Top 25 QB rankings entering Week 2 of college football
Week 2 of the 2023 college football season has arrived and plenty of quarterbacks have made a big impact in the small sample size. From the reigning Heisman winner to the leader of an ACC upstart pulling off a Monday night upset, there were plenty of choices as On3 ranked the Top 25 QBs at this point in the calendar.
These are not a projected draft order, but a reflection of how the quarterbacks have performed and stacked up to date. All told, the On3 Top 25 quarterbacks heading in Week 2 features Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman, two Group of 5 quarterbacks, three each from the Big Ten and Big 12, four from the ACC, five from the Pac-12 and seven from the SEC. However, the SEC doesn’t have a single quarterback in the Top 10.
Check out the full Top 25 quarterbacks from On3 as Week 2 arrives.
1. Caleb Williams, USC
The per-game averages for Williams after two games are absurd. He’s thrown for nearly 300 yards per game and 4.5 touchdowns a contest while completing 73.5% of his passes.
He’s done this while still pushing the ball downfield to the array of USC weapons. His nine touchdowns is currently leading the country. The schedule starts to pick up for the Trojans after two laughers to begin the year, with a Sept. 30 contest at Colorado looming.
2. Drake Maye, North Carolina
A pair of interceptions were the only blemish on an otherwise strong showing for Maye as North Carolina cruised to a season-opening win. And he’s done this without North Carolina’s preferred top receiver, Tez Walker.
North Carolina hosts Appalachian State this weekend before welcoming Minnesota the following weekend, two strong opponents for Maye to continue to show his mettle. He and Williams should spend the season in a neck-and-neck race to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
3. Bo Nix, Oregon
Nix was the starting quarterback in a game where Oregon scored 81 points. Puddles, Oregon’s duck mascot, will probably seek alternatives to the hundreds of pushups repped out if Oregon keeps scoring at this rate.
Nix was sharp while playing just about a half of football. He completed 23-of-27 attempts for 287 yards and three touchdowns. A road trip to Texas Tech should provide a great stage this Saturday.
4. Michael Penix Jr., Washington
Much like his Oregon counterpart, Penix lit it up on Saturday but against notably stiffer competition. Welcoming Boise State to Seattle, Penix led a 56-19 blowout.
Penix completed 29-of-40 attempts for 450 yards and five touchdowns. He’s eighth in the country in passing yards, but third among quarterbacks who have played just one game this season.
5. Jordan Travis, Florida State
Keon Coleman stole the show somewhat, but Travis was a star for the Seminoles in a season-opening bashing of LSU. And Travis got it done as a passer and runner.
On top of 342 passing yards and four aerial touchdowns, he rushed for 38 more yards and a score. His five total touchdowns tie him with Penix for No. 6 in the country.
6. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
No quarterback did more for themselves in Week 1 than Sanders, who not only racked up a gaudy stat line but did so while challenging all areas of the field. Sanders showed an ability to place throws to all levels of the field while completing at a high level.
Plus, he set a school record with 510 passing yards in his debut. He’ll face a much tougher test in Week 2 against Nebraska and the 3-3-5 defense, but seems more than up to the challenge.
7. Sam Hartman, Notre Dame
Hartman has been exactly what Notre Dame wanted from the transfer: Cool, calm and lethal from the pocket. The competition hasn’t been overly difficult, but the Notre Dame offense and Hartman have rightly flambeed their pair of opponents.
Notre Dame’s bullying rushing attack has carried them most of the way, but Hartman has been plenty dangerous as a passer when asked. He’s completed more than 80% of his attempts for 445 yards and six touchdowns in two games. A game against North Carolina State will be a big test for Hartman and the Irish passing attack.
8. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
No Jim Harbaugh? No problem — not that East Carolina would’ve posed a massive challenge in any regard. Either way, McCarthy was highly efficient, completing 26-of-30 attempts for 280 yards and three touchdowns.
He wasn’t challenged to throw into many tight windows, but McCarthy was accurate, giving his receivers easy catches and chances to make plays after the reception. His connection with Roman Wilson — who caught all three touchdowns from McCarthy — looks to be strong.
9. Michael Pratt, Tulane
Pratt cooked in Week 1 as Tulane faced a tough South Alabama squad. His final stat line: 14-of-15 passing for 294 yards and four touchdowns.
And he wasn’t feasting on his receivers making plays after the catch — he went 4-for-4 on deep throws for three touchdowns. He’ll have a big stage for NFL evaluators as Tulane faces Ole Miss this Saturday.
10. Quinn Ewers, Texas
Ewers didn’t look spectacular against Rice, but was effective nonetheless. The clear area for improvement: Getting in sync with his receivers on deep balls, as Texas came up empty on Saturday.
Even still, Ewers strong arm and field vision helped him dominate in the intermediate passing game. He finished completed 63.6% of his passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns. He’ll be put under the microscope on Saturday night in a primetime showdown with Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
Quarterbacks 11 to 25
11. Joe Milton, Tennessee
12. Drew Allar, Penn State
13. Jayden Daniels, LSU
14. KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
15. Devin Leary, Kentucky
16. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
17. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
18. Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma
19. Riley Leonard, Duke
20. Will Howard, Kansas State
21. DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon State
22. Will Rogers, Mississippi State
23. Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
24. Cade Klubnik, Clemson
25. Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina
A handful of players who might end up in the Top 25 are just missing the cut as they’ve been injured to start the year, like Kansas’ Jalon Daniels or Utah’s Cam Rising. Strong performances from some SEC debutants as potential full-time starters — Jalen Milroe for Alabama, Carson Beck for Georgia, Connor Weigman for Texas A&M — have them on the fringe of Top 25 territory. All three, and many others, could easily climb into the rankings with strong performances down the line.