2024 College Football - Top 15 Preseason Quarterback Rankings

August 23, 2024

Justin's NCAA college football top 15 quarterbacks for 2024. His top quarterbacks for the upcoming season include Dillon Gabriel and Carson Beck, among others.

Another season of college football is upon us, and while the quarterback group this year feels like it has collectively taken a bit of a step back from 2023, there are still several really good QBs across the college game.

That includes big names like Georgia's Carson Beck and Alabama's Jalen Milroe, but also less heralded players such as Mizzou's Brady Cook. And while only 15 names are mentioned in this article, there are plenty of QBs who could have snuck into the final spots here like Clemson's Cade Klubnik and Texas A&M's Conner Weigman.

Below are the top 15 quarterbacks entering the 2024 season.

15. Grayson McCall - NC State

This might be a risky choice considering Grayson McCall struggled at Coastal Carolina last year, but he's still a three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year. McCall has thrown for over 20 touchdowns three times in his career and has been incredibly good at avoiding turnovers.

His six interceptions last season marked the first time he threw more than three in a season. If he can regain his 2020-2022 form at NC State, he has a chance to be a top-10 quarterback by the end of the season.

14. Brady Cook - Missouri

One of the biggest surprises last season was Missouri, as the Tigers finished 11-3, the team's first double-digit-win season since 2014. Quarterback Brady Cook was a key part of that success, completing 66.1% of his attempts for 3,317 yards and 21 touchdowns and also scoring eight times on the ground.

Now that star running back Cody Schrader is off to the NFL, Mizzou will likely need to lean even more heavily on Cook in 2024.

13. Nico Iamaleava - Tennessee

There's probably no player on this list who can vault higher up this list by the end of the season. Nico Iamaleava has thrown just 45 passes at the college level, but his bowl-game performance against Iowa was enough to get the hype machine working overtime.

Former Tennessee Head Coach, Phillip Fulmer, had some nice things to say about Nico Iamaleava… 🗣️🍊 pic.twitter.com/HAXBDxSq63

— Tennessee Volunteers (@Volology) August 15, 2024

In that 35-0 victory, 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 is the top breakout name to watch in 2024.

12. Riley Leonard - Notre Dame

After three seasons at Duke, Riley Leonard is off for Notre Dame. He's coming off an injury-plagued 2023 that saw him attempt just 165 passes, but back in 2022, Leonard threw for 2,967 yards and 20 touchdowns for the Blue Devils. If he can regain that form, he'll put up impressive numbers for the Irish this season.

11. Will Howard - Ohio State

In his final season at K-State, Will Howard set new career highs in completion percentage, passing yards, and touchdowns. He lost his job to Avery Johnson, but that doesn't mean Howard isn't a talented passer.

He'll have a great chance to showcase that at Ohio State, where he'll have an elite ground game to take some pressure off him, allowing Howard to face some lighter coverage and showcase what he can do with his arm.

10. Cam Rising - Utah

Utah's 2023 season was doomed from the start as Cam Rising missed the entire season with injury. It was a shame, as the Pac-12 was incredibly competitive in its final season of existence and the addition of Rising would have upped the excitement level even more.

In 2022, Rising threw for 3,034 yards and 26 touchdowns for the Utes while adding 465 yards and six scores on the ground.  A healthy Rising makes Utah a major contender in the Big 12.

9. Jalon Daniels - Kansas

Jalon Daniels played just three games for the Jayhawks last season due to injury, but he was a top dual-threat QB back in 2022. That season, Daniels completed 66.1% of his passes for 2,014 yards with 18 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also added 425 rushing yards and seven rushing scores.

Daniels has struggled to stay healthy seemingly every season, but at his best, he's one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation and makes Kansas a playoff contender.

8. Cam Ward - Miami

After one of the most memorable recent FCS careers at Incarnate Word, Cam Ward spent the past two seasons at Washington State before landing at Miami this offseason, picking the Hurricanes over the NFL. In two seasons at the FBS level, Ward has thrown for 6,968 yards and 48 touchdowns.

Cam Ward is another guy I have my eyes on for next year draft class. High upside kid has to clean up something's in his game tho. pic.twitter.com/f79x3YoBUD

— Mace The Flip Flopper 😎 (@realmaceblack) August 15, 2024

He has an arm that can make any throw you ask him to make. His performance is even more impressive when you consider he spent his high school career as the QB for a team that primarily ran the option.

7. Noah Fifita - Arizona

Noah Fifita didn't enter 2023 as Arizona's starter, but after Jayden de Laura went down and the Wildcats were forced to turn to him, he kept the job. In just nine starts, Fifita threw 25 touchdown passes to six interceptions and completed at least 60 percent of his pass attempts in every game.

6. Jaxson Dart  - Ole Miss

Last season was a big one for Jaxson Dart at Ole Miss as he set career highs in completion percentage, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. Overall, Dart tossed 23 passes for scores while being picked off just five times.

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.

5. Shedeur Sanders - Colorado

Shedeur Sanders may get dragged down a bit in 2024 by his lackluster supporting cast, but don't let that fool you into thinking he isn't a good quarterback. Sanders, who started his career at Jackson State in the FCS, had a strong first season at Colorado, completing 69.3% of his pass attempts for 3,230 yards with 27 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

Another one 💪

Shedeur Sanders has been named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watchlist#GoBuffs pic.twitter.com/e89FVwQAbG

— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) August 15, 2024

He finished with negative rushing yards because he took too many sacks, but he was solid on the ground if you filter those out, gaining 394 yards and scoring four rushing touchdowns.

4. Dillon Gabriel - Oregon

Dillon Gabriel heads to Oregon, where he replaces Bo Nix. Gabriel tossed 30 touchdowns at Oklahoma last season and threw for a career-high 3,660 yards, marking his fourth time to throw for over 3,000. His 42 touchdowns responsible for last year led the Big 12, with Gabriel finding the end zone 12 times on the ground.

3. Quinn Ewers - Texas

Quinn Ewers helped lead the Longhorns to the playoffs last season while throwing for 3,479 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also scored five times on the ground. After a middling first year in Austin, Ewers came close to living up to the hype last season.

If he can continue to complete passes at a 69.0% rate against the tougher defenses of the SEC, he'll be in the Heisman conversation by the end of the year.

2. Jalen Milroe - Alabama

Jalen Milroe did a pretty good job quieting the doubters last season. Following Bryce Young at Alabama was always going to be a tough task, but Milroe threw for 2,834 yards and 23 touchdowns while rushing for 531 yards and 12 scores. He's the best dual-threat quarterback in the nation

1. Carson Beck - Georgia

Carson Beck is coming off a strong first season as Georgia's starter, completing 72.4% of his passes for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns while also adding four rushing touchdowns.

Georgia doesn't necessarily need an elite QB to win, so it's going to be scary to see the Bulldogs with the best quarterback in college football. Beck's poise in the pocket and accuracy earned him the top spot in our preseason college QB rankings.

LIKE ROTOBALLER?

CLICK HERE, ENTER ROTOBALLER.COM, THEN CHECK THE BOX

More College Football Analysis