Predicting who will be the top quarterbacks in the Big Ten for the upcoming season
When the season ends and the conference reviews who the top quarterbacks in the conference were, they award the winner with the Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year Award. Last year, Justin Fields of Ohio State was recognized as the conference’s best quarterback as he took home the award for the 2020 season.
With a new season almost upon us, it’s time to embrace prediction season and guess which player may take home the honor this year. Below is a ranking of the assumed starting quarterbacks for the season, and my best guess on where they’ll finish the year. Special attention will be paid to the top five quarterbacks.
#14 – Brandon Peters – Illinois
#13 – Noah Vedral – Rutgers
#12 – Jack Plummer – Purdue
#11 – Anthony Russo – Michigan State
#10 – Adrian Martinez – Nebraska
#9 – Ryan Hilinski – Northwestern
#8 – Spencer Petras – Iowa
#7 – Sean Clifford – Penn State
#6 – Tanner Morgan – Minnesota
#5 – Cade McNamara – Michigan
Michigan fans might be excited for the future of freshman J.J. McCarthy, but will have to wait at least a year before seeing him start. The Wolverines will most likely give the starting nod to junior quarterback, Cade McNamara.
McNamara saw limited time last season after replacing Joe Milton as starter late in the year. His first start was the last game of the year versus Penn State, a game in which he struggled.
Still, McNamara finished the 2020 season throwing for 425 yards with 5 touchdowns to 0 interceptions. His completion percentage finished at 60.6% with a passer rating of 134.1.
Though one could argue McNamara is still unproven, he possesses the attributes offensive coordinator Josh Gattis is looking for in a quarterback: Mainly the ability to make the quick read and is very accurate with the short to intermediate throws.
Michigan wants to play with a quicker passing rhythm while allowing their playmakers to operate in space. McNamara can be the quarterback that finally allows that to happen.
#4 – C.J. Stroud – Ohio State
Even with the announcement that 5-star quarterback Quinn Ewers is foregoing his senior year in high school to play early for the Buckeyes, C.J. Stroud seems poised to be the starting quarterback for Ohio State in 2021.
When the off-season kicked off, the race for the starting job was a three man race between Stroud, Jack Miller, and 5-star freshman Kyle McCord. Most reports up to this point have indicated that Stroud is the leader of the pack, and that lead is either significant or small, depending on the report you read.
Assuming that Stroud wins the job, the sophomore quarterback will have a plethora of weapons to attack a defense with. Those weapons start with senior wide receiver, Chris Olave, and what is arguably the best receiving core in the nation. Adding to that core is senior tight end Jeremy Ruckert, and an promising backfield lead by junior tailback Master Teague III.
Ohio State may start the year relying on the ground game more than usual while Stroud gets his feet under him. However, once he does, Stroud could begin putting up some big numbers by season’s end.
#3 – Michael Penix Jr – Indiana
The Hoosiers have high hopes of building off the momentum of the 2020 season, and on offense that starts with their starting quarterback, redshirt junior Michael Penix Jr. The dual threat QB has evolved the Indiana offense from a run oriented attack, to one based through the air.
The past two seasons has seen Indiana finish inside the top 50 in the country regarding passing yards, averaging over 250 yards per game. During that time, Penix has thrown for 3,039 yards, 24 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, and completed 62% of his passes. It would be safe to assume that the Hoosiers will be looking to improve those numbers in 2021, and Indiana will have some very good weapons for Penix to throw to.
The leader of the receiving core is reigning Big Ten Receiver of the Year Award winner, Ty Fryfogle. The senior receiver is joined by red zone threat and senior tight end, Peyton Hendershot, who remained in school instead of leaving for the NFL. These two players, along with promising transfers Camron Buckley and D.J. Matthews Jr. should provide Indiana with a promising air attack this season.
The question Indiana fans have though is will Penix be healthy all season? The past two years have seen Penix deal with injuries that have cut his season short, disrupting the rhythm of the offense while he’s been out.
#2 – Taulia Tagovailoa – Maryland
Taulia Tagovailoa has a heavy dose of expectations on his shoulders after his brother, Tua, completed an outstanding college career with Alabama. While some players may fold under that pressure, it sounds as though Taulia is prepared to face those expectations head on.
After transferring from Alabama to Maryland, Tagovailoa started the 2020 season as the Terrapins quarterback and led the team to a 2-3 pandemic shortened season. The campaign ended with a stat line of 1,011 yards passing, 7 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. His completion percentage was 61.5% and he had a quarterback rating of 138.5.
During the off-season, head coach Mike Locksley hired Dan Enos as his new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. It is a reunion for both after they worked together in 2018 as part of the Alabama coaching staff. Enos’s charge is to improve the offensive production, starting with developing Tagovailoa into one of the country’s top quarterbacks.
Tagovailoa will have plenty of support entering 2021, as his receiving core could be one of the better units in the conference. Senior Dontay Demus Jr. and sophomore Rakim Jarrett headline a strong receiving core, a unit that received a boost when speedster Marcus Fleming transferred from Nebraska to Maryland. These receivers for Maryland are some of the fastest players in the conference, and it could lead to some big numbers for Tagovailoa in the passing game.
#1 – Graham Mertz – Wisconsin
Head coach Paul Chryst began his collegiate career playing quarterback for Wisconsin in the ’80s. Since taking over the program, Chryst has been looking for his quarterback to elevate the Badgers to heights they have not been in a while. Many around the program feel sophomore QB Graham Mertz is that guy.
The former 4-star recruit out of Kansas was heavily sought after by many of the top programs in the country, but ended up in Madison signifying a huge win on the recruiting trail for Chryst. Last season, Mertz won the starting job and led the Badgers to a 4-3 record in 2020, capping the year off with a Duke’s Mayo Bowl victory over Wake Forest.
Mertz finished the 2020 season with 1,238 yards passing, 9 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. His completion percentage was 61.1%, and he finished with a passer rating of 125.2. Good numbers when you consider it was his first year starting, and when you factor in the major Covid-19 disruptions and injuries that impacted the receiving core last year.
Now in 2021, Mertz sees an experienced receiving core return with wide outs Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor leading the unit. The Badgers also received excellent news in the off-season when tight end Jake Ferguson elected to return for his senior year. Assuming Wisconsin is done with the injury bug, this season could be the start of showcasing a top flight passing attack that compliments a traditionally strong rushing game.