Oklahoma and Texas are entering their final season in the Big 12 before leaving for the SEC. The Big 12 also is welcoming BYU, UCF and Cincinnati this season.
The quarterbacks for those five teams create some of the most-interesting storylines for the 2023 Big 12 season.
Texas' Quinn Ewers and Oklahoma's Dillon Gabriel are the two players with the best Heisman Trophy odds in the conference, but they have to hold off the hype on talented five-star freshman Arch Manning and Jackson Arnold.
What about the newcomers? BYU and Cincinnati have a pair of sixth-year quarterbacks in Kedon Slovis and Emory Jones, respectively, and UCF two-sport star John Rhys Plumlee is back for another year. How will those quarterbacks adjust to the Big 12? Will the conference produce another Heisman finalist at quarterback out of nowhere like TCU's Max Duggan last season? Who has the best and worst situations going into 2023?
RANKING QB SITUATIONS: Big Ten | SEC | ACC
Sporting News ranks the quarterback situations at all 14 Big 12 schools heading into the summer:
Big 12 quarterbacks for 2023
1. Oklahoma
Starter: Dillon Gabriel, senior (37 career starts -12 at Oklahoma, 25 at UCF)
Backup: Jackson Arnold, freshman
Situation heading into the fall: Gabriel is back for his second season as a starter in what needs to be a bounce-back year for Brent Venables. The UCF transfer had 3,168 passing yards, 25 TDs and six interceptions, and he added 315 rushing yards and six TDs. Gabriel was 6-6 as the starter last season, and there will be calls to see Arnold, a five-star freshman from Guyer High School in Denton, Texas. Arnold had 67 TDs and eight interceptions his last three high school seasons. Oklahoma's schedule is set up for a fast start, but there will be more scrutiny on Venables in the Big 12 farewell tour. It will be interesting to see how he manages these two talented quarterbacks.
MORE: Georgia, Michigan lead SN's post-spring Top 25
2. Texas
Starter: Quinn Ewers, junior (10 career starts at Texas)
Backup: Arch Manning, freshman
Situation heading into the fall: Chances are you've heard of these two five-star quarterbacks. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian named Ewers the starter after a strong showing at the spring game. It's Ewers' second year in the system, and he should improve considering the supporting cast that includes Xavier Worthy, A.D. Mitchell and Ja'Tavion Sanders. He has one of the strongest arms in college football, but he needs to improve on a 34.1% completion percentage on passes of 20 yards or more. Manning alternated series with Maalik Murphy in the spring game, and that competition for the backup spot will spill over into the fall. Remember how Ewers looked against Alabama before exiting with a shoulder injury last season? The sequel on Sept. 9 will be interesting.
BENDER: With Ewers at QB1, Texas poised for monster season
3. Kansas
Starter: Jalon Daniels, senior (18 career starts at Kansas)
Backup: Jason Bean, senior
Situation heading into the fall: Lance Leipold has a quality quarterback room with Daniels and Bean. Daniels led Kansas to a 5-0 start before suffering an injury to his throwing shoulder last season. Bean proved a capable backup in his absence. They combined for 32 TDs and eight interceptions, and Daniels put on a show at the 55-53 victory against Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl with 554 passing yards and five TDs. Daniels is an experienced playmaker, and he has the most starts at his school of any returning quarterback in the conference. Watch out for the Jayhawks.
4. Kansas State
Starter: Will Howard, senior (16 career starts at Kansas State)
Backup: Jake Rubley, sophomore
Situation heading into the fall: Adrian Martinez's injury allowed Howard to retake the starting job last season. Howard responded by leading the Wildcats to a Big 12 championship and Sugar Bowl appearance. Howard passed for 15 TDs and four interceptions, but his 56.6% career completion percentage needs to improve. Howard did have multiple TD passes in every game except Alabama last season, and another year with offensive coordinator Collin Klein will add to the skill set. Rubley, who appeared in four games last season, is the most-logical choice as a backup.
5. UCF
Starter: John Rhys Plumlee, senior (21 career starts - 13 at UCF, 8 at Ole Miss)
Backup: Timmy McClain, sophomore
Situation heading into the fall: Plumlee's return is huge for the Knights in their transition to the Big 12. The veteran quarterback totaled 2,586 passing yards, 14 TDs and added 862 rushing yards and 11 TDs. He's a fit in Gus Malzhan's offense, and that helped the Knights average 32.9 points per game last year. Plumlee ranked eighth in the AAC in passing efficiency at 134.5 last season. That's a number that will have to improve in the Big 12. Sophomore Timmy McClain – a South Florida transfer – is an experienced backup. He played in 11 games for the Bulls as a freshman and passed for 1,888 yards, five TDs and seven interceptions.
6. Texas Tech
Starter: Tyler Shough, senior (16 career starts - 9 at Texas Tech, 7 at Oregon)
Backup: Behren Morton, sophomore
Situation heading into the fall: Shough, is a sixth-year quarterback who spent three seasons at Oregon. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound quarterback has shown flashes of NFL potential, and he's 9-0 as a starter the last two seasons. He suffered a broken collarbone in 2021 and dealt with a shoulder injury last season. That has limited the production. Shough closed last season strong. He had 436 passing yards in the regular-season finale against Oklahoma before leading the Red Raiders to a victory over Ole Miss in the Texas Bowl. If Shough stays healthy, Texas Tech will be an intriguing Big 12 sleeper.
7. Baylor
Starter: Blake Shapen, junior (15 career starts at Baylor)
Backup: Sawyer Robertson, redshirt sophomore; RJ Martinez, junior
Situation heading into the fall: Shapen started last season. He had 18 TDs and 10 interceptions, but the Bears finished 6-7. Shapen endured rough performances in the regular-season finale against Texas and Air Force in the Lockheed Armed Forces Bowl, but he did complete 70% of his attempts against TCU and Oklahoma State. He's the best option in the room, even if Robertson – a Mississippi State transfer – could be interesting if Shapen struggles early in the season. This is Shapen's third year with offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, and that should lead to more efficiency.
8. Iowa State
Starter: Hunter Dekkers, junior (12 career starts at Iowa State)
Backup: Rocco Becht, freshman
Situation heading into the fall: Matt Campbell has a stable quarterback room that he continues to develop in house. Dekkers inherited the role left by Brock Purdy in 2022. Dekkers returns for his second season as the starter. He finished third in the Big 12 with 3,044 passing yards, and that came with 19 TDs and 14 interceptions. Dekkers was 0-4 against ranked teams last season, and he averaged 224 passing yards per game with five TDs and four interceptions in those games. Dekkers will need to improve in those situations, but it's worth knowing he maintained a 66.1% completion percentage. Becht saw action in three games last season and is a reliable backup.
9. TCU
Starter: Chandler Morris, sophomore (1 career start at TCU)
Backup: Josh Hoover, freshman
Situation heading into the fall: Morris won the starting job over Max Duggan in fall camp last season before suffering a MCL injury in the opener against Colorado. Duggan re-emerged as a Heisman Trophy finalist and led TCU to a dream run to the CFP championship game in Sonny Dykes' first season. Morris, a fourth-year player who transferred from Oklahoma after two seasons, has played well in limited action. That extra year with Dykes should help, and the Horned Frogs do have enough skill-position talent around him to make another run. Hoover is the best bet among the backups, and three-star quarterback Hauss Hejny will arrive in the class of 2024. This is Morris' time to prove it.
10. BYU
Starter: Kedon Slovis, senior (37 career starts - 26 at USC, 11 at Pitt)
Backup: Jake Retzlaff, junior
Situation heading into the fall: Jaren Hall had 51 TDs and 11 interceptions the last two years for the Cougars, and he was drafted in the fifth round by the Minnesota Vikings. Slovis played 38 games between three seasons at USC and one year at Pitt, but he's yet to re-capture the 2019 form of a season in which he had 30 TDs and nine interceptions. Still, BYU coach Kalani Sitake is going with a veteran who has a 23-14 record as a starter. Retzlaff is a junior college transfer that adds depth at the position.
MORE: Why the CFP schedule for 2024 will be a failure
11. Cincinnati
Starter: Emory Jones, senior (19 career starts - 12 at Florida, 7 at Arizona State)
Backup: Evan Prater, junior
Situation heading into the fall: First-year coach Scott Satterfield had an interesting situation in spring practice with Ben Bryant, who played in 11 games last season and had 21 TDs and seven interceptions. Bryant transferred to Northwestern, however. With Bryant out, Arizona State transfer Emory Jones will start for the Bearcats. Jones is 7-12 the last two seasons between stops at Florida and Arizona State, and this will be his sixth season. That experience could help Satterfield make the transition from Louisville. Prater, a four-star recruiting from Wyoming High School in Cincinnati, remains the backup.
12. Oklahoma State
Starter: Alan Bowman, senior (16 career starts at Texas Tech)
Backup: Garret Rangel, freshman; Gunnar Gundy, sophomore; Zane Flores, freshman
Situation heading into the fall: With Spencer Sanders transferring to Ole Miss, this might be the most wide-open battle in the Big 12. Bowman, a sixth-year player, put up 5,260 yards, 33 TDs and 17 interceptions at Texas Tech from 2018-20 before spending the last two seasons at Michigan. That past experience in the Big 12 could give him an edge, but the other options are there for longtime coach Mike Gundy. Rangel started in three games last season, Gunnar Gundy rotated in with the first team in spring practice, and Flores is a promising freshman. This is an anything-goes year, but Bowman and Rangel might take this up to the opener against Central Arkansas on Sept. 2.
13. Houston
Starter: Lucas Coley, sophomore (0 career starts) or Donovan Smith, junior (8 career starts at Texas Tech)
Situation heading into the fall: Dana Holgorsen has a wide open position battle in looking for the successor for Clayton Tune, who was selected in the fifth round by the Arizona Cardinals. According to the Houston Chronicle, this is a "50-50" battle. Coley, an Arkansas transfer, has one year in the program and made three passing attempts in three games last season. Smith, a Texas Tech transfer, has played in 21 games in the Big 12 the last two seasons. He has a good completion percentage (64.2%) with 19 TDs and 10 interceptions. Fall camp should be interesting, but both quarterbacks could see time in a tricky opener against UTSA on Sept. 2.
14. West Virginia
Starter: Garrett Greene, junior (2 starts at West Virginia)
Backup: Nicco Marchiol, redshirt freshman
Situation heading into the fall: JT Daniels was the starter for the Mountaineers last season, but this year the competition for Neal Brown comes down to some in-house options. Greene is in his fourth year with the program, and he made two starts last season. Marchiol replaced an injured Greene in the regular-season finale. Greene and Marchiol combined for a 51.6% completion percentage last season – and it's possible both see time in the regular-season opener against Penn State. Brown is 22-25 in four seasons, so it's a bit of a surprise the Mountaineers didn't entertain a transfer option. That is at least a measure in the options available, and we're betting Greene starts against the Nittany Lions.
