2 days Ago By Joel Reuter
Welcome to Bleacher Report's top 25 college football quarterback rankings after Week 12. These rankings are published every Tuesday morning throughout the 2024 season, with the goal of identifying the 25 best QBs in the country each week as the season unfolds. The only thing that matters here is on-field production in 2024.
That means past performance, future expectations, physical tools and NFL upside have all been removed from the equation. Every quarterback's individual production and quality of opponent will be considered each week. Players will rise and fall based on where they ranked the previous week, so it will be a fluid process.
If your favorite team's quarterback is not currently on the list, fear not. If a guy is putting up numbers, he will find his way onto the list. On the flip side, a strong season thus far does not protect a player from potentially sliding down the rankings with a poor Week 13 performance.
Let the debate begin. These 25 quarterbacks were also under consideration for a spot in the rankin gs but ultimately settled for an honorable mention following Week 12 action: Luke Altmyer, Illinois Connor Bazelak, Bowling Green Rocco Becht, Iowa State Max Brosmer, Minnesota Devon Dampier, New Mexico Brett Gabbert, Miami (Ohio) Seth Henigan, Memphis Tyler Huff, Jacksonville State Keyone Jenkins, Florida International Avery Johnson, Kansas State Mikey Keene, Fresno State Haynes King, Georgia Tech DJ Lagway, Florida Maddux Madsen, Boise State Owen McCown, UTSA Fernando Mendoza, California Darian Mensah, Tulane Behren Morton, Texas Tech Maalik Murphy, Duke Garrett Nussmeier, LSU Jake Retzlaff, BYU Kaidon Salter, Liberty Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati Payton Thorne, Auburn Hajj-Malik Williams, UNLV Injured, Removed from Consideration Thomas Castellanos, Boston College Eli Holstein, Pittsburgh Blake Horvath, Navy Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt Ben Wooldridge, Louisiana 25. Tucker Gleason, Toledo (Previous Rank: HM) Stats: 167-of-274, 2,032 yards, 19 TD, 7 INT; 268 rush yards, 6 TD After struggling a bit in losses to Buffalo and Bowling Green, Gleason has turned in strong performances in back-to-back wins, including three touchdowns in Week 12 against Central Michigan.
He leads the MAC with 25 total touchdowns, and the Rockets are 7-3 and on their way to a fourth straight bowl game. 24. Kyle McCord, Syracuse (Previous Rank: 24) Stats: 304-of-475, 3,476 yards, 24 TD, 12 INT; -45 rush yards, 2 TD McCord tumbled down the rankings with a five-interception game against Pitt in Week 9, but he has righted the ship, throwing for 995 yards with five touchdowns and only one interception in his last three games.
He accepted an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl and will put the finishing touches on the most productive single-season passing performance in Syracuse history in the coming weeks. 23. Caden Veltkamp, Western Kentucky (Previous Rank: 21) Stats: 167-of-239, 2,102 yards, 19 TD, 7 INT; 166 rush yards, 7 TD It was a quiet week for one of the nation's most efficient passers, as Veltkamp finished 18-of-26 passing for 152 yards and zero touchdowns in a 12-7 loss to Louisiana Tech.
However, he still leads Conference USA in completion percentage (69.9%), touchdowns (19), yards per attempt (8.8) and passer efficiency rating (164.
1). 22. Carson Beck, Georgia (Previous Rank: HM) Stats: 235-of-361, 2,835 yards, 19 TD, 12 INT; 71 rush yards, 1 TD For the first time since Week 6 against Auburn, Beck did not throw an interception in Saturday's huge win over Tennessee.
He connected on 25-of-40 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns, while also adding 32 yards and a score on the ground. His stretch of nine interceptions in four games will be easily forgotten with a strong finish to the year. 21.
Sam Leavitt, Arizona State (Previous Rank: HM) Stats: 147-of-240, 1,906 yards, 17 TD, 4 INT; 348 rush yards, 4 TD The Sun Devils improved to 8-2 on the year and jumped into the AP poll for the first time this season following Saturday's win over Kansas State. Leavitt threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns against the Wildcats, and he has now turned in three straight games with three touchdown passes and zero interceptions. 20.
Sawyer Robertson, Baylor (Previous Rank: HM) Stats: 161-of-263, 2,112 yards, 20 TD, 4 INT; 252 rush yards, 4 TD Slotted behind Toledo transfer Dequan Finn on the depth chart when the season began, Robertson has made the most of his opportunity after an injury opened the door for him to take over as the starter. He made his first start in Week 3, and he has really hit his stride during Baylor's current four-game winning streak with 1,067 yards and 11 touchdowns against one interception in wins over Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, TCU and West Virginia. 19.
Tyler Shough, Louisville (Previous Rank: 12) Stats: 218-of-343, 2,774 yards, 21 TD, 6 INT; 14 rush yards, 1 TD Since throwing for 342 yards and four touchdowns in a shootout loss to Miami in Week 8, Shough has not made the same dynamic impact through the air. He threw for 270 yards with one touchdown and one interception in Saturday's loss to Stanford, and now has three touchdowns and three picks over his last three games. 18.
LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina (Previous Rank: 25) Stats: 136-of-217, 1,803 yards, 14 TD, 5 INT; 436 rush yards, 4 TD The overall numbers don't jump off the page, but Sellers has been one of the best quarterbacks in the country over the last four weeks, culminating in a career-best performance against Missouri on Saturday. The redshirt freshman threw for 353 yards and five touchdowns, and also added 45 rushing yards in a huge 34-30 win over the Tigers that vaulted the Gamecocks to No. 19 in the latest AP poll.
17. Chandler Morris, North Texas (Previous Rank: 13) Stats: 269-of-424, 3,328 yards, 27 TD, 12 INT; 186 rush yards, 4 TD Morris has struggled the last two weeks against Army (24/37, 214 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT) and UTSA (21/36, 241 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT), and he has steadily slid down these rankings as a result. That said, he still ranks among the FBS leaders in passing yards (3,328, fourth) and passing touchdowns (27, second) in what has been a productive season for the TCU transfer.
16. Jordan McCloud, Texas State (Previous Rank: 22) Stats: 198-of-283, 2,370 yards, 25 TD, 8 INT; 250 rush yards, 6 TD McCloud had his fifth game of the season with at least four total touchdowns in Saturday's 58-3 blowout win over Southern Mississippi. He racked up 335 passing yards and four touchdowns, and for the second season in a row, he is on track to lead the Sun Belt in passing touchdowns (25), completion percentage (70.
0) and passer efficiency rating (163.8) after topping the leaderboard in those categories last year at James Madison. 15.
Josh Hoover, TCU (Previous Rank: 15) Stats: 256-of-378, 3,233 yards, 22 TD, 8 INT; -6 rush yards, 4 TD The Horned Frogs had a bye in Week 12, but Hoover still leads the Big 12 conference in passing yards (3,233) and yards per attempt (8.6) in his second season as the starter. He has improved across the board this season, and TCU is already bowl eligible with a 6-4 record after finishing 5-7 in 2023.
14. Alonza Barnett III, James Madison (Previous Rank: 16) Stats: 177-of-299, 2,226 yards, 22 TD, 2 INT; 395 rush yards, 7 TD Barnett had nine pass attempts and 44 passing yards during his first two seasons at James Madison, but he has shined in the starting role this season after replacing Jordan McCloud who transferred to Texas State. He had 192 passing yards, 70 rushing yards and three total touchdowns in Saturday's victory over Old Dominion.
13. Riley Leonard, Notre Dame (Previous Rank: 14) Stats: 167-of-258, 1,789 yards, 12 TD, 4 INT; 641 rush yards, 13 TD Leonard has done the bulk of his damage on the ground this season for the Fighting Irish, but he had a productive day through the air in Week 12 against Virginia. He completed 22-of-33 pass attempts for 214 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-14 rout, and up next is a big matchup against undefeated Army in what will be a battle of two of the nation's best rushing quarterbacks.
12. Drew Allar, Penn State (Previous Rank: 19) Stats: 166-of-231, 2,253 yards, 16 TD, 5 INT; 194 rush yards, 3 TD Allar was nearly perfect on Saturday against Purdue, completing 17-of-19 pass attempts for 247 yards and three touchdowns en route to a lopsided 49-10 victory. It was just his second game of the season with three passing touchdowns, and his first in Big Ten play with the other coming against Kent State back in Week 4.
11. Bryson Daily, Army (Previous Rank: 11) Stats: 29-of-51, 644 yards, 7 TD, 1 INT; 1,062 rush yards, 21 TD After carrying the ball 36 times for 153 yards in Week 11 against North Texas, Daily took a well-deserved break in Week 12 with Army on a bye. The Black Knights will put their undefeated record to the test this coming weekend in a huge matchup against Notre Dame, and a win could potentially push them ahead of Boise State in the race for the Group of Five playoff spot.
10. Quinn Ewers, Texas (Previous Rank: 10) Stats: 169-of-247, 1,898 yards, 21 TD, 6 INT; -55 rush yards, 1 TD After lighting up Florida for 333 yards and five touchdowns in Week 11, Ewers had a more subdued performance on the road against Arkansas on Saturday, finishing with 176 yards and two touchdowns. He has been every bit as good as the nation's other elite passers since returning from his oblique injury.
9. Cade Klubnik, Clemson (Previous Rank: 9) Stats: 222-of-350, 2,563 yards, 26 TD, 4 INT; 341 rush yards, 5 TD Klubnik threw for 288 yards, rushed for 41 yards and tallied three total touchdowns in Clemson's huge 24-20 road win over Pittsburgh. The Tigers have a cupcake game against The Citadel this coming weekend before closing out the season at home against a South Carolina team that has climbed into the AP poll.
8. Jalen Milroe, Alabama (Previous Rank: 7) Stats: 160-of-237, 2,232 yards, 15 TD, 6 INT; 608 rush yards, 17 TD Milroe made his way to the sidelines for good shortly after halftime in Alabama's lopsided win over Mercer on Saturday, but he still did plenty of damage during his time on the field. He completed 11-of-16 pass attempts for 186 yards and two touchdowns, and also added 43 rushing yards and his 17th rushing touchdown of the year.
7. John Mateer, Washington State (Previous Rank: 8) Stats: 191-of-302, 2,707 yards, 26 TD, 6 INT; 695 rush yards, 12 TD The Cougars slim playoff hopes were dealt a crushing blow when they suffered their second loss of the season against New Mexico on Saturday night, but it was another strong individual performance by Mateer. He had 375 passing yards, 65 rushing yards and five total touchdowns, and he is the only quarterback in the country with at least 20 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns on the year.
6. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana (Previous Rank: 5) Stats: 171-of-238, 2,410 yards, 21 TD, 4 INT; 17 rush yards, 2 TD The Hoosiers made a statement with their 20-15 victory over Michigan in Week 11, and then had a Week 12 bye to rest up for this weekend's heavyweight clash against No. 2 Ohio State in Columbus.
Rourke has been one of the breakout stars of the 2024 college football season, and he has a chance to turn in a signature moment on Saturday. Previous Rank: 4 Stats: 186-of-255, 2,484 yards, 24 TD, 5 INT; 122 rush yards, 6 TD Will Howard had 247 passing yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's 31-7 victory over Northwestern at Wrigley Field in Chicago. He now has eight straight games with multiple touchdown passes, and while he does not have the gaudy single-game performances of some of the others on this list, he has been rock steady all year while compiling a terrific all-around season.
Previous Rank: 3 Stats: 211-of-298, 3,409 yards, 22 TD, 4 INT; 304 rush yards, 3 TD A 515-yards, six-touchdown performance on the road against Arkansas in Week 10 moved Jaxson Dart back into a top-five spot in these rankings, and he followed it up by leading Ole Miss to a win over Georgia in Week 11. The Rebels had a bye this past weekend, but will close out the regular-season slate against Florida and Mississippi State as they look to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff field. Previous Rank: 6 Stats: 280-of-384, 3,222 yards, 27 TD, 7 INT; -11 rush yards, 4 TD With a four-game winning streak against Arizona, Cincinnati, Texas Tech and Utah, the Colorado Buffaloes are now tied atop the Big 12 standings with a 6-1 record in conference play and control their own destiny as far as securing a spot in the Big 12 title game.
Shedeur Sanders put together another terrific individual performance in Saturday's 49-24 win against Utah, completing 30-of-41 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns. His 72.9 percent completion rate leads the Big 12 and ranks third nationally.
Previous Rank: 2 Stats: 259-of-351, 3,066 yards, 22 TD, 6 INT; 155 rush yards, 6 TD Dillon Gabriel was kept out of the end zone for the first time this season in Saturday's game against Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium, but Oregon still managed to pull out a 16-13 victory to stay undefeated. He finished 22-of-31 passing for 218 yards and threw his sixth interception of the season, but he still leads the nation with a 73.8 percent completion rate and sits atop the Big Ten leaderboard with 3,066 passing yards.
Previous Rank: 1 Stats: 241-of-361, 3,494 yards, 32 TD, 6 INT; 182 rush yards, 3 TD How will Cam Ward and the Miami Hurricanes respond to suffering their first loss of the season in Week 11 against Georgia Tech? After a Week 12 bye to unpack that loss, they will face Wake Forest and Syracuse to wrap up the regular season, and Ward will look to make his case to climb back atop the Heisman Trophy picture. He enters Week 13 as the FBS leader in passing yards (3,494) and passing touchdowns (32)..
