It’s the most important position in football these days — the quarterback. Gone are the days of trying to find a good game manager and surrounding that player with weapons. Yeah, there’s still some of that today, but the teams that tend to win conference championships and national titles generally have a dynamic playmaker under center and playmakers around him.
It’s no different in the Big Ten. Just look at the last few years. Ohio State has won three-straight conference championships, and each time, has also had a guy pulling the trigger that has won the Big Ten’s Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year. J.T. Barrett won it in 2017, Dwayne Haskins followed up with the award in 2018, and then Justin Fields was honored last season.
So, with that in mind, what does the field (no pun intended) look like entering 2020? We’ve stack ranked all projected starting quarterbacks for all fourteen teams in the Big Ten and are ready to dive into all the fun.
As a bit of an asterisk, some of these are still entrenched in position battles, and there could be injuries and other things that impact what happens at each school, so please don’t dunk on us too hard.
Next … No. 14
No. 14 – Artur Sitkowski, Rutgers
Sitkowski was a highly touted prospect coming out of IMG Academy in 2017 and started several games as a true-freshman in 2018. It was a tough spot to be in for a youngster, but he was expected to be better in 2019. Instead, he lost a battle to McLane Carter who suffered an injury early in the season. Sitkowski was asked to redshirt, and now the strong-armed 6-foot-5-inch pocket passer should get his opportunity. He’ll need to cut down on his penchant to throw the ball to the other team.
Next … No. 13
No. 13 – Aidan Smith, Northwestern
Smith is a fifth-year senior that started six games last year for the Wildcats. Unfortunately, Northwestern’s offense was one of the worst in the country in 2019. He’ll need to take a huge leap forward and be able to push the ball down the field much better in 2020.
Next … No. 12
No. 12 – Josh Jackson, Maryland
There was a lot of optimism when Jackson transferred from Virginia Tech and won the starting job for 2019 in College Park. However, Jackson fell victim to the injury curse at Maryland and missed a few weeks last season. While he was in action, his athletic gifts are obvious. But to make the ‘Terps offense a dangerous one, he has to improve on his 47.3 percent completion percentage.
Next … No. 11
No. 11 – Rocky Lombardi, Michigan State
Lombardi has shown flashes of what he can do. He’s tough, can get outside the pocket and make things happen with his feet, but he needs to improve on his ability to read defenses and make accurate throws down the field.
Next … No. 10
No. 10 – Spencer Petras, Iowa
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz has been very high on Petras’ abilities. He’s got big shoes to fill with the departure of Nate Stanley and it remains to be seen just how he can assimilate in year one. He’ll improve as the season goes on.
Next … No. 9
No. 9 – Jack Plummer, Purdue
Plummer got significant experience last season because of the injury to Elijah Sindelar before sustaining a season-ending injury himself in the game against Nebraska. He’s back and has the most experience of anyone on the roster. We like him to beat out Aiden O’Connell and will get plenty of volume in Jeff Brohm’s system. He’ll need to elevate the completion percentage and get that TD to INT ratio up.
Next … No. 8
No. 8 – Brandon Peters, Illinois
Peters took over the starting spot in Champaign last year and was more than adequate. He’s unlikely to put the Illini on his shoulders and sling the ball around, but he makes sound decisions as more of a game manager.
Next … No. 7
No. 7 – Dylan McCaffrey, Michigan
McCaffery is embattled with Joe Milton for the starting spot, but we believe Harbaugh will go with experience this season. Milton spent two years behind Shea Patterson and knows the offense and what Harbaugh wants. He’s got toughness and is a threat with his legs as well. He could be a darkhorse conference QB of the year if the offense hits in year two under offensive coordinator Josh Gattis.
Next … No. 6
No. 6 – Sean Clifford, Penn State
Clifford had the challenge of following Trace McSorley and did fine, not great in 2019. He played at a high level at times, but also had some moments to forget (Minnesota anyone?). He has size, and is a threat with both his legs and arm, but the consistent accuracy has to get much better.
Next … No. 5
No. 5 – Jack Coan, Wisconsin
Coan’s numbers were really solid last year, but he wasn’t asked to do a whole lot. When the running game was taken away a bit, he wasn’t able to push the ball down the field to make defenses adjust. The Badgers won just one out of four games in which he was forced to throw more than 30 passes. He’s a great fit for a Wisconsin program that uses his skill set to its advantage.
Next … No. 4
No. 4 – Adrian Martinez, Nebraska
Martinez never quite made that jump in development everybody expected last season. Still, he’s got all the tools to be one of the best in the Big Ten, and he has a veteran offensive line this year. We’re making the call that he’ll break out of the sophomore slump and take that leap a year later in 2020.
Next … No. 3
No. 3 – Michael Penix, Jr., Indiana
The Florida native has a huge upside if he can just stay healthy. He is extremely dangerous on the ground and completed almost 70 percent of his passes when pushing it around the field in the air. However, he has to stay on the field. If he can, his future is very, very bright in Bloomington.
Next … No. 2
No. 2 – Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
If Morgan weren’t playing in Minneapolis, he might be a household name. As it is, he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten. He threw for over 3,200 yards, tossed 30 touchdowns, and completed 66 percent of his passes last season. He has a big arm and can distribute it around as a prototypical pocket passer. Give him another year, and he should be even better.
Next … No. 1
No. 1 – Justin Fields, Ohio State
Um — yeah. It’s Justin Fields. He’s one of the best in the country. He’s got a strong arm, explosive speed, and might have a chance to win an athletic competition between himself, Superman, and The Flash. When receivers aren’t open down the field, he shoots lightning bolts out of his rear-end and leaps tall buildings in a single bound.
