Big 12 quarterback power rankings after week 5
When the transfer portal took Caleb Williams, Spencer Rattler, Gerry Bohanon and Casey Thompson out of the Big 12, an opportunity arose for new quarterbacks to assert themselves as the best in the league.
The transfer portal also brought in several new starters: Dillon Gabriel at Oklahoma, Adrian Martinez at Kansas State, and J.T. Daniels at West Virginia.
Opening weekend featured just two players returning as the starting quarterback for their squad; Spencer Sanders and Jalon Daniels. Hudson Card, Max Duggan and Donovan Smith started games for their teams last year but weren’t the Week 1 starter. Injuries provided opportunities, and they’ve taken advantage, coming up with big-time performances at times through the first five weeks of the season.
With more than a month of action in the books, it’s time to update the quarterback power rankings in the Big 12.
Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State
Oct. 1, 2022; Waco, Texas; Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Spencer Sanders (3) runs for a first down against the Baylor Bears during the first quarter at McLane Stadium. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Spencer Sanders has shown that his games against Oklahoma and Notre Dame at the end of the 2021 season were not fluke performances. He has lived up to his first-team quarterback status from last season and the preseason, and he has the Cowboys’ ranked No. 7 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
He’s thrown for 1,093 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s averaging 8.9 yards per attempt through the air and completing 65% of his passes. On the ground, he’s fourth in the Big 12 in rushing yards with 193 yards and three touchdowns.
Jalon Daniels, Kansas
Sept. 10, 2022; Morgantown, West Virginia; Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) celebrates after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
There are many reasons for the improvement Kansas has made in 2022, but the biggest is the play of quarterback Jalon Daniels. Through five games, Daniels has thrown for 983 yards, 11 touchdowns and just one interception. He’s rushed for 328 yards and five touchdowns. He helped the Jayhawks win games on the road against West Virginia and Houston and was solid in their win over a tough Iowa State defense.
Adrian Martinez, Kansas State
Oct. 1, 2022; Manhattan; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Adrian Martinez (9) breaks away from several Texas Tech Red Raiders defenders on his way to a touchdown in the fourth quarter at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports
Adrian Martinez has taken the Big 12 by storm the last couple of weeks with huge days against Oklahoma and Texas Tech to put Kansas State right in the thick of the Big 12 title race. After a slow start to the season, Martinez has thrown for 655 yards and six touchdowns. Though he hasn’t thrown for a ton of yardage, he’s rushed for 503 yards and nine touchdowns.
Max Duggan, TCU
Oct. 1, 2022; Fort Worth, Texas; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Max Duggan (15) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the second half at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
After losing the offseason quarterback battle to Chandler Morris, Max Duggan came off the bench in relief of Morris, who was injured in the season-opening win over Colorado. Duggan has done nothing to relinquish the role since.
He was fantastic in the Horned Frogs’ win over Oklahoma on Saturday, throwing for 302 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 116 yards and two scores. He has not yet thrown an interception and is fourth in the Big 12 in rushing yards after his big day.
Dillon Gabriel, QB
Sept. 17, 2022; Lincoln, Nebraska; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) passes against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Sure, he hasn’t been great this season, but Dillon Gabriel has been good. He didn’t look good in Oklahoma’s loss to TCU, but that shouldn’t completely erase what he’s done for OU in 2022.
Gabriel is third in the Big 12 in passing yards and tied for first in touchdowns with 11 despite not throwing one on Saturday against the Horned Frogs. He’s sixth in the Big 12 in rushing yards among quarterbacks.
The big question facing Gabriel is whether he’ll be cleared for the Red River Showdown on Saturday.
Blake Shapen, Baylor
Sept. 10, 2022; Provo, Utah; Baylor Bears quarterback Blake Shapen (12) rolls out to pass against the Brigham Young Cougars in the second quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Gabriel Mayberry-USA TODAY Sports
Two interceptions, including one that wasn’t his fault, against Oklahoma State sunk Blake Shapen and the Baylor Bears’ comeback attempt. He has been good in his first full season as a starter.
Shapen is completing nearly 70% of his passes this season. Accounting for drops and throwaways, Shapen’s adjusted completion percentage is 79.9%, second in the Big 12 according to Pro Football Focus.
Hudson Card, Texas
Oct. 1, 2022; Austin, Texas; Texas Longhorns quarterback Hudson Card (1) throws a pass in the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Hudson Card, like Max Duggan, didn’t win the starting quarterback job out of fall camp for the Texas Longhorns, but he has been good since taking over in the Alabama game.
This week against West Virginia, he completed 78.6% of his passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns. With the loss to Texas Tech behind him, the question is whether he or Quinn Ewers will start for the Longhorns in the Red River Showdown.
Hunter Dekkers, Iowa State
Sept. 24, 2022; Ames; Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Hunter Dekkers (12) looks for a throw against the Baylor Bears during the second quarter at Jack Trice Stadium. Nirmal Majumdar/Ames Tribune-USA TODAY Sports
Though he’s thrown six interceptions on the season, Hunter Dekkers gets a bump for beating long-time rival Iowa on the road. He’s second in the Big 12 in passing yards and is tied for first in passing touchdowns. The problem is he’s also second in the Big 12 in interceptions.
Donovan Smith, Texas Tech
Oct. 1, 2022; Manhattan, Kansas; Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Donovan Smith (7) drops back to pass during the fourth quarter against the Kansas State Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports
Despite leading the conference in interceptions, Donovan Smith isn’t last on this list because he was instrumental in Texas Tech’s wins over Houston and Texas. Sometimes you have to accept the bad with the good.
J.T. Daniels, West Virginia
Sept. 10, 2022; Morgantown; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback JT Daniels (18) throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the Kansas Jayhawks at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
J.T. Daniels hasn’t had a bad season. That’s just where the Big 12 is at this year. There’s a lot of good quarterback play happening around the conference. While Daniels and the Mountaineers earned a big win in Blacksburg in Week 4, they weren’t able to follow up in their matchup against Texas. West Virginia was down 28-7 at halftime.
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