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Best Big 10 Quarterbacks Return for 2024

Best Big 10 Quarterbacks Return for 2024

In 2023, Michigan showed that there’s more than one way to win a national championship. It was built around a potent rushing attack and a strong defense. And while Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy showed enough on tape to be drafted 10th overall, he was rarely asked to “win” Michigan a game. One championship run, however, doesn’t change the value of the quarterback position. In the new 12-team playoff landscape, the return of the Big 10’s best quarterback in 2024 could make the difference between winning or losing a playoff game.

Best Big 10 Quarterbacks Return for 2024

New Big 10 Quarterbacks Everywhere

The Big 10 is experiencing the opposite of what is happening in the Big 12 for 2024. The depth of returning starters at the quarterback position in the Big 12 is deep and talented. The 18-team Big 10 conference is experiencing a major turnover at the quarterback position. Two-thirds of the teams in the Big 10 will have a new starting quarterback when week one of the 2024 season begins. Those teams include Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Rutgers, USC, Michigan State, Washington, Ohio State, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oregon and reigning national champion Michigan. Even the ACC has more returning production at the quarterback position. So who claims the best returning quarterback position in the Big 10?

Third Best: Ethan Garbers – UCLA

UCLA enters the 2024 college football season with a lot of changes. It has a new head coach in former UCLA running back DeShaun Foster. The Bruins also play in a new conference with some big travel ahead of them. Some of their road games include trips to Hawaii, LSU, Penn State and Rutgers. With all the changes swirling around the program, UCLA does have a solid quarterback returning in Ethan Garbers. Though he appeared in 11 games last season, he only started six after splitting time with Dante Moore. Moore transferred to Oregon and Garbers is locked in as the starter. His 2023 numbers include a 67.1% completion percentage, 1,136 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Garbers, and the entire Bruins offense, will need to up their game if they hope to have a successful debut season in the Big 10.

Second Best: Hudson Card – Purdue

It was a tough first season for head coach Ryan Walters. The Boilermakers went 4-8 in Walters’ debut season after winning eight and nine games in the previous two seasons. But that wasn’t because quarterback Hudson Card didn’t try to throw the ball around the yard. Card, a transfer from Texas, struggled with some inefficiency issues running offensive coordinator Graham Harrell’s offense. He only had a 58.9 percent completion percentage, but he threw the ball 365 times in 2023. He finished the season with 15 passing touchdowns, but also had eight interceptions. Card was also a capable rusher, with 93 rushes for 203 yards and five touchdowns.

Best Big 10 Quarterback: Drew Allar – Penn State

Whether he’s returning or new, the best Big 10 quarterback for the 2024 season is Drew Allar. The Penn State junior is coming off a season in which he had a 59.9% completion percentage on 389 attempts for 2,631 yards. He also had 25 passing touchdowns and just two interceptions. Allar added 74 rushes for 206 yards and four touchdowns. Head coach James Franklin had to be very pleased with how well Allar handled the ball in his first season as a starter.

However, in typical Penn State style, he (and the team) struggled to make the big plays when it mattered against Michigan and Ohio State. In those two games, Allar was a combined 28-for-65 passing (43.07%) for 262 yards and two touchdowns. He also had just 26 rushing yards on 17 carries. Whether Franklin and the Nittany Lions break out in 2024 will depend on Allar’s ​​ability to make plays in the biggest games.

Photo Courtesy: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports