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This might be a down year for quarterbacks everywhere but in the Big Ten – where all the star power should be up top – but there are plenty of fascinating prospects. Based on college projections for this year and not in pro talent in any way, here are college football’s ten best quarterbacks of 2015.

12. Gunner Kiel, Jr. Cincinnati

It’s only been one year, but Kiel appears to have been worth the wait. The former can’t-miss transfer from Notre Dame debuted in Cincinnati by throwing for 31 touchdowns, 3,254 yards and 13 interceptions on 233-of-390 passing. The strong-armed 6-4, 208-pounder also flashed underrated mobility after the pocket broke down. Kiel has room for development, and he knows it. But he has a good feel for the position and the supporting cast to take his entire game to a different level of proficiency in 2015.
– 2015 Cincinnati Preview

11. Taysom Hill, Sr. BYU

Hill took over in the middle of the 2012 season, looking mostly like a running quarterback, and then he became so much more. The 6-2, 232-pound senior threw for close to 3,000 yards and 19 touchdown passes as a sophomore, while running for 1,344 yards and ten scores, but he gave up 14 interceptions. Even with the mistakes, he made a name for himself with a tremendous performance against Texas and with big wins over Georgia Tech and Boise State. Rocking out of the gate last year, he was flawless in a win over UConn and came up with another win over Texas on the way to a 4-0 start. 8-of-11 for 99 yards and a score with 35 rushing yards and a touchdown, he was knocked out of the game with a broken leg, and that was it for the season. Fortunately, the leg has healed and he’s ready to go, and now the pressure is on. He has to be phenomenal right away, or the first part of the season could be a disaster.
– 2015 BYU Preview

10. Deshaun Watson, Soph. Clemson

There were false starts in last season’s injury-plagued debut. But Watson left no doubts in eight appearances that he’s the franchise at Clemson … and one of the nation’s hottest young quarterbacks. The Tigers were a completely different team with Watson in the huddle, despite his lack of experience. The 6-2, 205-pound prodigy completed 93-of-137 passes for 1,466 yards, 14 touchdowns and two picks, adding 200 yards and five more rushing scores. Beyond the obvious physical gifts, Watson is also poised beyond his years, flush in leadership skills and a perfect fit for this Clemson attack. He’s one of college football’s new mega-stars.
– 2015 Clemson Preview

9. Everett Golson, Sr. Florida State

Thank you, Malik Zaire. The development of Zaire in South Bend was the impetus for Golson to transfer for his final year. And voila, the Seminoles now have a veteran with two full seasons of starting experience on the resume. Golson has played in plenty of big games, including the 2013 National Championship Game, so he shouldn’t be rattled by the challenge ahead. But the strong-armed 6-0, 200-pounder needs to cut down on his mistakes, especially at a program that had so many issues with turnovers in 2014. Golson threw for 29 touchdowns and 3,445 yards on 256-of-427 passing in his Irish finale. However, he was also picked off 14 times, including four pick-sixes, and lost eight fumbles.
– 2015 Florida State Preview

8. Jeremy Johnson, Jr. Auburn

Johnson has been around the system for the last two years, he knows what he’s doing, and he has the talent and upside to become the type of gamechanger who combines a slew of skills to become exactly what the offense needs. At 6-5 and 240 pounds he has the right size and bulk, he has the big-time arm, and he has the mobility. He’s not anywhere near as quick as Nick Marshall, and he’s not slippery like Cam Newton was, but he can take off and he can move.

The 2012 Alabama Mr. Football has seen a little bit of time, getting the nod for a suspended Marshall in the opener against Arkansas, and was terrific completing 12-of-16 passes for 243 yards and two scores in the win. He got mop-up duty the rest of the way, but on the year he connected on 76% of his throws with no picks. He’s more than ready.
– 2015 Auburn Preview

7. Joshua Dobbs, Jr. Tennessee

It’s not like he took the world by storm when he got his chances as a freshman. He showed flashes with 189 rushing yards and a score in his little bit of work, and he hit 60% of his passes, but he threw two touchdown throws and gave up six interceptions over the second half of the 2013 season. The second go-round in 2014 – when he once again took over in the second half of the year – was far different. The 6-3, 212-pound sophomore was far sharper and far more mature in his play, completing 63% of his passes for 1,206 yards and nine touchdowns when thrown into the meat of the SEC schedule, and while he gave up six more interceptions, he showed far more as a runner taking off for 166 yards and three scores against South Carolina and running for 469 yards and eight touchdowns in just six games. The sky is the limit for a young blossoming playmaker with great size, excellent mobility, a good enough arm, and the smarts to be a better decision maker on the field, and work toward being an aerospace engineer off of it. He’s the franchise now, and if he can cut down on the interceptions and be able to utilize all the weapons at his disposal, look out.

– 2015 Tennessee Preview

6. Cody Kessler, Sr. USC

The days of overlooking Kessler may be officially over. Kessler is finally getting the respect that he’s richly earned after completing 315-of-452 passes for 3,826 yards, 39 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He’s a precise dart-thrower who doesn’t make many mistakes. Detractors suggest the 6-1, 210-pounder doesn’t bring a ton of wow factor, but all he does is make sound decisions and consistently put his skill guys in a position to make plays. Kessler is now a seasoned veteran in his second year in Steve Sarkisian’s system, so the sky’s the limit for his senior season.
– 2015 USC Preview

5. Justin Thomas, Jr. Georgia Tech

Thomas was thrust into the deep end of the water after starter Vad Lee unexpectedly transferred to James Madison. And he not only remained afloat, but he navigated choppy first-year waters like Michael Phelps. Thomas delivered arguably the best season ever for a Paul Johnson quarterback, showcasing his arm and athleticism in a Third Team All-ACC debut. Thomas rushed for a Tech-high 1,086 yards and eight touchdowns on 190 carries, while also completing 96-of-187 passes for 1,719 yards, 18 touchdowns and six picks. Plus, the 5-11, 189-pound wunderkind was instrumental in guiding the Jackets to the Coastal crown, an upset of rival Georgia and an Orange Bowl rout of Mississippi State.
– 2015 Georgia Tech Preview

4. Cardale Jones, Jr. Ohio State

Replace 12 Gauge with J.T. Barrett depending on the whims of the Ohio State coaching staff. No matter what, Jones has turned into one of the most interesting shooting star stories in college football history considering the No. 3 quarterback on the roster might have been the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft had he chosen to leave early. He’s still a project, but he’s 6-5, 250 pounds, mobile, and has an arm as good as any pro quarterback – and he’s a national champion. Thrown into the spotlight late against Michigan, he closed out the win and then went on a tear, winning the Big Ten title and rolling through the playoff finishing the season with 860 yards completing 61% of his passes with seven touchdowns and two picks, while running for 296 yards with a score. While he’s still in the midst of a quarterback battle, he was the only healthy option this offseason and might just be too good not to push further. However, he still needs to prove he can be a game-in-and-game-out performer, and while he’s the prototype next-level prospect, he needs a ton of polish. Able to unleash the arm and throw the deep ball on a regular basis, he hasn’t needed to come up with too many second-and-third reads, even against the elite defenses he faced. The spotlight is on – if he keeps on progressing, the NFL sky is the limit.

– 2015 Ohio State Preview

3. Trevone Boykin, Sr. TCU

Just how much of a shocker was Boykin’s amazing 2014 season? Thrown to the wolves as a freshman, he did a nice job at quarterback and showed good promise and potential, but he struggled as a sophomore and wasn’t nearly as sharp or consistent. With Casey Pachall available, Boykin turned into a receiver catching 26 passes for 204 yards – with 11 grabs against West Virginia. Then came the new offense, and he didn’t seem like he’d be the right fit for it. Instead, he turned out to be the perfect option.

At 6-2 and 205 pounds, he’s not big, but he’s a tough runner with excellent quickness in the open field, taking off for 707 yards and eight scores, running 17 times for 123 yards and three scores against Kansas State. As a passer, he turned into a major surprise making great decision after great decision, and while he wasn’t always accurate – completing 61% of his passes – he always made big plays throwing for 3,901 yards and 33 touchdowns with just ten picks. Three of those interceptions came in the bowl game – he didn’t throw multiple picks in any regular season game. Now he’s coming off a wrist injury, and the pressure will be on to play at a Heisman level, but he’s experienced, talented, and ready to take his game to a whole other level.

– 2015 TCU Preview

2. Connor Cook, Sr. Michigan State

It took a little while to grow into the starting gig, but he showed at the end of 2012 that he was going to make the offense his. No he has an all-timer of a resume with three bowl wins, a Rose Bowl victory, a Big Ten championship, and guiding the way to big win after big win. He could’ve gone pro early and likely would’ve been the third quarterback taken off the board, and now he’s pushing to possibly be one of the top picks next year if all goes well. At 6-4 and 220 pounds he has the NFL size to go along with the right arm strength and the gunslinger ability to keep on bombing no matter what. He can move a little, too – he’s not a stick in the mud pro-style passer.

While he threw eight picks, two of them came in the loss to Oregon and two more in the bowl win over Baylor – he was stingy with the mistakes the rest of the way. He can push the ball all over the field, but he has to step up his accuracy hitting just 58% of his throws last year for 3,214 yards and 24 touchdowns. However, with 300-yard days against Oregon, Ohio State and Baylor last season, and in the 2013 Big Ten championship game and Rose Bowl win, he’s as big-time as it gets. This year, Michigan State is hoping he can making it two league titles in three years.
– 2015 Michigan State Preview

1. Dak Prescott, Sr. Mississippi State

The hope was for Prescott to be ready to take his game to a whole other level as a junior, and he did that and more. It’s not like he was bad in 2013, taking over the gig and becoming too good to keep off the field as he grew into a sharper, stronger passer to go along with his rushing skills. And then the 6-2, 230-pounder grabbed the leadership role by the horns as the exact type of Face of the Program guy that Mississippi State needed. A great athlete, he was wanted by other SEC schools, but not necessarily as a quarterback. MSU gave him the chance to be one, and he turned into a Heisman-caliber performer.

There was some thought that he might turn pro early, but his throwing motion needs a ton of work and he’s not an NFL passer – he’s more of a do-it-all type of playmaker who’ll do whatever is needed to keep the offense moving. There was some question mark about his accuracy, and he hit 62% of his passes for 3,449 yards and 27 touchdowns with 11 picks. A blaster of a runner with good enough speed to come up big in the open field, he ran for 986 yards and 14 touchdowns averaging 4.7 yards per carry. He even caught two passes for 35 yards and a score. He carried the ball less and less over the second half of the season – partly because of the SEC slate and partly for self-preservation – and he ramped up the passing running for 200 yards or more in every game buy the blowout win over Vandy. With so many key parts missing on both sides of the ball, this year he’ll do even more for the offense and the school.

– 2015 Mississippi State Preview