There was a lot of talk heading into Week 1 of the 2024 college football season as to whether or not this year’s class at quarterback was anywhere close to as stacked as the one of 2023, which is one of the best we have seen in recent history.
Georgia’s Carson Beck, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Texas’ Quinn Ewers all serve as the headliners, but if there’s anything we learned from the first full slate of games this season, it’s that there could be a lot of emergers who could surprise at the position this season.
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Here’s a look into some of the top quarterback performers from Week 1 (these are not position rankings, but rather an evaluation of individual performance for the week):
1. Carson Beck, Georgia
Beck caught a lot of flack on social media for being too much of a “game manager” and a “check-down king” early on in the 34-3 victory over Clemson as Georgia only led Clemson by two field goals at the end of the second quarter. But Beck was simply doing his job in executing what offensive coordinator Mike Bobo was asking of him, which was made clear when the halftime adjustments allowed Beck to show off his arm strength and other qualities. The offense went on a 28-3 run from the point, and Beck looked every bit the part of the best quarterback in the nation.
He finished the game 23-for-33 passing, tossing for 278 yards and 2 touchdowns.
2. Drew Allar, Penn State
Allar’s final stat line from Saturday didn’t reflect just how solid of a performance he put on in the 34-12 road victory over West Virginia. The Nittany Lions signal-caller was 11-for-17 passing, tossing for 216 yards and 3 touchdowns. That’s nothing to scoff at, but what’s in the film is even better than that.
There was talk of Allar being a mid-tier quarterback last season who was not able to do much more than manage the game, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg of what he brings to the table (even though offensive execution is the absolute most important thing a quarterback can present). Allar showed he was much more than that, though, with several beautifully thrown deep balls as he averaged 12.7 yards per attempt on Saturday. That absolutely crushed his 2023 average of 6.8 yards per attempt last season.
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3. Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee
The hype train behind Iamaleava was a loud one ahead of this season, and rightfully so. After all, the former 5-star prospect was the No. 3 recruit in the nation for the 2023 class. But there were questions as to whether or not he could fully back up his status in taking over for Joe Milton III. He eliminated any doubt of his ability to do that in a practically perfect performance in the 69-3 victory over the Chattanooga Mocs.
Iamaleava was good for 22 of his 28 passing attempts, throwing for 314 yards and 3 touchdowns.
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4. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
No quarterback lit up the stat sheet quite like Jaxson Dart did in Week 1, finishing out the 76-0 win over Furman 22-for-27 passing, throwing for 418 yards with 5 touchdowns. It will be interesting to watch how he continues to perform after the progression he showed last season, and Ole Miss will undoubtedly face tougher defenses than the one the Rebels went up against with Furman paying a visit.
But it’s hard to not be impressed with video game-like numbers such as those. His Heisman Trophy run will be one to closely monitor.
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5. Miller Moss, USC
For a player who doesn’t have as much in-game experience as some of the other quarterbacks in college football catching the most attention this season, Moss certainly demanded it with the mental processing ability he showed and how well he operated from the pocket in the 27-20 win over LSU. Moss has an incredible task in replacing Caleb Williams doesn’t have the type of physical tools that some of the other quarterbacks in the modern era have, but he does manage as a pure passer as well as could be hoped for in a way that should give USC fans a lot of optimism for the season.
He finished out the victory over LSU 27-for-36 passing with 378 yards through the air and 1 touchdown.
