by First off, The Commish is BACK. Ready to tackle college football season with Gameday Journal. My first article of the new season is around the claim that many people are jumping to the conclusion of… this is a WEAK quarterback year in college football. If you were to ask me the question right this second, I would probably answer no, but I do think that there is a lot of potential. I really do think that there are a ton of recent comparisons that can be made to this crop of college QB’s and can have everyone’s mind change on the matter. I am going to list my top-five QBs heading into the season and recent college QBs I think that they compare to.
5. Shedeur Sanders (Colorado): Comparison – Mac Jones
I know that the Mac Jones comparison may seem like a negative due to the rocky NFL career, but Jones at Alabama was a superb quarterback and the catalyst of a national championship team. Sanders will not rack up those sorts of accolades at Colorado, but both share the same strengths. Sanders is an extremely accurate passer and near-elite in the short-to-intermediate throws. He is also very protective of the ball and limits throwing interceptions. Questions similar to Jones about the arm strength and athleticism. I believe Sanders to be more athletic than Jones but would like to see him showcase that more in the 2024 season. A lot of eyes will be on Sanders this season and the Colorado football program heading into their first season in the Big 12.
4. Dillon Gabriel (Oregon): Comparison – Bo Nix
This comparison seems too easy when it comes to talking about what to expect from Dillon Gabriel in 2024 at Oregon. Transferring in like Nix and playing a ton of football, Gabriel is at a huge advantage with all of the experience that he has. Like Nix, Garbiel is an accurate passer in short and intermediate throws. Oregon’s offense saw a lot of these throws with Nix last season and there is no reason that should change. Both have similar athletic capabilities along with similar arm strength. I would not be surprised at all if Gabriel had a similar season to what we saw from Nix last year at Oregon.
3. Quinn Ewers (Texas): Comparison – Tua Tagovailoa
Both Ewers and Tua have great arms and a ton of natural ability. I think both match up perfectly with combining the arm and respective athleticism. Tua was more accurate than Ewers, but looking from a throwing perspective and the kind of ball that is thrown, they are similar in more ways than none. Both also have the weird negative of having the injury bug following them around. Both are capable runners, but never have to really display that part of their game. Have played in huge games and performed in huge games. Hype has also been surrounding the two since they both entered college. Ewers is poised to have a Heisman campaign season and potentially solidify himself as a top-five pick in the upcoming draft.
2. Carson Beck (Georgia): Comparison – Deshaun Watson
Ranking Carson Beck might be the most controversial topic of college football. Some will have him at No. 1 and others will not even have him in their top 10. Carson Beck is a really good football player and last year he showed that by putting up huge numbers. I think Beck and Watson shared similar arm talent from when he was at Clemson. Beck is sneaky athletic and I do not think he gets enough credit for how athletic he really is. I think he gets penalized for being on a great team with great players around him, but Carson Beck was the focal point of that Georgia offense last season and will be this year for sure.
- Jalen Milroe (Alabama): Comparison – Anthony Richardson
Heading into the 2024 season I have Jalen Milroe has my QB1. I love his game, athleticism, arm strength, and he is the closest thing to a video game character that you will find in college football this season. Milroe and Richardson are most comparable with their arm strength, elite running ability, and lack of accuracy. Milroe — when he wants to run — is the most dynamic player in college football. He has accuracy issues similar to what Richardson experienced at Florida but would get away with it at times with their running ability or elite arm strength. Milroe is also my Heisman favorite and I expect new head coach Kalen DeBoer to tap into all of that raw ability and mold him into a great passer like he did with Michael Penix Jr.
I cannot wait to be back covering college football with Gameday Journal and to watch these QBs take the college football world by storm!