How do the Big Ten quarterbacks rank? Athlon’s national quarterback ratings are out (and the Big Ten has only one top 20 quarterback)

Kristian Dyer
·7 min read
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Athlon Sports released their ranking of the top quarterbacks in the nation this week. Spoiler alert, Bryce Young is ranked atop the list.

But the always entertaining and informative Athlon Sports list details the top quarterbacks and provides some context as to why each signal-caller is rated as such.

The rankings, of course, are subject to interpretation and flaws. For instance, Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell is one of the most talented players in the country, but with the loss of big-time weapons at wide receiver (such as David Bell), will his production be as good in 2022? And in the case of Rutgers, Athlon ranked redshirt freshman Gavin Wimsatt when it likely will be Noah Vedral who starts at Boston College for the season opener.

The whole article is highly informative and full of information. It is worth the time to sit down and read.

And for context, only three Big Ten quarterback cracks the top 25 of the list.

Check out what Athlon Sports had to say about the top quarterbacks in the nation and how they ranked the Big Ten’s quarterbacks. 

1. C.J. Stroud (Ohio State, No. 2 nationally)

From Athlon Sports: “Stroud doesn’t have any glaring flaws in his game and could be even better in his second year as the starter. Don’t be surprised if he wins the Heisman Trophy this year.”

2. Aidan O'Connell (Purdue, No. 22)

From Athlon Sports: “O’Connell was lethal with his accuracy (71.8 percent, a single-season Purdue record) and posted two 500-yard efforts against Michigan State and Tennessee. He also roasted a talented Iowa defense for 375 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-7 upset and tied with Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud for the most completions of 40-plus yards (15).”

3. Taulia Tagovailoa (Maryland, No. 24 nationally)

From Athlon Sports: “…he seemed to get stronger as the year progressed, throwing for at least 300 yards in four out of the Terrapins’ last six contests – including a 419-yard performance against Indiana in a 38-35 win. “

4. Cade McNamara/J.J. McCarthy (Michigan, No. 27 nationally)

From Athlon Sports: “The combination of McNamara and McCarthy worked well for Michigan’s offense last fall, as the two signal-callers combined to guide coach Jim Harbaugh’s team to the Big Ten title and a trip to the CFB Playoff.”

5. Payton Thorne (Michigan State, No. 37 nationally)

From Athlon Sports: “With Kenneth Walker III off to the NFL, the focal point of Michigan State’s offense is likely to shift more to Thorne’s right arm. And based on the ’21 season, he’s more than ready to handle more of the offensive focus this fall.”

6. Sean Clifford (Penn State, No. 49 nationally)

From Athlon Sports: “The Nittany Lions need Clifford to play better after a disappointing 7-6 finish last season, but not all of what hindered the offense was on the quarterback. Penn State struggled up front (34 sacks allowed), while the ground game managed only 3.2 yards per carry and 96.6 rushing yards in Big Ten contests last fall. “

7. Tanner Morgan (Minnesota, No. 50 nationally)

From Athlon Sports: “The return of Kirk Ciarrocca as play-caller is good news for a Minnesota offense looking to get back on track after a sluggish performance (25.5 points a game) in 2021. With Ciarrocca as the offensive coordinator in ’19, the Golden Gophers ranked third in the Big Ten in scoring (34.1 points a game) and second in yards per play (6.4).”

8. Nebraksa (Casey Thompson, No. 51 nationally)

From Athlon Sports: “Thompson – a transfer from Texas and the son of former Oklahoma quarterback Charles Thompson – left spring as the front-runner to start and should be a good fit for Whipple’s attack.”

9. Graham Mertz (Wisconsin,

From Athlon Sports: “The former four-star prospect is talented, and perhaps the addition of new coordinator Bobby Engram can help the junior show improvement in his third year as the starter.”

10. Connor Bazelak (Indiana, No. 78 nationally)

From Athlon Sports: “As a team, Indiana threw just nine touchdown passes to 15 interceptions and averaged only 5.4 yards per attempt last fall. Bazelak’s arrival should help stabilize the play under center and provide a needed spark for this offense.”

11. Spencer Petras (Iowa, No. 96 nationally)

From Athlon Sports: “Petras did miss two games due to injury but never eclipsed more than 259 passing yards in a game and threw just one touchdown in his last six appearances.”

12. Tommy DeVito (Illinois, No. 97 nationally)

From Athlon Sports: “Talent (a former four-star prospect) and arm strength are two strengths for DeVito. Can he put everything together at Illinois this fall?”

No. 13 Gavin Wimsatt (Rutgers, No. 109 nationally)

From Athlon Sports: “With a full offseason to work under play-caller Sean Gleeson, Wimsatt should be much more comfortable and ready to push for the starting nod. And if he’s not ready to win the job yet, (Noah) Vedral is a more-than-capable option to start in ’22.”

Ryan Hilinski (Northwestern, No. 116 nationally)

From Athlon Sports: “Northwestern averaged only 5.8 yards per attempt for the season and had less than 200 passing yards in five out of the team’s final six games. Hilinski – a transfer from South Carolina – paced the offense with 978 yards in his first season and added three touchdowns to four picks in his first year with the Wildcats.”

Story originally appeared on Rutgers Wire