Ranking Big Ten Starting Quarterbacks Entering 2025

rwelchie3
3 days ago
6 min read

As the calendar has flipped to August, the college football season is around the corner. For Maryland, preparing for Florida Atlantic and the remaining out of conference schedule comes first but the most important part of the schedule comes in conference play. In the current landscape of college athletics, roster turnover is commonplace and keeping up with all of the moving players, coaches, and coordinators is a lot. Before kick-off of the 2025 season, we will be taking a look around the Big Ten and its players to see what the Terps have in store during conference play. Today we will start with the most important position on the field: quarterback.

Here is a ranking of the top 10 quarterbacks in the Big Ten.

#1 Drew Allar (Penn St.)

Allar is the clear-cut top quarterback in the Big Ten entering 2025. Allar is entering his third year starting and has a pro level blend of size and speed. At 6’5 and 235 pounds; Allar mostly utilizes his arm talent but has the ability to create plays with his legs. Last year he was a very safe player for most of the year with a final tally of 25 touchdowns to only 2 interceptions. However, his safe play left a lot to be desired for the former 5-star recruit. There is more potential to be unlocked still for the senior as he is in early talks as a candidate for the number 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. With some incoming weapons such as Trebor Pena (Syracuse) and Kyron Hudson (USC), Allar has the tools to put up larger numbers and take more shots. The combination of play so far and potential places Allar at #1.

#2 Luke Altmeyer (Illinois)

To give credit to Altmeyer, he was very low on last year’s ranking on this website and proved to be one of the most reliable signal callers in the conference. The quarterback talent in the Big Ten is not the best as it is comprised of many unproven players. Altmeyer is one of the few proven guys as he threw for 22 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions last season. Similar to Allar, he is a safe player who won’t light up the stat sheets but is as reliable as they come. He only averaged 209 passing yards per game last year with a 61% completion percentage. The senior is one of the surest things to lead an Illinois team with a lot of expectations.

#3 Fernando Mendoza (Indiana)

A slept-on quarterback entering this season. Mendoza dazzled for Cal last season with 18 total touchdowns and throwing for over 3,000 yards. The 6’5, 225-pound junior can toss it around the yard and break off big runs as he broke out for runs of 20+ on a regular basis. A highly sought after transfer, Mendoza was heavily recruited by Georgia this past winter. Mendoza will enter Indiana with a higher ceiling that Kurtis Rourke and can keep Indiana rolling under Curt Cignetti.

#4 Nico Iamaleava (UCLA)

The drama that surrounded Iamaleava’s departure from Tennessee to UCLA was one of the biggest storylines of the offseason. There was a ton of hype for Nico last year in Knoxville as a former top recruit and he did not exactly live up to the hype; albeit he was not terrible either. Iamaleava was still a very solid quarterback that showed flashes of greatness with 19 touchdowns to only 5 interceptions while averaging 7.8 yards per completion. Nico struggled with accuracy at times, especially at the deep balls but still has the tools to be one of the better quarterbacks in the conference as he enters year 1 in Los Angeles.

#5 Dylan Raiola (Nebraska)

A lot was put on Raiola’s plate last year as a true freshman starter. Still, he helped Nebraska to one of its best seasons in years. The overall play was up and down with some fantastic throws as well as some bad turnovers. He had 13 touchdowns to 11 interceptions and was pretty accurate at a 68% completion percentage but often threw short at just a 6.9-yard average per attempt. Raiola came close to 3,000 yards as a true freshman and the potential is still there as he enters his sophomore season with Dana Holgersen as his new offensive coordinator and new weapons including Dane Key (Kentucky).

#6 Julian Sayin (Ohio St.)

Typically, you do not rank players that have not played at all in their career. Sayin comes as an original Alabama pledge and sat behind Will Howard at Ohio St. last season. A former 5-star quarterback, Sayin has all the talent in the world and has experience being on a college roster. It speaks volumes that Ohio St. did not even attempt to add in the transfer portal as they look to repeat as national champions. Add in the fact he will be throwing to the bet receiver room in the country that includes Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, and Brandon Inniss. No actual experience for Sayin but his development and weapons places him higher on the list than other unproven options.

#7 Demond Williams Jr. (Washington)

Williams played in spots last year as a freshman but finally got a chance to shine in the final 2 games of the season. Williams flashed throwing for 575 yards, 6 touchdowns, and completing 43 of 52 passes (87%). A smaller sample size but Williams has been pegged as one of the breakout stars in the Big Ten. With a full offseason to work as the number one option, Williams is bound to lead the Huskies to a breakout season with weapons surrounding him such as running back Jonah Coleman and stud receiver Denzel Boston.

#8 Mark Gronowski (Iowa)

A two-time national champion and the 2023 Walter Payton Award winner (FCS Heisman equivalent), Gronowski has been one of the best talents at the FCS level. In four years at South Dakota State, Gronowski threw for 10,330 yards, 93 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, and completed 63.5% of his passes. The big question is obliviously can he translate this success to the Power Four level with the one of the nation’s most continually putrid offenses. His pedigree alone gets him in the top ten.

#9 Dante Moore (Oregon)

Another unproven quarterback in the Big Ten is Oregon starter Dante Moore. A former 5-star recruit, Moore began at UCLA (after flipping from Oregon) where he saw time as a true freshman. Moore struggled completing just 53% of his passes with 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions over 9 appearances and was benched. Moore transferred back to Oregon last year and learned the system under Dillon Gabriel. Moore, like his other 5-star counterparts, has immense upside and a year of seasoning under Dan Lanning and Will Stein should have the Oregon quarterback machine running. Still, there is some skepticism based on his freshman campaign.

#10 Billy Edwards Jr. (Wisconsin)

Many may disagree with this ranking with other highly touted younger players not in the top 10, but Edwards last year proved his worth to crack the top 10. Many here are familiar with Edwards after last year with Maryland, a poor record masked his solid play for most of the year. At times it was inconsistent and it is possible that he has a ceiling. Still, Edwards plays hard, can make plays with his arms and legs. Inserting into a Wisconsin lineup with more protection and a running balance will benefit his skillset and could limit his turnovers.

Just Missed the Cut:

#11 Jayden Maiava (USC): The former UNLV standout went 3-1 as a starter at USC last year but had 5 turnovers in that small sample. Boom or bust guy and we will see how a full season under Riley goes.

#12 Bryce Underwood (Michigan): The five-star freshman has the talent to be higher on the list but inexperience and a weak receiver room keeps him lower as he is not in best position as opposed to other young quarterbacks. Could be much higher on list come next year.

#13 Aiden Chiles (Michigan St.): The former 4-star has showed flashes of excellence after following John Smith to East Lansing from Corvallis last season. His dual-threat ability is real and lowered turnovers as the season progressed. Potential a plenty but more consistency needed.

The Rest:

#14 Preston Stone (Northwestern): Benched last season at SMU after a fantastic 2023 campaign. Will need to resurrect his career with minimal weapons.

#15 Athan Kaliakmanis (Rutgers): Kaliakmanis is a low-risk player with a low ceiling but a high floor. Not flashy at all and limits offensive output.

#16 Malik Washington (Maryland): Another highly touted prospect on this list. Ranked lower than Underwood and may not get every snap right away. Similar to Underwood could jump up rankings but a lot of unknown despite his maturity.

#17 Drake Lindsey (Minnesota): Former 3-star recruit who is a redshirt freshman. Will be looked at as a game manager early on with star running back Darius Taylor still there.

#18 Ryan Browne (Purdue): Browne was at Purdue last year and transferred to UNC but then reversed course to come back to Purdue last spring. He started in two losses last year with 4 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.

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