Any list or ranking done by a human is bound to be somewhat subjective. While I may have a strong opinion about one player being better than another, many of the players on this list have very little to separate them from the man placed a spot higher or lower than they are.

There are also many factors that greatly impact the way we perceive a player, particularly a quarterback. Things like offensive line, offensive system and the quality of the skill position players around him are all critical factors that matter greatly to how successful a quarterback can be.

Taking those things into consideration, we at the Saturday Edge thought it would be a fun and informative offseason exercise to dive into a few different key Big Ten positions and rank them from top to bottom. This is my list and these are my opinions, we’d love to hear what you think so please share your thoughts in the comments section!

 

Trace McSorley – Senior – Penn State

The man on the top of our list has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 28 straight games, that doubles the previous Penn State record (previously held by Kerry Collins) and is the current best in the FBS. He has completed nearly 62 percent of his passes over his career and he is coming off of a junior season that saw McSorley earn second-team All-Big Ten honors. McSorley is a capable runner but he really does his damage with his arm and his decision-making. He led the Big Ten in passing yards per game in 2017 (274.6 yards per game) and will become Penn State’s all-time yardage leader if he stays healthy. The only concerns are in the parts surrounding the quarterback. A new offensive coordinator, inexperienced depth at the receiver and tight end positions and of course, trying to replace the irreplaceable Saquon Barkley will be difficult and it makes McSorley all the more important for PSU’s success in 2018. If the Nittany Lions are Big Ten East contenders (they host Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin so it is possible), McSorley is a Heisman Trophy contender.

 

Brian Lewerke – Junior – Michigan State

Lewerke had a breakout sophomore season and has catapulted himself into number two on our list of Big Ten quarterbacks. I’m a big fan of his game and he has the eyes and attention of opponents and NFL scouts alike heading into his junior season. He started all 13 games in 2017 and was a major component behind the Spartans 10-3 resurgence. He had 3,352 yards of total offense, 2,793 in the air and 559 yards rushing, and had 20 touchdowns to only seven interceptions. For a first-year starter, these were very impressive numbers. Lewerke has great awareness in and out of the pocket and he uses excellent footwork and deceptive quickness to maneuver his way into space to make plays. His completion percentage needs to rise a little bit in his junior season as he was sub-60% in 2017 and I expect the Spartans to trust him a bit more with downfield deep shots. Felton Davis, Darrell Stewart and Cody White form a very good trio at wide receiver and the running back duo of LJ Scott and Connor Heyward are good security blankets in the backfield.

 

Dwayne Haskins – Sophomore – Ohio State

Many will think that ranking Haskins third on this list is way too much trust to put into an unproven and largely untested sophomore with no collegiate starting experience. Those people may end up being correct but I think Haskins will be a star in Columbus, sooner rather than later. Haskins played against Michigan to relieve an injured JT Barrett and he looked the part. He said this spring, “I’m thinking that I’m the guy and until I’m told otherwise, I’m going to keep feeling that way.” Haskins is less of a running threat than Barrett was but his arm is lightyears ahead of the departed Barrett and that asset will be utilized by Kevin Wilson and Ryan Day. While the Buckeyes offense will miss Barrett and his ability to pick up yardage on the ground, they have two excellent backs and can use the vertical passing game to wreak havoc on defenses. Redshirt freshman QB Tate Martell is a terrific athlete, more in the mold of Barrett, but this is Haskins’ job and I think he’ll have a terrific 2018.

 

Shea Patterson – Junior – Michigan

Michigan’s offenses under Jim Harbaugh have not been anything to get particularly excited about and the passing games have been rather uninspiring. For those reasons, and a general lack of faith in the Michigan offensive line, I hesitated to put the Ole Miss transfer in this spot but there is no denying his talent. Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton said of Patterson, “He’s a playmaker. If you watched any of his film, it’s obvious that he can extend plays with his legs and he can make all the throws.” Michigan had only nine touchdown passes from their quarterbacks in 2017 so the bar for improvement is low. Patterson, in a more uptempo and wide-open system at Ole Miss, had 17 touchdown passes in just seven games in 2017.

 

Alex Hornibrook – Junior – Wisconsin

First and foremost, this is mostly a ranking that reflects how good the pieces around Hornibrook are going to be. I think the junior quarterback is a fine player but the biggest reason for optimism in a playoff run in Madison are the guys surrounding Hornibrook. The running game will be excellent and defenses will have to focus on it. The offensive line is terrific and Hornibrook will have plenty of time and space to operate. The receivers are probably the best group the Badgers have had in recent history. Throwing in a clean pocket to guys like Quintez Cephus, A.J. Taylor and Danny Davis against a defense forced to respect the run make a very strong season for Hornibrook very likely. I like Wisconsin quite a bit this season and the offense will be one of the best in the Big Ten. Hornibrook threw 15 interceptions a season ago and he’ll need to cut down on that number but that’s the only question mark on his profile.

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For the purposes of brevity, spots 6-14 will have less written about them. Don’t worry, I’ll touch on every team (and their quarterback situation) throughout the offseason.

 

Nate Stanley – Junior – Iowa

After winning the starting job late in the 2017 offseason, Stanley emerged as a viable starting quarterback for the Hawkeyes. He had 26 touchdown passes and very few turnovers. The offensive line should be pretty good and he has a terrific weapon in tight end Noah Fant. I don’t think the ceiling for Iowa is particularly high but Stanley is one of the better QBs they’ve had recently.

 

Clayton Thorson – Senior – Northwestern

This is obviously contingent on Thorson being healthy after knee surgery in January. He appears to be on track. Thorson is 27-12 as a starter and he has 44 career touchdowns. If he’s 100% healthy, I think the Wildcats are the second best team in the West and Thorson is a top-five quarterback in the Big Ten. Playing Purdue on opening night worries me as I doubt Thorson is quite ready for that but I could very well be wrong. Following his progress and practice reps through fall camp will be critical.

 

David Blough/Elijah Sindelar – Senior/Junior – Purdue

It’s not 100% clear who will be starting for the Boilermakers. The good news is that they have two pretty good options. I lean to Blough as being the starter when they kick off against the Northwestern Wildcats. He’s more mobile than Sindelar and that playmaking ability is an asset.

 

Brandon Dawkins – Senior – Indiana

The graduate transfer from Arizona seems likely to beat out Peyton Ramsey and talented freshman Michael Penix. Dawkins is perhaps the best scrambling quarterback in the Big Ten and he has extensive starting experience before being beaten out by the amazing Khalil Tate. Offensive coordinator Mike DeBord has been successful with a mobile QB before and IU has some really good skill guys at wide receiver plus a veteran O-line that could make this offense dangerous once again.

 

Kasim Hill – Freshman – Maryland

Tyrell Pigrome could get the nod here but I think the more talented and better passer in Kasim Hill wins out. Both looked good last year in brief action before getting injured. I don’t trust Maryland’s offensive line and neither player was able to participate in the spring, hindering development under a new offensive coordinator.

 

Tristan Gebbia/Adrian Martinez – Freshman – Nebraska

It’s unclear which of these freshmen will end up winning the job. Gebbia is known as the better passer but he’s not a statue while Martinez was a highly-regarded dual-threat quarterback that missed his senior season in high school and was headed to Tennessee before Butch Jones’ ouster. Regardless of which player wins the job, there are good pieces at wide receiver and the future is very bright for the offense under the guidance of Scott Frost.

 

Tanner Morgan – RS Freshman – Minnesota

After the poor season from the duo of Demry Croft and Conor Rhoda, PJ Fleck was hoping to turn to either JUCO transfer Vic Viramontes or redshirt freshman Tanner Morgan. However, Viramontes is reportedly transferring back to junior college and switching positions after struggling in Minnesota’s spring practices. That leaves Tanner Morgan as the only real option for the Gophers. He hasn’t played a down at the collegiate level and is a major wildcard for a team that needs some solid production to help balance the offense.

 

Giovanni Rescigno – Senior – Rutgers

Rescigno has never impressed but he hasn’t had much to work with either. That hasn’t really changed and I don’t expect him to hang onto this job long. Rutgers will probably turn to one of Artur Sitkowski, a 6’5” pro-style quarterback, or Jalen Chatman, a dual-threat, to get some hope for the future. Both are freshmen that enrolled early. Jonathan Lewis is now a sophomore and appears likely to transfer after looking awful in his seven starts last season.

 

Cam Thomas – Sophomore – Illinois

Thomas should not be a nailed-down starter as he hasn’t really shown the ability necessary to win games in the Big Ten but he was the only scholarship quarterback with the Illini in the spring. Graduate transfer A.J. Bush and freshman MJ Rivers will be looked at when they arrive for fall camp but there’s not much reason for optimism in Champaign.

There are a lot of quality quarterbacks in the Big Ten and I would be willing to say that all but three teams feel pretty good about the position heading into 2018 and beyond. I’m confident in my list and we’ll see how it plays out throughout the season and how similar I would rank things come January. Share your thoughts and any questions in the comments section.