NCAAF 25 top college football quarterbacks ranked by Total QBR through Week 2
In today’s football world there are an insane number of advanced stats to help figure out just how good or valuable certain players are and how loaded teams may be.
One of those numbers when it comes to quarterback play is Total QBR which is done by ESPN. Now what exactly is Total QBR?
Per ESPN – Adjusted Total Quarterback Rating “values the quarterback on all play types on a 0-100 scale adjusted for the strength of opposing defenses faced.”
Alright, so we know with just two or three games in the book the sample size is small, but with that in mind, how do the top 25 rank to date?
Sam Hartman has been better than advertised at Notre Dame. Does he crack the top five? And where do some of the quarterbacks Notre Dame will soon compete against check in?
Here are the top 25 entering week 3:
Andrew Peasley - Wyoming
2023 QBR: 77.7
Analysis: For those who stayed up and watched the end of Wyoming’s upset of Texas Tech in Week 1, Peasley provided a treat while powering the improbable win. Peasley followed with three more touchdown passes against Portland State last week.
Haynes King - Georgia Tech
2023 QBR: 79.4
Analysis: King has completed more than 65% of his pass attempts and thrown for seven touchdowns and just one interception through Georgia Tech’s first two games.
Quinn Ewers - Texas
2023 QBR: 79.6
Analysis: I get Ewers wasn’t the main reason Texas went into Tuscaloosa and beat Alabama (it was the Longhorns’ defensive line), but I was expecting to see him higher based on difficulty of competition. Expect to see the Texas star rise on this list shortly.
Joey Aguliar - Appalachian State
2023 QBR: 80.1
Analysis: Aguilar threw for almost 250 yards against North Carolina but completed just 51.2% of his attempts in Appalachian State’s upset bid that fell just short.
Bo Nix - Oregon
2023 QBR: 80.9
Analysis: Nix completed 32 of 44 passes for 359 yards and two touchdowns in Oregon’s comeback win at Texas Tech. Next up is a stat-padding opportunity against Hawaii.
Jaxson Dart - Ole Miss
2023 QBR: 81.2
Analysis: Dart threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns as Ole Miss handled business in a big way against Tulane, winning 37-20 against a ranked opponent.
Dante Moore - UCLA
2023 QBR: 81.5
Analysis: The prized recruit who chose UCLA over Oregon and Notre Dame has a chance to be the best quarterback Chip Kelly ever coached – and that includes Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.
Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi - Colorado State
2023 QBR: 81.6
Analysis: Fowler-Nicolosi replaced an ineffective Clay Millen in Colorado State’s season-opening loss to Washington State. The Rams haven’t played since that Week 1 affair but take on Colorado this week.
Emory Jones - Cincinnati
2023 QBR: 81.9
Analysis: It was supposed to be a down year for Cincinnati, but perhaps Jones will change that narrative. Heck, he already has after throwing for a pair of scores in last week’s upset of Pittsburgh.
Dillon Gabriel - Oklahoma
2023 QBR: 83.2
Analysis: Gabriel and the Sooners came back to Earth after hanging 77 points on Arkansas State in the opener. If he plays to his potential, the Sooners will likely be the biggest threat to Texas in the Big 12.
Garrett Shrader - Syracuse
2023 QBR: 83.3
Analysis: The former quarterback for Mike Leach at Mississippi State is off to a solid start in 2023, completing nearly 70% of his passes through two weeks.
Drew Allar - Penn State
2023 QBR: 83.5
Analysis: Allar may be young in his college career, but with what’s around him he has the chance to go down in Penn State lore for years to come. Although a little slow in his first start against West Virginia, he and the Nittany Lions picked it up in the second half and have been on cruise control throughout their last six quarters.
Shedeur Sanders - Colorado
2023 QBR: 83.7
Analysis: If I say that following Colorado State the tests are going to be a lot harder for Sanders and Colorado will he or his father hold it against me in a future press conference?
Drake Maye - North Carolina
2023 QBR: 84.4
Analysis: After last season’s shootout victory over Appalachian State it was shocking to see Maye fail to throw a touchdown pass in North Carolina’s double-overtime victory over the Mountaineers last week.
Kyle McCord - Ohio State
2023 QBR: 84.5
Analysis: McCord has looked like a newcomer at times through Ohio State’s first two games but what do you expect? To his credit, he’s playing behind an offensive line that is replacing three starters from a season ago.
Riley Leonard - Duke
2023 QBR: 85.8
Analysis: America learned the name Riley Leonard thanks to his big showing in Duke’s upset of Clemson on national TV on Labor Day night. Now can he make them remember it deep into the fall?
Jordan Travis - Florida State
2023 QBR: 86.9
Analysis: Travis overcame a tough first half against LSU in the opener and his star has been on full display ever since. If he continues at Boston College this week, the Heisman express will be in full-go mode in Tallahassee.
Tyler Van Dyke - Miami
2023 QBR: 87.0
Analysis: Personally I was shocked to see who Van Dyke fell directly behind after last week’s dominating Miami win over Texas A&M.
Conner Weigman - Texas A&M
2023 QBR: 89.5
Analysis: See writeup of Tyler Van Dyke directly above.
Jalon Daniels - Kansas
2023 QBR: 89.7
Analysis: You can say “it was just Illinois” last week for Daniels, but that’s a team that is developing defensive backs at a very high level in recent years. Daniels could get the Jayhawks to again surprise folks in the Big 12 as this fall develops.
Sam Hartman - Notre Dame
2023 QBR: 89.8
Analysis: Can Hartman continue his hot start? Last year at Wake Forest, he finished 19th in Total QBR (78.9). Either way, it’s a huge step for Notre Dame. Last year’s starter, Drew Pyne, finished 42nd at 68.0.
Michael Penix, Jr. - Washington
2023 QBR: 91.7
Analysis: I was curious if Washington’s offense could pick up where it left off last season, but Penix has shown that to be the case. His health has been his biggest concern during his college career and college football fans should hope to see him at his best in what could be a very memorable season for him and the Huskies.
Caleb Williams - USC
2023 QBR: 92.1
Analysis: My instant thought upon seeing Williams third was “how stinkingly good have the two guys in front of him been?”
DJ Uiagalelei - Oregon State
2023 QBR: 92.4
Analysis: It’s early, but perhaps Uiagalelei wasn’t the problem with Clemson’s offense after all.
J.J. McCarthy - Michigan
2023 QBR: 95.3
Analysis: McCarthy is off to a hot start for Michigan, and his head coach claimed he was a generational talent like Andrew Luck earlier this week. That’s a bit strong but he’s clearly the best Michigan has had at the position in quite some time.
