milroe - Alabama

There were plenty of questions about Jalen Milroe as he took over the Alabama job this past season, but he seemed to answer most of those with an impressive year. Milroe threw for 2,834 yards and 23 touchdowns while rushing for 531 yards and 12 scores. He's a versatile, dual-threat quarterback who should just keep getting better.

1. Quinn Ewers - Texas

Quinn Ewers led the Longhorns to a playoff appearance last season, throwing for 3,479 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also added five touchdowns on the ground. Ewers is an accurate passer who can make all the throws that Texas needs him to make. Consider him a Heisman favorite next season.

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