In the 2018 season, Dwayne Haskins dominated the Big Ten Conference, while everyone else was just trying to catch up to the Ohio State quarterback. With Haskins, McSorley of Penn State, and Thorson of Northwestern, all being taken in the 2019 draft, this gives these schools the chance to find their next star QB. While a lot of these Big Ten teams certainly have questions about their QB situations, there is definitely no shortage of potential talent. Here we rank these QB’s, based on what we know before the start of the 2019 season.
14. Matt Fink- Illinois
With a new coaching staff and many unanswered questions at Illinois, there is no certainty who the starting quarterback for the Fighting Illni will be. Matt Fink, a former USC quarterback, and Brandon Peters, a former Michigan quarterback, will add some experience and depth to an already inexperienced quarterback group. Until the season comes full circle, it’s hard to give an accurate depiction on who or how the quarterbacks will perform for the Fighting Illni.
13. Artur Sitkowski- Rutgers
While Rutgers have a quarterback with experience, it was anything but pretty last season. Sitkowski, a sophomore quarterback from Old Bridge, NJ, had a 2018 season that he would like to leave behind him, completing only 49.1% of his passes, throwing for 4 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. Rutgers backup QB, Austin Albericci, is a red-shirt freshman, who received no play time last year. The Rutgers coaching staff hopes to see a large jump from their quarterbacks in the 2019 season.
12. Zack Annexstad- Minnesota
Minnesota believes they have a young man with a bright future at quarterback. Annexstad played only 7 games of the 2018 season after suffering an internal, midsection injury during the game at Nebraska. During those 7 games, he threw for nearly 1300 yards, 9 TD’s, and 7 interceptions. Far from a solid outcome, but there is much to be optimistic about for this young prospect, whose most efficient game came against Ohio State last season. If Annexstad can complete more passes, he will certainly have a bright 2019 season with the Gophers.
11. Jack Coan- Wisconsin
Wisconsin will have some good quarterback competition to begin the 2019 season. So far, the fan favorite is the 4 star prospect, Graham Mertz, from Mission, Kansas. However, Coan has the experience leading the Badgers offense, so he may receive the early nod to start the season. Coan only played 5 games last year as a backup, racking up only 5 TD’s and 3 interceptions. Both have great potential, but it’s still too early to see who the starting quarterback will be.
10. Sean Clifford- Penn State
Clifford definitely has some big shoes to fill, taking the role after Trace McSorley set such high standards at Penn State. While not being as mobile as McSorley was, Clifford is capable of leaving the pocket and making an accurate throw on the run. Clifford has had such little playing time, which ultimately keeps him from being higher up on this list. However, this is the year Clifford could show the Big Ten he deserves to have his name recognized as one of the best in the conference.
9. Hunter Johnson- Northwestern
This former 5 star Clemson quarterback, who played behind Kelly Bryant, is looking to help Northwestern repeat as west division champions and get back to a conference championship. Despite having only a handful of chances to play at Clemson, Johnson was efficient and brings a typical pro-style technique as a quarterback. Johnson, who was more highly recruited than Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, has the potential to the take the Big Ten by storm and be the Big Ten’s biggest surprise at quarterback for the 2019 season.
8. Josh Jackson- Maryland
Jackson is a graduate transfer from Virginia Tech, who’s 2018 season was cut short by a fractured left fibula, which required him to have surgery after a few weeks into the season. While playing for the Hokies in 2017, Jackson led all power five freshman QB’s in passing completions and yards. In 2018, he was solid, showing his ability as a runner and passer for the Terps. Jackson still needs work on his completion percentage, but if he stays healthy, he can be a great dark horse quarterback for the Terrapins.
7. Peyton Ramsey- Indiana
Indiana has certainly found a hidden gem in Ramsey at quarterback. Ramsey is a quarterback who is accurate and has the ability to move out of the pocket, and even take off for a run every so often. He doesn’t have the best TD/Int ratio, which is something that must be addressed going into the 2019 season. Despite this stat, Ramsey has been able to sustain good numbers with increased playing time and has Indiana’s all-time completion percentage record at 65.8%. Look for Ramsey to find more opportunities to score this season.
6. Brian Lewerke- Michigan State
Michigan State has had some very good quarterbacks over the last 10 years, and they believe Brian Lewerke can solidify himself in that role also this year. Lewerke’s career at MSU can be summed up in one word: inconsistency. In 2017, he threw for over 2,700 yards, 20 TD’s, and only 7 interceptions. In 2018, his completion percentage dropped significantly and he just seemed to be a shadow of himself, mainly due to injuring his shoulder halfway through the season. Michigan State believes, with a full off-season to recover, Lewerke will go back to improving on his 2017 season and make his 2018 season seem like a mirage.
5. Elijah Sindelar- Purdue
Purdue had a roller coaster of a season in 2018, which included them losing Elijah Sindelar after two games. Sindelar has competed for the starting position over the last two seasons, but was injured both seasons, starting only 8 games in 2017, and only 1 game last season. Despite this, Sindelar has certainly been efficient when healthy. He must work on not throwing as many interceptions, but he is an accurate quarterback who was throwing at a completion percentage in the mid-60’s before going down. Sindelar will look to show his improvement and his leadership skills this year.
4. Nate Stanley- Iowa
Every coaching staff wishes they could recruit a quarterback, watch them improve over the years, and set a new standard for their program. Many programs don’t get that lucky very often, but Iowa certainly has. Stanley has improved his craft every year and his stats show it. Stanley threw for nearly 2,900 yards last season, became more accurate, had 26 TD’s, which was 2nd in the Big Ten last year, and threw only 10 interceptions. Very solid numbers from a third year quarterback. He has also come very close to breaking some school passing records last year, which is one of his goals this year on his way to cementing himself as a Iowa Hawkeye legend.
3. Adrian Martinez- Nebraska
Nebraska certainly had a rocky 2018 season, just to put it mildly. Nebraska had some shaky moments, but their quarterback was definitely the most consistent factor in the whole season, despite the team’s struggles. Martinez was the best dual-threat quarterback in the Big Ten last season and one of the more prominent names in all of college football. Martinez completed nearly 65% of his passes, had 2,617 yards, and had a 2.13 TD/Int ratio. He also tacked on 629 rushing yards and 8 TD’s on the ground as well. The only knock on Martinez from last season was lack of focus outside the pocket, which caused him to make a few mistakes with the ball in his hand. Despite this, Martinez has shown he has talent and if last season showed anything about his potential, he could be a name to look at as a potential Heisman winner in the future.
2. Justin Fields- Ohio State
Fields is a Georgia transfer, who came to Ohio State to play under Ryan Day and his new offensive system. Fields is a 5-star, dual-threat recruit, who saw limited play time last year at Georgia. The former Georgia quarterback will go down as the highest rated recruit Ohio State has ever had come through their football program. Certainly he is the most talented quarterback in the Big Ten if you go by class ranking. However, due to his limited playing time, we still have yet to see how he will fair against the Big Ten this year, so, this is why he is not #1 on this list. As a buckeye fan, it’s difficult to not put Fields at #1, but being objective is important. Fields does have all the potential and pieces around him to easily be the #1 quarterback in the Big Ten, as Dwayne Haskins was for the Buckeyes last year. Fields cannot be crowned the best QB in the conference until we see results.
1. Shea Patterson- Michigan
Out of every quarterback that remains in the Big Ten from last year, Patterson was certainly the best when you combine efficiency and production. Patterson finished with a completion percentage of 64.6%, threw for 2,600 yards, had 22 TD’s, and only 7 interceptions. Patterson isn’t as mobile as some other quarterbacks, but he definitely can leave the pocket and make a run if needed. The Michigan quarterback is looking to take the next step in his development, which is to find more ways to score and help Michigan get back to a conference championship.
Conclusion
These rankings will certainly change as the 2019 season starts, as a few of these quarterbacks will not start at some point during the season and injuries will likely happen as well. Dwayne Haskins definitely set a new standard for Big Ten quarterbacks, as he had the greatest single season of any Big Ten quarterback ever. While it’s unlikely any of these QB’s have a season like his, almost every team has a quarterback that can make his case for being the best in the conference.
