Big 12 football has a chance to produce some of the top quarterback talent in the country in 2023.
For one season only, Big 12 football is going to hit a historical mark.
14 teams, led by 14 starting quarterbacks, will begin the 2023 season and they come in all shapes and sizes. Multiple Big 12 champion signal callers, a couple of potential Heisman candidates and some looking for second (or third) chances.
The new teams boast transfer quarterbacks and some are having a homecoming back into the league.
Kansas seems to have a foundational piece for a program that feels out of the quicksand for the first time in 15 years. Oklahoma State has its lowest win total in a long time and quarterback play will be vital. And the two bluebloods' season of met expectations hangs in the balance at the position.
We examine and rank the projected starting QB's for each team in the wild west, that is the 2023 Big 12 Conference.
Big 12 Football: Ranking every starting quarterback for the 2023 season
14. Garrett Greene, West Virginia
Woof, West Virginia has many holes and the quarterback is one of the bright ones. The secondary has gotten pulverized for every off-season by the portal for what seems like the last couple of years, and the Blue and Gold are coming off their third below .500 season in four years.
The Mountaineers have not gotten above-average play out of the position since Will Grier, and 2023 shows little optimism for the cycle to break. Garrett Greene expects to begin the season as the starter, and his crafty ability to find running lanes is a bright spot he brings.
He's rushed for 613 yards and nine touchdowns over the past two years. He's gotten prominent playing time.
No team got to experience good Greene more than Oklahoma.
He gashed the Sooners for 119 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, to go with his 138 passing yards and a touchdown as he replaced injured J.T. Daniels to WVU's first win over Oklahoma in the program's Big 12 era.
The former baseball player has a good background in throwing but has yet to be asked a bunch to do so while at West Virginia. He's getting help via the transfer portal with North Carolina State's Devin Carter and Kent State's Ja'Shaun Poke.
Outside of that, the receiver room looks thin after losing his top three passing targets, and although the running back room is loaded, none of them were primary passing targets in 2022.
13. Chandler Morris, TCU
The quarterback conversation got fascinating, with Oregon State quarterback Chance Nolan transferring to the Frogs in April. However, with missing spring ball and Chandler Morris in his third year with TCU, I'd give the edge to him for now.
Outside of his 2021 heroics against Baylor, Morris has struggled to keep playing time on the field. He won the off-season QB battle with Max Duggan and started the season opener, but he sustained an injury and never saw the role again.
Duggan would go on to have a career-resurrecting campaign, but Morris' time is now.
Before his injury, he threw for just 111 yards, and his stature at 5-11, 175 pounds isn't ideal. There is not enough film on him yet, and the glimpses outside of one game have yet to show much potential up to this point.
Sonny Dykes got creative with Max Duggan and helped completely restructure an offense that was depleted in 2021 and turn them into a juggernaut last season. The Horned Frogs lost, arguably, their most significant offensive asset with Garrett Riley to Clemson and brought in former rival Kendal Briles.
It could change, and the Horned Frogs have done well in stockpiling talent for Morris to get the ball too. The question is, can he build consistency and handle the full-time operations of the position?
12. Alan Bowman, Oklahoma State
Alan Bowman is more than used to the Big 12 landscape, spending much of his career with Texas Tech. He saw success with the Red Raiders with a 2,600+ yard, 17-touchdown freshman campaign. His next two years saw less success.
At this point in his career, he's like a pitcher coming off of Tommy John surgery. He's lacking in-game time. He's spent the past few seasons at Michigan, backing up JJ McCarthy and Cade McNamara.
Bowman hasn't started a game since 2020, and in that season, he was sparingly in and out of the role, with just three games with a passing touchdown.
And coming into an Oklahoma State team that fell off toward the second half of 2022 and with few off-season acquisitions could create some problems for the sixth-year player.
A humongous positive for Bowman is the Cowboy's schedule.
Oklahoma State somehow plays the bottom four teams in the league from last year and the four new teams entering the league. Their lone 2023 game with a team above .500 last year in the Big 12 is Kansas State at home.
At his peak, Bowman can return to form and become a middle-of-the-road quarterback in a league that vastly grew in depth at the position. But being this far removed from significant playing time, it's a serious question of how much he can give the Cowboys.
11. Hunter Dekkers, Iowa State
There is a love-hate relationship with Hunter Dekkers after his first year starts. Filling Brock Purdy's shoes leaves some Achilles heel, and Iowa State fans felt a lot of it.
The Cyclones' offense took a dramatic nosedive, ranked last in scoring. The separation between them and ninth-place West Virginia was more significant than the Mountaineers to first-place TCU.
It wasn't good.
However, it doesn't mean Dekkers is an incapable starting quarterback. His lone trustee target Xavier Hutchinson is off to the NFL, and an underdeveloped receiving room gets a year older.
It didn't help that Iowa State could not find a sustained rushing game, ranking last at just 108 yards per contest.
The Cyclones return Jaylin Noel, their second-most productive receiver from a year ago and tight end Easton Dean is a seasoned veteran. The offensive line is full of upperclassmen, and improvement should be expected.
He does have the third-most passing yards in a single season in Cyclones history, and with more consistency and trust in receivers not named Hutchinson, his ceiling could get higher quicker than many QBs in this area.
10. Donovan Smith, Houston
The Houston Cougars have the tall task of replacing Clayton Tune, the most decorated quarterback since Greg Ward, in H-Town. A new beginning to the league also signals a new quarterback after Donovan Smith spent his past two seasons with Texas Tech.
Smith's biggest blemish in 2022 was keeping the ball. He threw eight interceptions in the first five games, including three against the Cougars.
As what will become a trend in the league, Smith has a legitimate dual-threat ability, and his 6-foot-5 230-pound frame should work beautifully for the Houston offense.
A unit that not only lost Tune but second-round draft pick Tank Dell. Smith's tall task focuses on limiting the mistakes, and although he still threw at a 64% completion clip, it makes the eight turnovers more frustrating.
His new start under head coach Dana Holgerson gives both a second chance in the Big 12.
9. Kedon Slovis, BYU
The 2019 version of Kedon Slovis is a far cry from what USC and Pitt have gotten from him over the past three seasons. His (expected) final trail in college football lands him in his third Power Five league, headlining the BYU Cougars.
Slovis threw for 58 touchdowns in his three seasons with the Trojans, but nothing felt more complete than his freshman season, where he threw for an outstanding 3,502 yards and 30 touchdowns.
He's also struggled with not throwing to opposing team players. 33 interceptions in his four seasons and moving to a BYU team with a good chunk of production off the roster is not a great recipe.
Do-it-all skill player Puka Nacua and slot receiver Kody Epps are gone, with Keanu Hill as the only threat out wide with a ton of experience.
Using tight end Isaac Rex as a safety valve will be vital, and simple reads will make the offense easier for Slovis. His ceiling showcases him as among the best quarterbacks in any Power 5 league.
However, it's been four years since, and the optimism to return to that point is about fizzling out.
8. Emory Jones, Cincinnati
The best fit from the portal for a quarterback this season was Emory Jones to Cincinnati. It makes so much sense.
Bearkats head coach Scott Satterfield is coming off of a pedestrian four-year tenure with Louisville and desperately needs a second chance at the Power-5 level.
With Luke Fickell off to Wisconsin, it made too much sense for Cincinnati to begin its brand with an experienced P5 leader.
The Bearkats had an underwhelming follow-up in 2022 after playing Alabama in the College Football Playoff the year before the new head coach, new league, and new quarterback.
Satterfield and Jones' connection begins.
It took the former four-star QB recruit three years to work his way up to being the starting QB for the Gators. It took him one season to lose the job as Anthony Richardson quickly became the club leader and pushed Jones to Arizona State.
He was asked not to be a runner in the Sun Devils system, which was detrimental to his dual-threat ability. Meanwhile, Satterfield has welcomed the concept with Malik Cunningham during both's entire tenure with the Cardinals.
Although his arm has been good over his career (64% completion), his legs might be the recipe for Cincinnati to keep up with other Big 12 offenses.
7. Tyler Shough, Texas Tech
As much buzz as the Red Raiders have in 2023, they will go as far as Tyler Shough takes them. He is in a unique position where if Texas Tech meets expectations, he could quickly become a top-three QB in the league.
He has also struggled with staying healthy, playing just 11 games in his two seasons in Lubbock. He hasn't played more than seven games in a season in his career.
It gives off a ton of "make or break" vibes.
He has yet to complete a full season anywhere he has gone, and it creates uncertainty if he will in his final season in college.
The positives for Shough come from the attention around the program. He led the team to rattle off four-straight wins to end the season, including a thrilling win over Oklahoma, where he threw for 436 yards.
He followed it up with over 350 total yards and three touchdowns in a dominant win over Mississippi State in the Texas Bowl.
If he stays healthy, the hype could be real.
6. Blake Shapen, Baylor
Head coach Dave Aranda announced earlier this week that Blake Shapen won the job over Mississippi State transfer Sawyer Robertson.
Contrary to the opinions around the Big 12 community, there is lost memory that Shapen had a Big 12 championship ring with the Bears back in 2021. In relief of injured Gerry Bohannon, the at-the-time freshman completed his first 15 passes and threw three touchdowns in the victory.
Then came the sophomore slump in 2022. He was far from the lone problem for Baylor last season, as a preseason Top-10 ranking snowballed into a bowl loss in their rival's home stadium as that rival was competing in the College Football Playoff.
Shapen threw for 2,790 yards and 18 touchdowns to 10 interceptions in 2022. Far from poor numbers, but a letdown from his 596 yards and five touchdowns to zero turnovers in just 2 ½ games the year prior.
The Bears have reloaded along the offense, returning most of the receiving unit and adding Arkansas wide receiver Ketron Jackson. Freshman breakout back Richard Reese returns and Baylor added experienced running back Dominic Richardson from Oklahoma State.
With another year in the offensive system and a year of growth from his supporting cast, there should be more glimpses of 2021 than 2022 for Shapen.
5. Will Howard, Kansas State
The term "game manager" most often has a negative connotation hovering over it. Although Will Howard may fall into that category, there's no shying away from the production he put into Kansas State that turned a good team into a great one.
It was still being determined how the Wildcats would move forward after Adrian Martinez suffered an injury halfway into the season. Instead of stumbling backward, Howard helped the Wildcats propel their play with a 15-to-4 touchdown-to-turnover margin, leading them to a Big 12 title and Sugar Bowl berth.
At the beginning of his career, turnover problems became a massive hazard. However, in 2022, he nearly silenced those murmurs with a much cleaner seven-game run. He didn't use his legs nearly as much as in his 2020 season, but he didn't need to, with Deuce Vaughn commanding all front-sevens attention.
When Howard was in the game, the K-State offense was progressing at a consistent rate.
Whether he can duplicate that over an entire season with a new cast hinders him from jumping into the top three spots.
4. Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma
Much like Oklahoma's 2022, Dillon Gabriel was not quite as advertised to Sooner fans. Littered with elite passing talent the past eight years, Gabriel was a tier below them all. However, he showed flashes of being among the best quarterbacks in the league.
Even if he was considered worse than the previous handful of quarterbacks, his PFF passing grade for 2022 still signifies a ton of positives to his game.
His 3,000+ yard, 25 touchdown season had highlights, including a 400-yard performance against Kansas and six touchdowns in a shootout against Texas Tech.
His biggest flaw in 2023 was his inconsistent accuracy. Although his 62% completion percentage won't show it, in critical moments, it became prominent.
His worst performance came against TCU when he completed just 42% of his throws and was taken out of the game right before halftime with an injury.
The talent around him is essential, and most of OU's starting talent from last season is off-campus. Running back Eric Gray, wide receiver Marvin Mims and tight end Brayden Willis are off to the NFL, while fellow starting wide receiver Theo Wease transferred to Missouri.
How he handles new faces around him is vital, and if the connection is quick and cleans up accuracy issues, Gabriel has a case to be the top QB in the league.
3. John Rhys Plumlee, UCF
The most intriguing new signal caller to the league is UCF's John Rhys Plumlee. He shined in his first season with Ole Miss in 2019 but was benched the next two seasons and transferred to join Gus Malzahn in Orlando last season.
He made the most of it, with over 2,500 yards through the air, 1,000+ more on the ground and 26 total touchdowns.
Plumlee proved that he could thrive against American conference competition. However, the jump back to Power 5 could be the measuring stick to UCF's success in the league.
While in the SEC, Ole Miss trusted his arm less, completing just 52% of his passes and throwing four touchdowns to three interceptions in 2019. However, the baseball athlete gained confidence in throwing and drastically improved in 2022.
In his first year at Ole Miss, he proved he could hurt defenses in many ways. Duplicating that in the Big 12 will make him one of the most exciting players in the sport.
2. Quinn Ewers, Texas
The biggest flaw in Quinn Ewers' game is his consistency. It was evident throughout his freshman campaign that his completion percentage and turnovers proved to be big problems.
His three-interception game against Oklahoma State or his safety and fumble return for a touchdown against Baylor showed his awareness and decision-making were problematic.
Outside of that, Ewers has all the tools to be the best quarterback in the league and some throws that are already NFL-ready.
He will be accompanied by the best supporting cast in the league, with big-play threat Xavier Worthy and first-round caliber tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders returning.
The Horns will get former Wyoming star Isaiah Neyor back, veteran Jordan Whittington and Georgia transfer AD Mitchell, who suffered a season-ending injury before the 2022 campaign.
His arm talent is there; the receiving talent is there. Ewers has all the tools to be the top quarterback in the league. But many college football fans have heard the hype from Texas and are still waiting for answers. The same could be said with Ewers' consistency.
1. Jalon Daniels, Kansas
Quick, dynamic and an accurate passer. When you combine all three, you get Daniels, who burst onto the college football scene last season alongside his Jayhawk teammates.
Daniels had a chance to redshirt in 2021 and most players would save up their eligibility, especially for a Kansas team that had one win up to that point. Instead, he burned it, threw seven touchdowns, and ran for three more in the final four games.
The success carried over as Daniels quickly threatened any opposing defense. His 66.1% completion percentage ranked among the best in the Big 12, and his 25 total touchdowns ranked third in the league.
To turn a program that has not seen a bowl game in over a decade into one of the most talked about programs in the nation deserves a ton of credit and Daniels proved it last year.
Unfortunately, his season had a bump in it, sustaining a shoulder injury right before halftime against TCU. Daniels would come back over a month later to complete the season and threw for seven touchdowns in their final three games. However, Kansas lost all three.
It cannot be understated how well of a job the offense did last season, but now the pressure is on for an encore. And the light has not been brighter on the senior signal-caller.
The Jayhawks are no longer a pushover. Daniels became one of the most electric players last season and, if fully healthy, has plenty of weapons around him to duplicate results.
For more College Football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.
