Quarterback Rankings

[MeanGreen61]

Scroll way, way, way down to find the Mean Green.

Ranking the Division I-A QBs: 1 through 119

BY MIKE HUGUENIN

The Orlando Sentinel

(KRT) - This ranking is not meant to be a comparison of talent levels. Rather, the rankings are an objective opinion (i.e., guess) of how each of these guys will produce in his offense. Also taken into account is how the quarterbacks fit in their offense, the experience level of the quarterbacks and how comfortable coaches should be entering the season with their quarterbacks.

Team = Starter, backup = The buzz

1. USC = Matt Leinart, John David Booty = Leinart trying to become 2nd player to win 2 Heismans.

2. Bowling Green = Omar Jacobs, Anthony Turner = Jacobs was signed by Urban Meyer at BG.

3. Texas A&M = Reggie McNeal, Ty Branyon = McNeal a big-time dual threat for Aggies.

4. Iowa = Drew Tate, Jason Manson = If Tate gets some help from his running game this season . . .

5. Texas = Vince Young, Matt Nordgren = Young a magician with the ball in his hands, but his passing is suspect.

6. Toledo = Bruce Gradkowski, Clint Cochran = Gradkowski has back-to-back seasons with 70 percent completion rate.

7. Pittsburgh = Tyler Palko, Bill Stull = Palko flourished last season, but will Dave Wannstedt curtail him?

8. Florida = Chris Leak, Josh Portis = Can Leak handle the running he's going to have to do in new offense?

9. Missouri = Brad Smith, Brandon Coleman = Smith needs to rebound from miserable junior season.

10. Tennessee = Erik Ainge, Rick Clausen = Ainge has great potential, but coaches also like Clausen.

11. Michigan = Chad Henne, Matt Gutierrez = Henne could be on way to becoming an All-American.

12. Michigan State = Drew Stanton, Brian Hoyer = Stanton a big-time athlete who simply makes plays.

13. Clemson = Charlie Whitehurst, Will Proctor = Whitehurst will benefit from new offensive coordinator Rob Spence.

14. Louisville = Brian Brohm, Hunter Cantwell = Brohm a sophomore who should put up huge numbers.

15. UAB = Darrell Hackney, Chris Williams = Hackney has a cannon for an arm and also can tuck and run.

16. Eastern Michigan = Matt Bohnet, Tyler Jones = Bohnet a perfect_and productive_fit in Eagles' spready offense.

17. Fresno State = Paul Pinegar, Tom Brandstater = Pinegar is heading into 4th season as starter.

18. Oregon = Kellen Clemens, Dennis Dixon = New offensive coordinator Gary Crowton should be big boon for Clemens.

19. Virginia Tech = Marcus Vick, Sean Glennon = If this Vick keeps his head on straight, Hokies can win it all.

20. Arizona State = Sam Keller, Rudy Carpenter = Keller will slide nicely into starting spot vacated by Andrew Walter.

21. Boise State = Jared Zabransky, Taylor Tharp = Boise trying to lead nation in scoring for 3rd time in 4 years.

22. Vanderbilt = Jay Cutler, Chris Nickson = Cutler suffers from having less-than-stellar help.

23. Notre Dame = Brady Quinn, David Wolke = Charlie Weis' arrival will be huge boost for Quinn.

24. Alabama = Brodie Croyle, John Parker Wilson = Croyle is a good one_when he is healthy.

25. Houston = Kevin Kolb, Kendal Briles = Kolb has started since he set foot on campus in `03.

26. Miami (Ohio) = Josh Betts, Mike Kokal = Betts stepped in nicely in replacing Ben Roethlisberger last season.

27. Iowa State = Bret Meyer, Terrance Highsmith = Meyer is a star on the rise, but his backup is converted WR.

28. UTEP = Jordan Palmer, Orlando Cruz = Palmer flourished in Coach Mike Price's offense.

29. Tulane = Lester Ricard, Scott Elliott = Ricard, who began his career at LSU, has a big-time arm.

30. Georgia Tech = Reggie Ball, Taylor Bennett = Ball has been both real good and real bad in his first two seasons.

31. California = Joseph Ayoob, Nathan Longshore = Trust us: Cal Coach Jeff Tedford will work his magic with these guys.

32. Texas Tech = Cody Hodges, Graham Harrell = Trust us: Tech Coach Mike Leach will work his magic with these guys.

33. Boston College = Quinton Porter, Matt Ryan = Porter started in 2003, then redshirted last season.

34. Purdue = Brandon Kirsch, Curtis Painter = Kirsch adds an element of danger (good and bad) to Boilers' offense.

35. Virginia = Marques Hagan, Christian Olsen = Hagan is limited but gets most out of his abilities.

36. Colorado State = Justin Holland, Caleb Hanie = If Holland is healthy, he'll have a big season.

37. Oklahoma = Paul Thompson, Rhett Bomar = Bomar is the QB of the future for the Sooners.

38. LSU = JaMarcus Russell, Matt Flynn = Russell has all the tools but must develop consistency.

39. Miami = Kyle Wright, Kirby Freeman = Wright has less experience than any UM starter since Steve Walsh in `87.

40. Air Force = Shaun Carney, Adam Fitch = Carney, a sophomore, could end up with a ton of school records.

41. UCLA = Drew Olson or Ben Olson = Drew is coming off a knee injury. Ben looks like a future star.

42. Ohio State = Troy Smith, Justin Zwick = Smith has been suspended and will miss the opener.

43. Northwestern = Brett Basanez, C.J. Bacher = Basanez a nice fit in Wildcats' version of the spread but needs more help.

44. BYU = John Beck, Matt Berry = Cougars have been plagued by mediocre QB play the past 2 seasons.

45. Oklahoma St. = Donovan Woods, Bobby Reid = Woods was OK last season, but Reid may be better long-term answer.

46. Washington St. = Alex Brink, Josh Swogger = Both have talent, but they combined to complete 48.6 percent of their passes.

47. Georgia = D.J. Shockley, Joe Tereshinski III = Shockley, a 5th-year senior, finally has the No. 1 job.

48. Auburn = Brandon Cox, Blake Field = Cox has attempted 34 passes. On bright side, he's huge Johnny Cash fan.

49. Wyoming = Corey Bramlett, Jacob Doss = Bramlet threw more picks (13) than TDs (12) last season.

50. Maryland = Sam Hollenbach, Joel Statham = Terps' QB play was, to be kind, horrible last season.

51. Florida State = Drew Weatherford, Xavier Lee = There could be a QB controversy a brewin' in Tallahassee.

52. Nevada = Jeff Rowe, Travis Moore = Rowe should throw 20-plus TD passes this season.

53. La.-Lafayette = Jerry Babb, Michael Desormeaux = Babb, a good athlete, was the Ragin' Cajuns' leading rusher last season.

54. Stanford = Trent Edwards or T.C. Ostrander = Walt Harris will get these guys to realize their potential.

55. Utah = Brian Johnson, Brett Ratliff = How far will the Utes fall without Alex Smith?

56. Colorado = Joel Klatt, James Cox = Klatt led Buffs to Big 12 North title last season.

57. La.-Monroe = Steven Jyles, Kinsmon Lancaster = Jyles accounted for 20 TDs_including 8 rushing_last season.

58. Minnesota = Bryan Cupito, Mike Maciejowski = Cupito will hand off a lot. That's good because his passing is so-so.

59. Central Michigan = Kent Smith, Grant Arnoldink = A 20-TD season is a legitimate goal for Smith.

60. Middle Tennessee = Clint Marks, Josh Harris = Marks had 70.1 percent completion rate but had 14 TDs and 14 picks last season.

61. South Carolina = Blake Mitchell, Antonio Heffner = Mitchell will be throwing it a lot in Steve Spurrier's offense.

62. TCU = Tye Gunn, Chad Huffman = Gunn has missed 17 games the past 3 years because of injuries.

63. Western Michigan = Ryan Cubit, Robbie Haas = Cubit is the only starter on this list whose dad is his coach

64. NC State = Jay Davis, Marcus Stone = These guys struggled mightily all last season.

65. New Mexico = Kole McKamey, Chris Nelson = McKamey is a good athlete who must get better as a passer.

66. Oregon State = Matt Moore, Ryan Gunderson = Moore, who began his career at UCLA, is the likely starter.

67. Nebraska = Zac Taylor, Joe Ganz = Taylor is a JC transfer who must come through for the Huskers.

68. Penn State = Michael Robinson, Anthony Morelli = Nittany Lions need to start Morelli and move Robinson to WR.

69. Wisconsin = John Stocco, Tyler Donovan = Wisconsin wants to throw more, but is Stocco the right guy?

70. Southern Miss = Dustin Almond, Jeremy Young = Almond, a 3-year starter, remains way too inconsistent.

71. Rutgers = Ryan Hart, Mike Teel = Hart will set all sorts of school records, but his inconsistency is maddening.

72. Wake Forest = Ben Mauk, Cory Randolph = Mauk has a nice arm and needs to be allowed to use it.

73. Kansas = Adam Barmann, Brian Luke = If Barmann develops some consistency, big things could happen.

74. Kansas State = Allen Webb, Dylan Meier = Webb the better runner, Meier the better passer.

75. UCF = Steven Moffett, Kyle Israel = Moffett has not won a college game he has started (0-15).

76. Arizona = Richard Kovalcheck, Adam Austin = Wildcats hope to open up the offense this season.

77. Arkansas = Robert Johnson, Alex Mortensen = The backup is the son of ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

78. New Mexico St. = Royal Gill, Joey Vincent = Gill, a JC transfer, will fling it often in Hal Mumme's offense.

79. Mississippi = Micheal Spurlock, Robert Lane = Ole Miss got mediocre QB play last season. And the same 3 guys return.

80. Northern Illinois = Phil Horvath, Britt Davis = Horvath did nice work in 3 starts last season.

81. West Virginia = Pat White or Adam Bednarik = White more mobile than Bednarik, who is a pocket-passer type

82. Mississippi State = Omarr Conner, Mike Henig = Conner will be asked to do more this season. Can he do it?

83. Washington = Isaiah Stanback or Johnny DuRocher = Options at QB not that good for new Coach Tyrone Willingham.

84. San Diego State = Kevin O'Connell, Darren Mougey = Aztecs desperately need someone to produce at QB.

85. Rice = Joel Armstrong, Chance Clement = Armstrong a tough little runner. As a passer? No comment.

86. Baylor = Shawn Bell, Terrance Parks = Bell, a junior, has faced a ranked opponent in four of his five career starts.

87. East Carolina = James Pinkney, Rob Kass = Pinkney is athletic and has a nice arm but is way too inconsistent.

88. Duke = Mike Schneider, Curt Dukes = Hope is that new coordinator (Bill O'Brien) gets offense rolling.

89. Navy = Lamar Owens, Brian Hampton = Owens is a senior but will be in 1st season as starter.

90. Hawaii = Tyler Graunke, Colt Brennan = Neither has taken a snap in a college game.

91. Kentucky = Andre Woodson, Joe Joe Brown = Woodson has good size and intriguing skills, but does he have any help?

92. Akron = Luke Getsy, John Ferguson = Getsy transferred from Pitt, where Zips Coach J.D. Brookhart came from.

93. North Carolina = Matt Baker, Joey Bozich = Baker finally gets starting job as 5th-year senior.

94. Louisiana Tech = Matt Kubik, Donald Allen = Kubik already has a finance degree and is in grad school.

95. Memphis = Patrick Byrne, Will Hudgens = Byrne has started before_as the Tigers' kickoff specialist.

96. UNLV = Shane Steichen, Jarrod Jackson = Jackson, a JC transfer, may end up with the No. 1 job.

97. Illinois = Tim Brasic, Chris Pazan = Brasic, a junior, has thrown one pass in his college career.

98. Syracuse = Perry Patterson, Joe Fields = Option QBs running the West Coast offense? Yikes.

99. Marshall = Jimmy Skinner, Bernard Morris = Skinner, a junior, has thrown 4 passes in his career.

100. Connecticut = Matt Bonislawski, D.J. Hernandez = Dropoff from Dan Orlovsky is going to be a big one.

101. Ball State = Joey Lynch, Cole Stinson = Lynch's dad (Bill) is offensive coordinator at Indiana.

102. Indiana = Blake Powers, Graeme McFarland = Powers struggled in limited action last season (9-of-22).

103. Cincinnati = Dustin Grutza, Nick Davila = Neither has taken a snap in a college game.

104. Temple = Mike McGann, Colin Clancy = McGann started in `02 and `03 but redshirted last season.

105. Kent State = Michael Machen, Tom Sitko = Machen is a former minor-league baseball player.

106. Army = Zac Dahman, David Pevoto = Dahman, a senior, already has school record for completions and attempts.

107. Arkansas State = Nick Noce, Travis Hewitt = Noce has some skills but makes too many bad decisions.

108. Idaho = Michael Harrington or Steven Wichman = Harrington is Joey's younger brother.

109. SMU = Tony Eckert, Jarad Romo = Eckert's the better passer, Romo the better runner.

110. Utah State = Leon Jackson III, Bryan Black = Jackson's athletic ability could lead to great things.

111. Ohio U. = Austen Everson, Mark Petruziello = Everson will be running his 3rd scheme in as many seasons.

112. Tulsa = Paul Smith, David Johnson = Plain names, but do they have plain games?

113. FAU = Danny Embick, McKinson Soverain = Embick, a 5th-year senior, began his career at West Virginia.

114. USF = Pat Julmiste or Courtney Denson = Unless USF gets competent QB play, it's going to struggle again.

115. FIU = Josh Padrick, David Tabor = Padrick has some nice receivers with which to work.

116. San Jose State = Adam Tafralis, J.P. Greco = Tafralis' dad was an Olympic shot putter.

117. Troy = Carl Meadows, Caleb Callahan = Trojans' offense was bad last season, and it could be worse this season.

118. North Texas = Daniel Meager or Matt Phillips = Neither has taken a snap in a college game.

119. Buffalo = Stewart Sampsel, Tony Paoli = Bulls threw 5 TD passes last season.

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[MeanGreenBuzz]

Wow, that pretty bad, but there is more talent in Meager and Phillips than people give them credit for. Passing will be ranked in the 50s by the end of the season.

[GreenBat]

This ranking is not meant to be a comparison of talent levels. Rather, the rankings are an objective opinion (i.e., guess) of how each of these guys will produce in his offense.

Who is MIKE HUGUENIN? And how many of these QBs has he seen play either live or on TV or even a film.

It's a no brainer that Leinart and Jacobs are the top ranked guys. The rest of the rankings are a crap shoot.

DD will find the right man to Drive the Buick and he will be one of the best QB's in the Sunbelt.

[eppy4life]

wow this is sad for north texas to ever be ranked by anyone that low. quinn and muzzy will make meager look decent in his freshman year. in 3 years we will be talking about meager like we've never talked about the great scott hall.