College football's Top 25 quarterbacks for 2017: Lamar Jackson or Sam Darnold at No. 1?
College football's Top 25 quarterbacks for 2017: Lamar Jackson or Sam Darnold at No. 1?Who is the best quarterback in college football heading into 2017?
Good luck answering that question. It’s a situation where Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, is anything but a sure thing at No. 1. USC’s Sam Darnold, who is favored to win the Heisman this year and could be the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, also has a claim.
Quarterbacks such as Alabama’s Jalen Hurts, Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett and Washington’s Jake Browning, all of whom played in the College Football Playoff last season, are in the mix. Where does that leave a two-time Heisman trophy finalist such as Baker Mayfield?
MORE: 17 questions for the 2017 season
Sporting News ranked the Top 25 quarterbacks in college football in an effort to find out. Here’s a closer look:
1
Honorable mentionHonorable mention
Taylor Lamb, Appalachian State
Tanner Mangum, BYU
Kyle Allen, Houston
Richard Lagow, Indiana
Brandon Wimbush, Notre Dame
Clayton Thorson, Northwestern
Eric Dungey, Syracuse
Brandon Silvers, Troy
Troy Williams, Utah
Alex Hornibrook, Wisconsin
2
Special mentionBrent Stockstill, Middle Tennessee State
Kelly Bryant, Clemson
Riley Ferguson, Memphis
Max Browne, Pittsburgh
Ryan Finley, N.C. State
Drew Lock, Missouri
Jake Bentley, South Carolina
Kenny Hill, TCU
Will Grier, West Virginia
3
Jacob Eason, GeorgiaThe talent is there, but Eason has to take the next step for Georgia to make the jump in the SEC East, and the highly-recruited quarterback should improve as a sophomore. That starts with improving a completion percentage of 55.1 from 2016.
MORE: 2017 Georgia preview
4
Jesse Ertz, Kansas StateExpectations are high for the Wildcats, and Ertz passed for 1,755 yards and rushed for 1,012 more last season. It won’t hurt that former Kansas Star quarterback Collin Klein is on the coaching staff now.
5
Justin Herbert, OregonHerbert's high-percentage play is a must for the Ducks heading into Willie Taggart's first season with the program. Herbert finished with 19 TDs and just four interceptions last season, but improvement in the win column must follow.
MORE: Oregon 2017 preview
6
Austin Allen, ArkansasAllen returns as the leader in passing yards in the SEC, and he tossed 25 TDs last season for the Razorbacks. Allen, however, needs to cut down on the interceptions in 2017.
7
Wilton Speight, MichiganSpeight battled injuries last season but managed to lead Michigan to a 10-win season and a trip to the Orange Bowl. Another year with Jim Harbaugh, not to mention the addition of passing game coordinator Pep Hamilton, should help Speight build on that success in 2017.
8
Shane Buechele, TexasWe trust what the Tom Herman effect will for Buechele in his sophomore season, and there's a chance this ranking is too low. Buechele completed 60.4 percent of his passes as a freshman and can throw the down field.
MORE: Texas 2017 preview
9
Shea Patterson, Ole MissSome might think this is too high for a quarterback who won’t play in a bowl game this season, but just watch. Patterson will put big numbers for the Rebels – he had two 300-yard games last season. SN is all in on the breakout potential here.
10
Mike White, Western KentuckyWKU quarterbacks are natural stat machines, and the dynamic under new coach Mike Sanford should produce similar results. White passed for 4,363 yards and 37 TDs with just seven interceptions last season.
11
Brett Rypien, Boise StateRypien averaged 3,498 passing yards and 22 TDs the last two seasons, and he’ll have the Broncos in position to win a Mountain West championship in 2017. Rypien’s junior season should see bump in those stats along the way.
12
Jarrett Stidham, AuburnHow would you recommend tempering the hype? Stidham stood out in Auburn’s spring game, and the Baylor transfer seems poised to put the Tigers back in the hunt for a SEC championship. Stidham is the key to those hopes along with first-year offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey.
MORE: 2017 Auburn preview
13
Logan Woodside, ToledoWoodside led the FBS with 45 TD passes last season. That came with 4,129 passing yards and a passer rating of 183.3. The 505-yard, five-TD effort against BYU last season was magnificent. Woodside had three or more TDs in all but one game for the Rockets in 2016.
14
Josh Allen, WyomingThere's a growing sentiment that Allen could be the first quarterback taken in the 2018 NFL Draft, so a rise much like Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes II in 2017 is possible here. Allen passed for 3,203 yards, 28 TDs and 15 INTs last season while leading the Cowboys to an eight-win season. The nonconference schedule includes a road trip to Iowa and a visit from Oregon. Allen will be in the September spotlight.
MORE: 2018 NFL Mock Draft
15
Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi StateFitzgerald is the total package. He passed for 2,423 yards and 21 TDs and added another 1,375 rushing yards and 16 TDs on the ground. The Bulldogs are a chic sleeper pick in the SEC West. Will Fitzgerald take Mississippi State back to the same heights as predecessor Dak Prescott?
MORE: Composite Top 25
16
Josh Rosen, UCLAThe former five-star freshman shouldn’t be the third Pac-12 quarterback on this list, and that amplifies a huge season coming up. Rosen returned from offseason surgery this spring, and the addition of former Michigan passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch should help. Putting UCLA back in the Pac-12 South mix would certainly help Rosen’s draft stock.
MORE: SN's Top 25
17
Deondre Francois, Florida StateFrancois enjoyed success as a redshirt freshman with 3,350 yards, 20 TDs and seven interceptions. That included five games with 300 yards or more passing. Francois can make a definitive opening statement in 2017 for the Seminoles in the much-anticipated opener against Alabama in Atlanta.
18
Luke Falk, Washington StateFalk led all returning FBS quarterbacks with 4,468 passing yards last season, and he'll pile on the yards and touchdowns in a third year as the starters in Mike Leach's pass-happy offense. Will the coveted Pac-12 championship follow?
19
Quinton Flowers, QB, South FloridaFlowers can put up the numbers to make a run at the Heisman. He passed for 2,807, rushed for 1,530 and put up 42 total TDs last season. That's welcome news for first-year coach Charlie Strong. A run to a New Year’s Day Six bowl would give Flowers that chance.
MORE: Darnold or Barkley?
20
Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma StateRudolph is remarkably efficient, with 49 TDs and 13 interceptions in the last two seasons as a full-time starter. Rudolph also has one of the top receivers in the nation in James Washington. That’s why projections for the Cowboys are sky-high heading into 2017.
21
Trace McSorley, Penn StateMcSorley turned it on in the second half of last season to lead the Nittany Lions to a Big Ten championship. McSorley closed the season with three straight games with four TD passes. He's a good fit in Joe Moorhead's scheme, and that familiarity will lead to lead to more success in 2017.
22
Jake Browning, WashingtonBrowning's emergence helped carry the Huskies to the Pac-12 championship last season. He tossed 43 TDs and threw just nine interceptions. Now, the task is getting Washington back to the College Football Playoff. Even without first-round pick John Ross, the Huskies will be in that mix.
MORE: 2017 Washington preview
23
J.T. Barrett, Ohio StateForget about the loss to Clemson. The fifth-year senior returns with a 26-4 record as a starter and 100 total TDs for his career, and the additions of offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson and quarterbacks coach Ryan Day should unlock some of the phenomenon we saw in 2014 before a season-ending ankle injury.
24
Baker Mayfield, OklahomaMayfield is a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist who will be working with a new supporting cast, but he’s led the Sooners to back-to-back Big 12 championships with a free-flow style that will counted on again in 2017.
MORE: Oklahoma 2017 preview
25
Jalen Hurts, QB, AlabamaKeep in mind that Hurts was one drive away from leading the Crimson Tide to a national championship as a freshman. He should improve as a passer under new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll while maintaining his role as a part of the rushing attack. Hurts' poise is remarkable, and he’ll take the next step as a sophomore.
26
Sam Darnold, USCDarnold's unbelievable stretch to close 2016 took the nation by storm. He finished with 31 TDs and nine interceptions, and the 67.2 completion percentage is amazing. Darnold is coming off an incredible record-setting performance in the Rose Bowl, and the expectations are higher for him then the next guy on this list. That's saying something.
MORE: USC 2017 preview
27
Lamar Jackson, LouisvilleIt's a 1A-1B situation with Darnold, but Jackson is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and coming off a ridiculous season in which he put up almost 5,000 yards of total offense with 51 total TDs. Expect Jackson to learn from last year’s late-season slide. The numbers will be there again.
MORE: Louisville 2017 preview