The following failed to make the cut for a list of the nation’s top college football quarterbacks through four weeks: Arch Manning, DJ Lagway, Nico Iamaleava, Drew Allar and Cade Klubnik.
For everything that has gone according to plan under center – such as Carson Beck and John Mateer hitting the ground running at Miami and Oklahoma, respectively – there are several high-profile quarterbacks who have fallen well short of expectations.
Manning is coming off a miserable game against Texas-El Paso. Lagway tossed five interceptions in a loss to LSU. Iamaleava’s stock is trading at an all-time low. Allar has been adequate against weak competition. Klubnik is the face of Clemson’s early disappearing act.
This has opened a door for more unproven passers to climb into the national conversation. That includes multiple starters in the Big Ten in Oregon’s Dante Moore, Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Southern California’s Jayden Maiava.
Some unexpected names make up USA TODAY Sports’ current ranking of Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks:
1. Carson Beck, Miami
Beck had a pair of turnovers against South Florida, though neither did any damage in the No. 6 Hurricanes’ 49-12 romp. Beck is averaging 9.9 yards per throw and completing 79.3% of his attempts after hitting on 23 of 28 attempts for 340 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
2. John Mateer, Oklahoma
That Mateer has thrown an interception in each of Oklahoma’s three games is slightly concerning given the slim room for error in SEC play. He’s still be enormously impactful in helping the No. 12 Sooners soar up the US LBM Coaches Poll. Another opportunity to impress comes Saturday against Auburn.
3. Dante Moore, Oregon
No. 5 Oregon’s offense seemed largely out of sorts in the Big Ten opener against Northwestern. While the 34-14 final was never in any real doubt, the Ducks averaged only 5.6 yards per play when removing Dierre Hill’s 66-yard touchdown run from the equation. Moore had 178 yards and a score with an interception.
4. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
With his usual moxie, Pavia sparked No. 23 Vanderbilt’s 31-7 win at No. 24 South Carolina. He threw for 177 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 24 yards as the Commodores went from unranked to the thick of the College Football Playoff race.
5. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
Raiola looks increasingly comfortable in coordinator Dana Holgorsen’s scheme. After playing a smart and careful game in the opener against Cincinnati, the sophomore has been unleashed in routs of Akron and Houston Christian. In these two games, Raiola has combined for 586 passing yards on 11.2 yards per attempt with six touchdowns.
6. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
As with Raiola, you can sense how Sayin is beginning to really grasp the No. 1 Buckeyes’ scheme in his first month as the starter. While the offense struggled early, Sayin finished with 347 yards and Ohio State pulled away in the second half to beat Ohio 37-9.
7. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
There’s an elite quarterback matchup brewing in this weekend’s key Big Ten matchup between Luke Altmyer and No. 8 Illinois and the No. 17 Hoosiers. Mendoza has feasted on weak competition, including an eye-popping line in last weekend’s 73-0 shutout of Indiana State. The former California transfer completed 19 of 20 passes, setting a new program recordfor single-game completion percentage, for 270 yards and five touchdowns.
8. Gunner Stockton, Georgia
No. 3 Georgia’s 44-41 win at No. 15 Tennessee proved that Stockton is more than capable of going throw for throw with the best quarterbacks in the SEC. After an uneventful start to the year, the junior completed 74.2% of his attempts for 304 yards with three touchdowns, one on the ground.
9. Jayden Maiava, Southern California
Tune-up games against Missouri State, Georgia Southern and Purdue to start the year have helped USC regain some confidence, though it’s hard to say how the offensive production will translate to future matchups against Illinois, Oregon and Notre Dame. Still, Maiava’s play has been difficult to ignore. He leads the nation in yards per attempt (14.1), efficiency rating (215.5) and completions of 60 or more yards (five).
10. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee
Aguilar torched the Bulldogs’ defense to the tune of 371 yards and four touchdowns but did toss a pair of interceptions. That give and take between high-end production and a penchant for turnovers is part of Aguilar’s story dating to his run as the starter at Appalachian State. Other options for the last spot were Altmyer, Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson, Texas Tech’s Behren Morton, TCU’s Josh Hoover and Marcel Reed of Texas A&M.
