2024 was a strange football year in the Big 12. Teams predicted to finish in the top half of the conference stumbled while the Colorado Buffaloes, BYU Cougars and Arizona State Sun Devils, who were all picked to finish near the bottom of the conference, rose up the ranks. The constant for those top teams was solid play at the quarterback position.
Looking at my rankings below, it’s easy to see why many point to quarterback as the most important position in all of sports. The QBs in the top half of my rankings averaged about 9.5 wins while the QBs at the bottom of the list averaged under five wins.
Here are my updated Big 12 starting quarterback rankings following the 2024 season:
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Donovan Smith and Zeon Chriss saw time at QB for the Houston Cougars, and both struggled to make plays with their arms. Both QBs threw four touchdowns to eight interceptions while completing about 64% of their passes. Chriss should get an opportunity to start next season and could be a good option in a run-first offense, as he showed some ability to beat teams with his legs.
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Ineffective quarterback play killed the Cowboys’ season. Alan Bowman played in 11 games and threw an interception in nine. Garret Rangel showed some promise as a running option before breaking his collarbone after a 54-yard rush against BYU. Freshman Maealiuaki Smith had a good game against Texas Tech before struggling in OSU’s season finale against Colorado. Oklahoma State should be in the market for a new signal-caller this offseason.
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At a certain point, you have to wonder if Cam Rising can stay healthy for an entire season. Utah’s star QB was dealing with an injury to his throwing hand before suffering a season-ending leg injury against Arizona State. Isaac Wilson looked like a freshman in relief of Rising, completing only 56.4% of his passes while throwing 11 interceptions to 10 touchdowns. Brandon Rose gave the Utes a spark against BYU but was lost to injury during that game as well.
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KJ Jefferson’s production fell off a cliff after some early-season fireworks. After two ineffective games against the CU Buffs and Florida Gators, he was replaced by a combination of Dylan Rizk and Jacurri Brown. Brown is a better runner than a passer and could be a good option if UCF wants to remain a run-dominant team under new head coach Scott Frost. Rizk showed some ability as a passer during his freshman season, but I’d imagine UCF will search for a better quarterback this offseason.
Syndication: The Enquirer
After a hot start to the season, Brandon Sorsby’s production took a big hit during Cincinnati’s five-game losing streak to end the year. Sorsby threw 12 touchdowns to only one interception in the first five games of the 2024 season before throwing six touchdowns to six interceptions in his final seven games.
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I was surprised by Garrett Greene’s 2024 season. I thought he could’ve been a breakout candidate, but he ultimately regressed in his fifth season with the Mountaineers. After running and passing for 29 touchdowns in 2023, he managed only 21 scores in 2024 while tripling his interceptions from four to 12.
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Noah Fifita never looked comfortable in head coach Brent Brennan’s offense, and his stats took a hit. After throwing for 25 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 72.4% of his passes in his first season as a starter last year, Fifita managed only 18 touchdowns to 12 interceptions on 60.5% passing.
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Jalon Daniels reflected the Kansas Jayhawks’ season perfectly. He was below average for most of the season but played well in a three-game stretch during which Kansas became the first losing team in Football Bowl Subdivision history to win three straight games against ranked opponents.
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Josh Hoover had a solid second season as TCU’s starting quarterback. The sophomore gunslinger threw for 3,949 yards and 27 touchdowns, leading TCU to a nine-win season.
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Avery Johnson had some big moments during the season but will need to become a more consistent passer if he wants to take the next step. A great rushing threat, Johnson ran for 605 yards and seven touchdowns this past season. He also threw for 25 touchdowns but only completed 58.3% of his passes.
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Rocco Becht couldn’t miss at the beginning of the season, but he struggled with accuracy in the second half. Becht’s completion percentage dropped from 62.9% in 2023 to 59.4% in 2024, but he threw for more yards (3,120 to 3,505) and touchdowns (23 to 25). If he can increase his completion percentage, he could be a top-tier QB next season.
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Jake Retzlaff used his arms and legs to lead the Cougars to an 11-win season and a victory over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl. The junior QB threw for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns while adding 417 yards and six scores on the ground.
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Behren Morton took a step forward this season in leading Texas Tech to an eight-win season. Morton set new career highs in completion percentage (63.3%), passing yards (3,335) and touchdown passes (27).
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An injury to Dequan Finn may have resulted in the Bears finding their QB of the future. Sawyer Robertson took over for Finn and threw for 3,071 yards, 28 touchdowns and only eight interceptions.
Syndication: Arizona Republic
Sam Leavitt opened many eyes by helping Arizona State capture the Big 12 championship and College Football Playoff berth. The dual-threat QB threw for 2,885 yards and 24 touchdowns while adding 443 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
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Shedeur Sanders was the class of the Big 12 and may have been the nation’s best QB. Sanders diced up opposing defenses all season in throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns while completing an eye-popping 74% of his passes. Those numbers have Sanders in the discussion to become the top overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
