2021 Big 12 Football Quarterback Rankings
With kickoff just a few Saturdays away, I thought it would be a great time to do some position rankings in the Big 12. Today we will start the series with everyone’s favorite position, quarterback.
Since there is only one quarterback on the field at a time, I decided to rank the starting ten signal callers in the Big 12.
1. Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler
This shouldn’t really be a shock to anyone who follows the Big 12. In his first season as a starter, Rattler threw for 28 touchdowns and had seven interceptions in a shortened COVID season in 2020. He led the Big 12 in passing touchdowns and in passing yards in 2020 and to be quite honest, he can make throws that no other quarterback in this conference can make. There is a reason he is a favorite to win the Heisman trophy this season and become a first round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
2. Iowa State QB Brock Purdy
While his numbers dropped last season, some may say Brock Purdy was not very good last season, but they would be wrong. He finished second in the Big 12 in passing yards and while yes, his numbers overall were down from 2019, outside of Spencer Rattler, no other quarterback in the conference had a better last half of the season than Brock Purdy. After struggling in the Baylor game, Brock Purdy turned a corner in the second half of that game and never looked back. The talent is there with Purdy, but consistency will be key for him in 2021.
3. TCU QB Max Duggan
Maybe a tad high on this list to some, I believe this is the year where Max Duggan takes that next step. Nobody can question Duggan’s athletic ability when it comes to running the football. In fact, he led TCU in rushing touchdowns (10) and rushing yards (526) last season and finished seventh in the conference in rushing yards. That’s never been the problem with Max. His passing ability remains a question mark, but he did show improvement from 2019 to 2020. His completion percentage went up by seven percent and did a better job taking care of the football. Plus, missing an entire offseason likely hurt his progression as a player. Now with a full offseason and more weapons around him, Max seems poised to have a good year.
4. Oklahoma State QB Spencer Sanders
Spencer Sanders is similar to Max Duggan here. There is no doubting his running skills and his ability to extend plays is something not many quarterbacks can do at his level. However, the question remains to see how much he can improve as a passer. He had the exact same completion percentage in 2020 as he did in 2019 (62.8%). He also threw for almost the same amount of passing yards as well. Last offseason did not help Sanders and neither did having his offensive line decimated before the season began. If Oklahoma State is to take that big jump, then Spencer Sanders needs to have his breakout season in 2021. He shows flashes but lacks the ability to be consistent.
5. Texas QB Casey Thompson or Hudson Card
Obviously neither quarterback has won the starting job yet and neither one has played a ton of snaps. However, I am basing this on the upside I see from both guys. I am not one take to a ton away from a bowl game, but Casey Thompson played one heck of a game against Colorado in the Alamo Bowl. Also, I have seen Hudson Card in person a few times and while he may not run like Thompson can, he has a solid arm. I understand that other guys on this list have more experience, but I believe the upside I see from these two is higher than what I have seen from quarterbacks that are ranked behind them.
6. Kansas State QB Skylar Thompson
Not many quarterbacks get to play six years of college football but thanks to a wild 2020, Skylar Thompson will play his sixth season at Kansas State. There have been ups and downs throughout his career, but unfortunately last season took a bad turn when he went down with a season ending shoulder injury. Skylar is mostly known for his gusty runs and had 11 rushing scores in 2019 and had three last season before his injury. His toughness is undeniable, but he has limitations as a passer. He never is going to be a player who completes 70% of his passes but he will need to become a better passer. It doesn’t need to be pretty, but he just needs to put it all together in his final season. Also, it will be interesting to see how he comes back this season.
7. West Virginia QB Jarret Doege
Out of all the quarterbacks on this list, I have a tough time getting a good read on Jarret Doege. He has some ups and downs, but it seems like it’s a little bit of feast or famine with him. Doege did a good job protecting the football last season and while his numbers weren’t bad, his final two games of the season were fairly bad, and he even got pulled in the bowl game against Army. For the Mountaineers to make some noise this season, they need Jarret to take his game to another level, but I am not quite sure if he is capable of that at this point in his career.
8. Texas Tech QB Tyler Shough
Some people really love Tyler Shough as a quarterback and think he can be a potential first round pick in the NFL Draft. After seeing where I have him on this list, you can see what I think about his ability to play quarterback. Look, I think he is capable of throwing a good ball but when I watched a few games of his, nothing truly stood out to me. He was non-existent in the Fiesta Bowl game against Iowa State and was just ok in the Pac-12 title game. He may have his moments, but he will need a lot more than that to prove to me that he is worthy of all this hype he gets.
9. Baylor Quarterbacks
Between Jacob Zeno, Gerry Bohanon and Blake Shapen, I have no idea who will be the guy for Baylor this season. If it was up to me, it would be Jacob Zeno but there is no telling what Dave Aranda will do at this point at time as the battle continues to unfold in fall camp. With that said, whoever ends up being the starter, I would have a hard time putting them ahead of anyone else than was ranked higher than them.
10. Kansas Quarterbacks
Just like Baylor, Kansas is also in a quarterback battle. The competition is between former starter Jalon Daniels as well as Miles Kendrick and North Texas transfer Jason Bean. All of them have their strengths but I need to see more from Jalon Daniels and Miles Kendrick. I am not too familiar with Jason Bean coming from North Texas, but I still would not rank any of these guys ahead of quarterbacks from other teams.
