Ranking The Top Five Big 12 Quarterbacks Heading into the 2022 Season
Kickoff is right around the corner as the 2022 college football season is set to start in September. Before the games arrive, I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the best players in the Big 12 at each position. Today, it’s time to rank the top five quarterbacks in the Big 12 Conference heading into the 2022 season.
1. Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel
Dillon Gabriel has plenty of experience as he has thrown 70 touchdown passes in his career to just 14 interceptions. He takes care of the football and has improved his accuracy every single year. It’s a shame that injuries derailed his 2021 season, but now he is fully healthy. I am excited to see what Dillon Gabriel can do back in Jeff Lebby’s offense. Keep in mind that this is a reunion between Lebby and Gabriel as they were both at UCF back in 2019.
2. Oklahoma State QB Spencer Sanders
Some may look at this as total disrespect to Spencer Sanders and I get it. I actually had him as my preseason first team All-Big 12 quarterback due to the fact that he was one of the few returning quarterbacks in the conference. But do I think he’s the best? I don’t think he will be come December. He’s had turnover issues over the years, but he seemed to turn a corner last season. He did a better job taking care of the football as seven of his 12 interceptions were against Baylor in 2021. Unfortunately, he just had a really bad championship game at Jerry World and the whole world saw it. He’s still going to make those questionable decisions, but he still has the ability to make some great plays. If Oklahoma State can get the Fiesta Bowl Spencer Sanders, then watch out.
3. West Virginia QB J.T. Daniels
The arm talent is there with J.T. Daniels. He has had some good moments at USC and even at Georgia. The problem with J.T. has never been his talent, it’s been his health. He has yet to stay healthy in the last few years, which has really put a damper on his college career thus far. If he can stay healthy, I believe he can do some great things with new offensive coordinator Graham Harrell and the weapons he has around him.
4. Baylor QB Blake Shapen
This is where I feel like things start to get a little dicey on the list. I could think of several other quarterbacks to potentially put here, but my gut tells me Blake Shapen belongs in the Top Five. Shapen played in just a handful of games last season and played a big part in Baylor’s Big 12 championship victory over Oklahoma State. He then beat out Gerry Bohanon in the spring and now the starting quarterback job is his. It’s now his time to shine.
5. Kansas State QB Adrian Martinez
It was a battle between Quinn Ewers at Texas and Adrian Martinez at Kansas State, and I went with the experience here. Let me start by saying Adrian can run the football like few quarterbacks can. However, his decision making has been very shaky over the last four years at Nebraska. I know offensive coordinator Collin Klein will utilize his athletic ability and hopefully help limit the turnovers. Maybe a change of scenery will do Adrian good, and he’s got a very solid supporting cast around him that can make plays as well.
