The 2025 college football season is right around the corner, and across the Big 12, there are some quarterback situations with major questions, but also some quarterbacks who could end up in New York City as Heisman Trophy finalists.
From No. 16 all the way to No. 1, there is talent across the board. But who is the best? Who is the worst? Here are my Big 12 quarterback rankings heading into the 2025 college football season.
16. McCae Hillstead, BYU
While it’s not clear Hillstead will be the starter in Week 1 after the dismissal of Jake Retzlaff, it’s fair to believe he has the upper hand over Western Michigan transfer Treyson Bourguet and true freshman Bear Bachmeier. But Hillstead and Bourguet haven’t proven anything at the P4 level. Bachmeier got the first-team reps in the first fall practice, but we probably shouldn’t look too much into that. That being said, it’s anyone’s guess at this point, and there are flaws with each option, at this point.
15. Tayven Jackson, UCF
Coach Scott Frost said Friday the team is “not close” to a decision between returner Jacurri Brown, Indiana transfer Tayven Jackson and Florida Atlantic transfer Cam Fancher. Brown got reps last season, but he’s an incompetent passer. Meantime, Fancher has bounced around from Marshall to FAU, and now UCF, not exactly lighting it up anywhere he’s been. For now, I’ll give Jackson the edge as the former four-star prospect who has shown flashes at the Power 4 level, notably against Washington in a win last season. But there are a lot of question marks in this quarterback battle.
Related: Which Big 12 Team Had The Best and Worst Offseason?
14. Zane Flores, Oklahoma State
Speaking of unknowns, that’s also the case in Stillwater. “I can’t put a timeline on [naming a starter] until I know when it’ll happen, and I don’t know that,” Mike Gundy said last week. “So, we could very well end up playing two in the first game.” It’s Flores or Hauss Hejny, the latter who transferred in from TCU this past offseason. I’d give the lean to Flores, who has been in Gundy’s program the last couple of years, but no one will be surprised of Hejny gets the nod. How that that takes remains to be seen. Don’t forget Gundy used three quarterbacks throughout nonconference play in 2023 before landing on Alan Bowman as the starter for the Big 12 opener.
13. Nicco Marchiol, West Virginia
It’s hard to get a feel on Marchiol’s potential, especially since he’s now starting off with a new coaching staff under Rich Rodriguez. However, he played really well late in the season after becoming the starter, especially against Cincinnati and Arizona. However, it’s not Marchiol’s to lose. He’s in a battle with Jaylen Henderson (Texas A&M transfer), and Max Brown (Charlotte transfer). There’s solid talent in the room, but not a clear answer. Also of note, Rich Rod’s offense will be defined by the run game, much more than Neal Brown’s ever was.
12. Kaidon Salter, Colorado
Assuming the former Liberty superstar beats out freshman Julian Lewis, Colorado’s offense will look substantially different this fall. Both players can move, but Salter’s experience may be the difference. He has 56 career touchdown passes and nearly 8,000 yards of total offense. Lewis was a Top 10 quarterback prospect in the Class of 2025, so he’s the plan for the future, but Salter may do just enough to edge out the job for 2025, at least to start the season.
11. Conner Weigman, Houston
Weigman is a former five-star prospect at Texas A&M who battled a shoulder injury in 2024 before losing the starting job to Marcel Reed. Can Willie Fritz unlock his potential? He’s shown flashes over his career, like his 4 touchdown to zero interception performance in a close loss to Ole Miss in 2022 as a freshman, an last season’s 18-22 performance in a win vs. Missouri. But there’s still a lot left to prove for Weigman, who will have to beat out Zeon Chriss in fall camp. But my money is on Weigman being the guy for the Cougs, at least in Week 1.
10. Devon Dampier, Utah
Dampier comes over from New Mexico where he will try and get a stagnant offense going, along with his former play-caller, Jason Beck. He’s a dual-threat stud after throwing for over 2,700 yards and rushing for more than 1,000. If his explosiveness, and familiarity with Beck, translates to a higher level of football, Utah will be competing atop the Big 12. But given his stats are vs. exclusively lower competition, I don’t know how much higher I can fairly put him on this list.
9. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati
Sorsby came over from Indiana and had himself a solid season with 18 touchdowns to seven interceptions, while finishing 9th in the Big 12 with a 136.4 efficiency rating. He struggled against better competition down the stretch as Cincinnati lost five in a row to end the season and miss a bowl game, but with better talent around him, Sorsby can get this team to a bowl game in 2025.
Related: Deion’s Fight, Campbell’s Play, and Dillingham’s Wake-Up Call: This Week in the Big 12
8. Noah Fifita, Arizona
No doubt Noah Fifita had a bad 2024 under a new coaching staff, where he saw his touchdowns decrease, interceptions increase and completion percentage drop off a cliff. But he’s two years removed from 24 touchdowns to six interceptions under former coach Jedd Fisch, a season in which he completed over 72% of his passes. He’s trying to get back on track with new OC Seth Doege, and if he does, Arizona will not be in the basement of the Big 12 this season.
7. Avery Johnson, Kansas State
Johnson developed nicely from 2023 to 2024, but I still question if he can be the guy to lead K-State to a Big 12 Championship. He struggled during the back half of the 2024 season. Was he running out of steam? Was the competition just improved? KSU lost three of four to close the regular season, and Johnson’s play dropped off during this stretch. He can skyrocket up this list in 2025, but for now, based on what he’s done, No. 7 seems fair.
6. Jalon Daniels, Kansas
Jalon Daniels had a great 2022 season, spent 2023 mostly injured, and then took a while to get back on track in 2024. But once he got rolling, he was as dangerous as any quarterback in the league. From October on, he had an efficiency rating of 156.2, which over a season would have put him at No. 2 behind Shedeur Sanders. He’s getting overlooked because KU didn’t meet expectations, but his dual-threat ability is arguably the best in the Big 12, and could result in KU surprising a lot of people this fall.
5. Behren Morton, Texas Tech
Last season, Behren Morton became the first Red Raider quarterback to start all 12 regular-season games since Patrick Mahomes’ final season in 2016. Morton had a 4:1 touchdown to interception ratio last year as well. He can be a little careless at times, try to do too much and take too many sacks, but he will have more talent around him in 2025 than any other quarterback on this list. Let’s see what he can do with it.
4. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
Yes, Sam Leavitt helped the Sun Devils win the Big 12 Conference last season, and he was wildly efficient with 24 touchdowns to six interceptions. He also is considered a better NFL Draft prospect than those ranked ahead of him, but these are not NFL Draft stock rankings. Leavitt had the most dynamic player in the Big 12 last season in Cam Skattebo. Maybe it’s not fair to hold that against him, but I’m doing it. He was eighth in the Big 12 in passing yards, sixth in completion percentage, seventh in touchdowns and fourth in efficiency. This seems fair, and could look foolish come December.
3. Rocco Becht, Iowa State
Becht led the Cyclones to a Big 12 Championship Game appearance in 2024 after finishing with 25 touchdowns to nine interceptions. His completion percentage dropped off from 2023 to 2024, 62.9% to 59.4%, but that is likely attributed to the Cyclones taking more downfield shots thanks to a pair of NFL-bound wide receivers (Jaylin Noel, Jayden Higgins). Becht may be the best leader of the most complete program in the Big 12, which easily gets him into the Top 3.
2. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
Robertson is 6’4”, 220 pounds and has proven to be the real deal since coming over from Mississippi State. He threw 28 touchdowns to eight interceptions in 2024, while also piling up 230 rushing yards and four scores on the ground. Robertson finished with the seventh-best QBR in the FBS ranks (82.9). The Bears closed strong with a six-game winning streak last season, and if they get off to a hot start, the Bears will be squarely in the mix for a Big 12 title.
1. Josh Hoover, TCU
Josh Hoover leads all returning Big 12 quarterbacks in passing yards and completion percentage. He threw for 3,949 yards in 2024, with a 66.5% completion percentage, trailing only Shedeur Sanders. He threw for 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as the Horned Frogs finished third in the Big 12 in scoring offense last year. He’s not a dual-threat guy, but he made a huge jump from 2023, and if that same jump comes in 2024, watch out Big 12. And the opener vs. UNC may be his coming out party.
