2016 QB Rankings
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
1) Deshaun Watson (Clemson) - The true junior nearly led Clemson to its first national title since 1981 last season. Watson completed 67.8 percent of his throws for 4,104 yards with a 35/13 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He also rushed for 1,105 yards and 12 TDs while averaging 5.3 yards per carry. As a true freshman in 20014, Watson played in only eight games. With a torn ACL in the regular-season finale, he insisted upon playing and was sensational in leading the Tigers to a win over South Carolina to snap a five-game losing streak to their arch rivals. For his career, Watson has 49 TD passes compared to just 15 interceptions. The Gainesville, GA., product has 17 rushing scores. With Clemson returning nine starters on offense, Watson is poised for another monster campaign.
2) Luke Falk (Washington State) - If you didn’t ride the Wazzu Train to winners galore last season, you missed out. As a true sophomore, Falk led Mike Leach’s team to eight consecutive spread covers in Pac-12 play. He sustained a concussion in a home win over Colorado that caused him to miss a loss at Washington in the regular-season finale, but he returned to lead the Cougars past Miami in the bowl game. During a three-game winning streak in games at Oregon, vs. Oregon State and at Arizona, Falk threw 16 TD passes. He finished the year completing 69.4 percent of his passes for 4,561 yards with a 38/8 TD-INT ratio. With his favorite target and All-American candidate WR Gabe Marks back in the mix, there’s no reason to think the Cougars won’t field one of the nation’s most dynamic offenses again in 2016.
3) Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma) - With offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley back calling plays, Baker Mayfield is going to have another stellar season for the Sooners. He led OU to the CFP last season by completing 68.1 percent of his throws for 3,700 yards and 36 TDs compared to just seven interceptions. Mayfield also rushed for 405 yards and seven TDs. He has one of the best RBs in the country (Samaje Perine) to keep defenses off balance. Mayfield will miss his favorite target Sterling Shepard, but senior DeDe Westbrook is ready to assume that role after hauling in 46 receptions for 743 yards and four TDs.
4) Chad Kelly (Ole Miss) - ‘Swag’ Kelly proved to be as advertised after his troublesome journey from Clemson to East Mississippi to Oxford. After tearing his ACL, arguing with coaches on the sidelines during a spring game and subsequently getting arrested, Dabo Swinney cut ties with Kelly. But after dominating JUCO ball for a season, Kelly landed at Ole Miss and led the Rebels to 10 wins and its first Sugar Bowl appearance in decades. The nephew of Jim Kelly, the NFL Hall of Fame QB, ‘Swag’ connected on 65.1 percent of his passes for 4,042 yards with a 31/13 TD-INT ratio. Kelly also ran for 500 yards and 10 scores. Those numbers shredded Eli Manning’s single-season records in school annals. Although Laquon Treadwell bolted for the NFL a year early, Kelly has a nice set of WRs returning led by Quincy Adeboyejo.
5) Greg Ward Jr. (Houston) - Ward has accounted for 61 TDs combined TDs passing, rushing and receiving in three seasons with the Cougars. He had a breakout campaign in 2015, completing 67.2 percent of his throws for 2,828 yards with a 17/6 TD-INT ratio. Even better, Ward rushed for 1,108 yards and 21 scores. If not for an injury that kept Ward on the sidelines for much of an upset loss (by three) at UConn, Houston would’ve probably gone unbeaten last year. Ward and the Cougars can make a major splash in Week 1 if they can upset Oklahoma.
6) Patrick Mahomes (Texas Tech) - If the Red Raiders had any semblance of a defense, Mahomes would be a much bigger name at this point. Consider this: Texas Tech lost a game to TCU when it scored 52 points and also fell to Oklahoma State when it scored 53. Mahomes led the Red Raiders to a 35-24 win at Arkansas by connecting on 26-of-30 throws for 243 yards. He also ran for 58 yards and two TDs on 10 carries against the Razorbacks. For the season, Mahomes threw for 4,653 yards and 36 TDs. He also rushed for 456 yards and 10 scores despite dealing with nagging knee and ankle injuries at various points during his true sophomore campaign. He has a 52/19 career TD-INT ratio.
7) Seth Russell (Baylor) - Although an injury sidelined him after seven games last season, Russell still threw for 2,104 yards with a 29/6 TD-INT ratio. He also ran for 402 yards and six TDs. And let’s remember that all seven of those games were blowouts, so Russell was posting those stats by playing in only 2-3 quarters per game. In other words, Russell was on his way to throwing for more than 4,000 yards and 50 TDs. For his career, Russell has a 40/10 TD-INT ratio and 12 rushing scores.
8.) J.T. Barrett (Ohio State) - With Cardale Jones winning the starting job last August, Barrett wasn’t able to pick up where he left off in 2014. When Braxton Miller went down with a season-ending injury that year, Barrett earned third-team All-American honors by throwing for 2,834 yards and 34 TDs, while also rushing for 938 yards and 11 TDs. Barrett was in and out of the lineup last season, throwing for only 992 yards with an 11/4 TD-INT ratio. He rushed for 682 yards and 11 scores. With the job all his again this year. Barrett could be poised for his biggest stats season to date.
9) Taysom Hill and Tanner Mangum (BYU) - Hill went down with a season-ending injury in the 2015 opener at Nebraska, so true freshman Tanner Mangum came in and threw a game-winning TD pass on Hail Mary as time expired. Then a week later at home vs. Boise State, Mangum threw another game-winning TD pass on fourth down in the final minute. He would go on to throw for 3,377 yards and 23 TDs. Mangum is a pure passer, while Hill is a between-the-tackles runner who reminds many of Tim Tebow with his size and strength. In his 27-game career, Hill has thrown for 4,606 yards and 31 TDs while also rushing for 2,215 yards and 24 TDs. How new head coach Kalani Sitake handles the playing time for this duo remains to be seen, but the Cougars’ offense figures to be dynamic regardless of whom is under center, especially since RB Jamaal Williams is back after a one-year suspension.
10) Malik Zaire and DeShone Kizer (Notre Dame) - Zaire was off to a great start in a season-opening win over Texas and the early going of a Week 2 game at Virginia before sustaining a season-ending injury. He had completed 26-of-40 passes for 428 yards and four TDs without an interception. Zaire had also rushed for 103 yards on 19 totes. Kizer filled in well as a redshirt freshman, throwing for 2,880 yards and 21 TDs. He also ran for 520 yards and 10 scores. Brian Kelly will have a big decision to make going into this year’s opener in Austin.
BEST OF THE REST:
Josh Dobbs (Tennessee), Josh Rosen (UCLA), Brady Kaaya (Miami), Lamar Jackson (Louisville) and Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma State).
Dobbs has the talent and the flash, but can he get it done at crunch time in UT’s biggest games? Can Rosen avoid a sophomore slump and not get caught up in his own hype? How will Kaaya adjust to the new coaching staff? Can Jackson match his talent with consistency? Will Rudolph exceed the numbers he produced as a sophomore?
Whether it be injury concerns, a lack of experience or other variables, several other signal callers haven’t been mentioned but might be poised for big 2016 seasons. Those QBs include Jake Browning (Washington), Jacob Eason (Georgia), Quinton Flowers (South Fla.), Gunner Kiel (Cincinnati), Anu Solomon (Arizona), Brett Rypien (Boise State) and Brent Stockstill (Middle Tennessee).