The past 15 years have been good ones for college football quarterbacks, and it looks like this football season will be no different. The quarterback position has dominated the game for almost 15 years. Need some proof?
A quarterback has won the Heisman Trophy every year except one, since the year 2000.
The first games of 2015 saw impressive debuts from Freshmen like UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Malik Zaire of Notre Dame and Lamar Jackson of Louisville. So how do these newcomers stack up against each other and their elder quarterbacks?
An article on Athlon Sports attempted to answer the question, by ranking all 128 college football quarterbacks. The list was created by weighing the quarterbacks value to their team, stats and “anything else you can think of.”
From AthlonSports.com:
1. J.T. Barrett/Cardale Jones, Ohio State
Urban Meyer isn’t going to name a starter for the opener against Virginia Tech, and both players are likely to see snaps against the Hokies. Regardless of who starts or finishes a game, this is the best quarterback situation in college football.
2. Trevone Boykin, TCU
Boykin was arguably the most improved quarterback in the nation last season. He’s a Heisman frontrunner in 2015.
3. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
Prescott guided Mississippi State to just its third season of double-digit wins in program history in 2014 and earned first-team All-SEC honors. Prescott’s return for his senior year is a big reason why Mississippi State will remain a factor in the SEC West.
4. Connor Cook, Michigan State
Cook is 23-3 as a starter at Michigan State and will keep the Spartans in the mix for a playoff spot this fall. Cook is also regarded as one of the top quarterback prospects in next season’s draft.
5. Deshaun Watson, Clemson
Watson could rank among the top three quarterbacks on this list by the end of 2015. Injuries limited Watson to just eight games last season, but he finished with 1,466 yards and 14 passing scores.
Check out the entire list here.