Ranking the Pac-12 Quarterbacks

It’s going to be a full-on assault of opposing defenses in the conference of champions next season. The Pac-12 will easily boast the most lethal group of quarterbacks in the country.

A number of the top programs returned their respective starters including the top four schools. Which means Pac-12 DC’s are going to have their hands full.

The conference will be led by the Heisman winner from the 2022-2023 season. With Caleb Williams back for another year (required) at USC, he’ll be the one everyone is gunning for. But will he be able to repeat his Heisman campaign?

Let’s rank the arms in the conference.

1. Caleb Williams (USC) – I don’t really want to, but if I started this list with anyone else at No. 1 it wouldn’t be a fair list. I don’t say I don’t want to because I dislike USC, I just have a hard time getting as excited about Williams as the national media. He had a great year, put up strong numbers, Lincoln Riley is great with quarterbacks. But all that said, it was one of the least inspiring Heisman winners I can recall in quite some time and I have a tough time seeing him repeat.
2. Michael Penix (Wash.) – Well, this list is starting off tough right. First a Trojan, then a Husky. But let’s be real, they are both really good quarterbacks. Not head and shoulders above Bo Nix, but they are probably a slight step above. That’s how we’ll go into the season but there will be plenty of opportunities for the top three to duke it out for supremacy.
3. Bo Nix (Oregon) – It’s crazy to think a guy like Nix that had the season he did isn’t even the best quarterback in his own conference. But it’s no slight to him. It’s just an absolutely loaded year in the Pac-12 with some high-caliber slingers. I could see Nix as an early Heisman dark horse if this offense can come together. He’ll have one of the best WR groups in the conference and a strong backfield.
4. Cam Rising (Utah) – Man this conference is loaded. This is huge for Utah who returns its starting quarterback as well. These four schools look to compete for a conference title this season and all are being led by experienced, talented quarterbacks. It’s almost 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D.
5. Cam Ward (Wazzu) – I really like his game and think Ward will take another step this season. Will Wazzu have the pieces in place to put around him? That’s the million dollar question. He’s losing some valuable pieces up front but I would imagine this first year staff will make improvements.
6. DJ Uiagelelei (Oregon State) – I would rank him lower but he’s got one big thing going for him, Jonathan Smith. His offenses produce, even with converted linebackers running his offense. I expect Smith will do a great job running an offense built around Uiagelelei’s strengths and avoiding his weaknesses.
7. Collin Schlee (UCLA) – I know I’m making an ‘assumption’ about the starting quarterback here and it’s no hate on Dante Moore. But Chip Kelly has never been fond of freshmen quarterbacks and I expect that gives Schlee a leg up. Additionally I have Schlee this high on the list for the same reasons I put Uiagelelei at 6, Chip will scheme it up and showcase his strengths and avoid his weaknesses.
8. Jayden de Laura (Arizona) – If you’re still reading we went from a tier 1 group to a definite tier 2 group. All of which are really close with one another. After Rising, you could argue moving anyone from Ward to de Laura up or down. I like the Arizona offense and the receivers. There’s still a lot of holes but there’s no doubt they have improved.
9. Drew Pyne (ASU) – There is a definite rebuild on deck for ASU and Kenny Dillingham. But his offenses are so quarterback friendly it’s hard to deny his guy won’t put up numbers. Is he the best in the conference? No. But if Dilly can pull in a few more plug-and-play transfers they might just be dangerous enough.
10. Sheduer Sanders (Colorado) – I’m not ready to jump on the Primetime hype train just yet. I’m not trying to be a hater, just a realist. Like Dilly he’s got a ton of work to do with a rebuild in Boulder. I’m sure he’ll get dudes and hit the transfer portal hard. But we’ll see how it goes.
11. Kai Millner (Cal) – If this offense improves following its OC changes, he might surprise people. But we’ll see how that goes.
12. Ari Patu (Stanford) – I will say this now, do not, DO NOT sleep on new head coach Troy Taylor simply because you’ve never heard of him. This was a much-needed infusion for this program which had grown stagnant the last few years.