Michael Cohen
College Football and College Basketball Writer
RJ Young
FOX Sports National College Football Analyst
The college football season is here. The 2024 season will be an unprecedented one, as so many new implementations will be featured this year.
The College Football Playoff will feature 12 teams for the first time ever, the Big 12 and Big Ten will each have four new teams, and 31 head coaches across FBS will make their debut at a new program.
With such a historic season upon us, FOX Sports college football experts Michael Cohen and RJ Young each ranked their top five quarterbacks ahead of the 2024 season.
Let’s take a look:
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Michael Cohen:
1. Carson Beck, Georgia
As a first-year starter, Beck led the SEC and finished third nationally in passing yards with 3,941. He posted an excellent touchdown-to-interception ratio of 28 to 6 and was charged with fewer turnover-worthy plays (11), per Pro Football Focus, than all but four Power 5 signal-callers: Bo Nix (five), Quinn Ewers (eight), Shedeur Sanders (nine) and Drake Maye (10). He’s among the Heisman Trophy favorites for a reason and the driving force behind Georgia landing at No. 1 in both preseason polls.
2. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
No signal-caller in college football can match Gabriel’s production entering the 2024 campaign. He leads the nation in career starts (49), wins (33), passing yards (14,865) and passing touchdowns (125) after standout performances for UCF and Oklahoma. Now he joins another high-powered offense that helped Nix throw for 4,500 yards and 45 touchdowns last season under the direction of coordinator Will Stein. It should be a perfect fit.
Nine Power 5 quarterbacks were pressured on at least 150 dropbacks last season. Seven of those players threw at least eight interceptions. The others? Eventual No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams of USC (five) and Sanders (three). It was remarkable what Sanders did behind one of the worst offensive lines in college football, a group that surrendered more sacks (56) than all but one FBS school. That Sanders broke a school record by throwing for 3,230 yards speaks to his incredible individual ability.
4. Quinn Ewers, Texas
The former No. 1 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting cycle enjoyed the best season of his career last fall while guiding the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff. Ewers was named second-team All-Big 12 after finishing ninth among Power 5 quarterbacks in passing yards (3,479) and posting 27 total touchdowns (22 passing, five rushing). He should be one of the most productive signal-callers in the country in 2024 despite significant roster turnover at the skill positions.
5. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
A year ago, Dart was one of four FBS players who chipped in at least 30 touchdowns while only committing five or fewer turnovers. He proved himself as a legitimate threat through the air (3,364 yards with 23 touchdowns) and on the ground (391 rushing yards with eight scores) for a unit that ranked among the top 16 nationally in total offense, scoring offense and first downs per game. Transfer portal reinforcements along the offensive line and at the skill positions should keep the Rebels in the CFP hunt.
RJ Young:
1. Quinn Ewers, Texas
In 2023, Ewers completed 69% of his passes for 3,479 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions en route to Texas’ first conference title since 2009 and first CFP appearance. Imagine how good he might be if he played a whole year without injury.
2. Carson Beck, Georgia
Beck completed 72% of his passes for 3,941 yards with 24 touchdowns and six picks in 2023. He was helped by having Brock Bowers at tight end and a stout run-game. But he’s a winner. He’s also got a room full of gunslingers if he falters, including Gunner Stockton, Ryan Puglisi and Jaden Rashada. Value is measured in scarcity as well as production. When you’ve got a bullpen full of men like those behind Beck, that’s called a surplus eager to meet demand.
3. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
If Gabriel passes for 4,353 yards at Oregon this season, he’ll become the NCAA’s all-time leading passer, ahead of former Houston QB Case Keenum (19,217), and in a year when Oregon enters the season as a national title contender. And he beat Texas.
4. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
The clue is in the name. After leaving high school as the National Gatorade Player of the Year, Dart led Ole Miss to its best season in program history with 11 wins in 2023, throwing for over 3,300 yards with 23 touchdowns and just five picks. He is poised to lead the Rebels into a season where expectations have never been higher. At No. 6 in the AP poll, which is the highest preseason ranking Ole Miss has earned since 1970.
5. Cam Ward, Miami (Fla.)
Ward has thrown for at least 3,000 yards in three straight seasons and at least 23 touchdowns in those respective years. He entered the 2024 transfer portal cycle as the best available quarterback in the sport before enrolling at Miami.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast “The Number One College Football Show.” Follow him at @RJ_Young and subscribe to “The RJ Young Show” on YouTube.
Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.
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