Ranking Big 12 quarterbacks: How does Alan Bowman fit in with Cam Rising, Shedeur Sanders?
Scott Procter
Fort Collins Coloradoan
The
Big 12 has expanded to 16 teams for the
2024 college football season and the path to a conference title is wide open.
Last season's Big 12 champion, Texas, has moved on to the SEC, which means the conference will have a new king for the fourth consecutive year. Quarterback play will certainly help determine who wears the crown at season's end.
Arizona and Utah bring over talented signal callers ahead of their Big 12 debuts while Colorado boasts a potential top-10 NFL draft pick in its return to the conference. Last year's Big 12 runner-up,
Oklahoma State, welcomes back its veteran QB but a handful of teams opted to dip into the portal for their answer at the position.
Here's our ranking of the 16 projected starting quarterbacks in the Big 12 for the 2024 season:
16. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
Leavitt is expected to be Arizona State's starting quarterback this fall after Jaden Rashada hit the transfer portal in April (and has since committed to Georgia). The Michigan State transfer will be one of the Big 12's most unproven signal callers after playing just 45 snaps (completing 15-of-23 passes for 139 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions) as a true freshman for the Spartans last season. Leavitt is a former four-star recruit, however, and was ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the state of Oregon in the Class of 2023 by On3.
15. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati
Sorsby, after transferring in from Indiana, is likely to beat out Brady Lichtenberg for Cincinnati's starting quarterback job. The
No. 18 QB in the 2024 transfer cycle started seven games for the Hoosiers last season, completing 57% of his passes for 1,587 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. Sorsby showed real flashes during a five-touchdown game against Illinois and a three-score performance against Penn State in his first career road start.
14. Gerry Bohanon, BYU
Bohanon will have to beat out returner Jake Retzlaff for the starting role at BYU, but the former Baylor standout and USF transfer has the upper hand due to his experience. After throwing for 2,200 yards and racking up 27 total touchdowns for the Big 12 champion Baylor Bears in 2021 (which included a New Year’s Six bowl game win over Ole Miss), Bohanon transferred to USF where he suffered a torn labrum in Week 7 of the 2022 season. His
football career was on life support after surgery and he couldn't throw without pain for months, causing him to miss the 2023 campaign. BYU took a chance on Bohanon's health this offseason, and he could help the Cougars compete in their second year in the Big 12.
13. Behren Morton, Texas Tech
Morton is the highest-rated quarterback signee in Texas Tech history and solidified himself as the program's QB of the future by the end of his sophomore campaign in 2023. Beginning the season as a backup, Morton started eight games, completing 62% of his passes for 1,754 yards, 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions while battling a shoulder injury throughout the year. This fall could very well be Morton's breakout campaign.
12. Josh Hoover, TCU
Hoover became TCU's starting QB for the final six games of the 2023 season and threw for 439 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-11 win over BYU in his first career start. The honorable mention Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year racked up 15 total touchdowns in his six starts and threw for at least 300 yards in five of those games. Hoover, like Morton, could surprise some people in 2024.
11. Donovan Smith, Houston
Smith is coming off his best season of college football after starting all 12 games for Houston in 2023, completing 64.5% of his passes and racking up 28 total touchdowns. The former Texas Tech QB is a dual-threat weapon who rushed for 428 yards and six scores last year. After undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, Smith will try to build on his junior campaign.
10. Dequan Finn, Baylor
Finn has the potential to be seen as a top-five quarterback in the conference by season's end. The 2023 Mac Player of the Year was the No. 11 QB in the 2024 transfer cycle after amassing 3,220 total yards and 29 touchdowns last season at Toledo. It was his third consecutive season with at least 2,500 total yards and 27 touchdowns. Finn could be the reason why Baylor bounces back from a 3-9 season.
9. Alan Bowman, Oklahoma State
Bowman is back for his seventh year of college football (you read that correctly) after helping Oklahoma State appear in the Big 12 Championship game last year. He threw for a career-high 3,460 yards in 2023 but his touchdown-to-interception ratio (15-14) left much to be desired for such an experienced quarterback. Bowman's play was still good enough for the Cowboys to be conference runners-up and with the majority of last season's offense back this fall, they should be right back in the Big 12 title mix.
8. Jalon Daniels, Kansas
Daniels had an explosive start to the 2023 campaign, throwing for 705 yards and five touchdowns in the first three games, but injuries once again derailed a promising season. The dual-threat QB hasn't played more than nine games in a season during his four-year college career. Daniels was excellent in 2022, however, racking up 2,433 total yards and 25 touchdowns. If he can stay healthy this fall, Kansas could make a run after the program just won nine games for the first time since 2007.
7. Avery Johnson, Kansas State
Johnson began to just scratch the surface of what he's capable of last season as a true freshman. The former top-10 QB in the Class of 2023 flashed his dual-threat ability in a backup role, throwing five touchdowns on just 66 pass attempts and rushing for five touchdowns in one game vs. Texas Tech. Kansas State will compete for a Big 12 crown if Johnson shines as a first-year starter.
