Over half of the 16 schools in the Big 12 Conference return their starting quarterback in 2024 — a group with multiple teams that could play their way into the new, 12-team College Football Playoff.
Here’s every starting quarterback in the Big 12 in 2024 (some light speculation involved for Baylor and Byu), ranked from Nos. 1-16:
1. Shedeur Sanders, Jr., Colorado
Sanders could have been a top five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft but NIL riches and the desire to play for an NFL team in a warm climate brought him back. There’s also the part where he probably needed to come back to save his dad’s job.
2. Avery Johnson, Soph., Kansas State
It says a lot that Kansas State felt confident enough in Johnson’s abilities they let 2023 starter Will Howard leave for NIL riches at Ohio State. It’s because Johnson could be the next Jayden Daniels.
3. Noah Fifita, Soph., Arizona
Arizona made Fifita the starter for the last nine games of 2023 and he went 7-2 and played on a level that projects to a Heisman Trophy finalist in a complete season. Fifita will be out of his comfort zone playing in the Big 12 for the first time — he’s a California native — but talent will win out.
4. Rocco Becht, Soph., Iowa State
Becht is one of 19 starters who return for the Cyclones after he won Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2023. Becht threw for 3,210 yards, 23 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Iowa State went 6-3 in the Big 12 with Becht in 2023 — no small task.
5. K.J. Jefferson, Sr., UCF
Jefferson is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the country with 39 starts over the last five seasons at Arkansas, where he holds almost every significant quarterback record and spent the last three seasons ast the full-time starter. UCF struggled to a 3-6 record in its first year in the Big 12 in 2023 but if Jefferson can get back to being one of the nation’s best dual-threat quarterbacks he could turn that around under head coach Gus Malzahn.
6. Cam Rising, Sr., Utah
Rising was one of the nation’s most electrifying quarterbacks in 2022 but missed all of 2023 with a knee injury. He’s in his seventh college season but his gung-ho style of play might be curbed a little bit by the injuries.
7. Garrett Greene, Sr., West Virginia
We put Greene behind Utah’s Cam Rising on purpose. He’s a player who reminds us a lot of how Rising played when he was healthy. Greene is undersized at 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, but he’s fearless and he had 3,178 yards of total offense and 29 total touchdowns — 16 passing and 13 rushing.
8. Jalon Daniels, Jr., Kansas
It’s tough to put much faith in Daniels lasting an entire season for the Jayhawks after he missed four games with injury in 2022 and all but three games in 2023 with a back injury. Seems bound to get hurt again.
9. Behren Morton, Jr., Texas Tech
Morton sure seems like a winner. He went 6-2 in eight starts in 2023, including Offensive MVP honors in the Independence Bowl win over Cal. His connection with true freshman wide receiver Micah Hudson, one of the top recruits in Texas Tech history, could define the season for the Red Raiders.
10. Alan Bowman, Sr., Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State has 21 starters back including Bowman, who is in his seventh season of college football and on his third college after previous stops at Texas Tech, where he was a starter, and Michigan, where he wasn’t. If the Cowboys win big in 2024 it will be because Bowman was an adept game manager — the offense runs through Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon II.
11. Josh Hoover, Soph., TCU
Hoover started the final six games for TCU in 2023 and went 2-4, which probably isn’t a big enough sample size to judge him off of. Hoover is capable of putting up big numbers and threw for over 300 yards five times in six games but also threw 7 interceptions. Not good.
12. DeQuan Finn, Sr., Baylor
Finn was a two-time All-MAC selection at Toledo and was MAC Player of the Year in 2023 after leading the Rockets to an 11-2 record. Finn is in his sixth season of college football and has continued to get better as a passer each year — he’s rushed for over 500 yards each of the last three seasons and had 3,220 yards of total offense and 29 touchdowns in 2023, with 22 passing and 7 rushing.
13. Donovan Smith, Sr., Houston
Smith went 4-8 as Houston’s starter in 2023, which included 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. He’s the best option for first-year head coach Willie Fritz until he starts to bring in his own recruits but could have a career year if he does exactly what Fritz tells him to do — otherwise it could be a long year.
14. Gerry Bohanon, Sr., BYU
What a miserable quarterback scenario for BYU. Bohanon is at his third school following stints at Baylor and USF and has one good season under his belt at Baylor in 2022.
15. Sam Leavitt, Fr., Arizona State
Leavitt is an unknown commodity — he transferred in from Michigan State — and Arizona State could finish in last place in its first year in the Big 12.
16. Brendan Sorsby, Soph., Cincinnati
Sorsby went 1-6 as a starter at Indiana in 2023 and transferred to Cincinnati. Doesn’t inspire much confidence.
