College Football Quarterbacks with the Most to Prove in 2023 Season

The moment a college football believes it has found an answer at quarterback, visions of successful seasons naturally follow.

Reality, unfortunately, sometimes has different plans.

Entering last season, for example, DJ Uiagalelei—then at Clemson—and Miami's Tyler Van Dyke landed as top-15 Heisman Trophy candidates. By the end of the season, Uiagalelei had entered the transfer portal as an injury-saddled Van Dyke watched Miami trudge to a 5-7 record.

They are among the quarterbacks who opened the 2022 campaign with high expectations but struggled last season, so now they're aiming to recover in 2023.

Kedon Slovis, BYU

AP Photo/Barry Reeger

Pittsburgh quarterback Kedon Slovis (9) throws a pass against Syracuse during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in Pittsburgh, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

Kedon Slovis is approaching his final chance.

Back in 2019, he was a breakout freshman who surprisingly threw 30 touchdowns after replacing J.T. Daniels. Fast-forward to today, and Slovis is a two-time transfer who couldn't match his initial efficiency at USC, struggled at Pitt and is using his final year of eligibility at BYU.

Slovis, who's already been named the starter, is tasked with leading the program in its debut Big 12 campaign.

The bright side is BYU has decent surrounding talent, even after the departure of Puka Nacua. Along with tight end Isaac Rex, wideouts Keanu Hill, Kody Epps and Chase Roberts all posted 22-plus receptions and combined for 22 touchdowns last season.

Slovis needs to take advantage of the promising situation, or else BYU will struggle and his lingering NFL hopes may vanish.

Devin Leary, Kentucky

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CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 01: Devin Leary #13 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack throws a pass against the Clemson Tigers in the second quarter at Memorial Stadium on October 01, 2022 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Two years ago, Devin Leary collected 3,433 yards at 8.0 per attempt with 35 touchdowns to five interceptions. Although his efficiency dipped to 6.6 in 2022, Leary had still guided North Carolina State to a 4-1 record prior to his season-ending pectoral injury.

Leary has since transferred to Kentucky and is set to replace second-round NFL draft pick Will Levis.

Mark Stoops has built a sturdy program, but UK's upside is particularly dependent on its quarterback. From a pure talent perspective, Kentucky is a lower-third team in the SEC. Coaching and a good QB, however, can vault the Wildcats into 10-win territory.

The best version of Leary, a fundamentally sound passer who atones for limited mobility with accuracy and anticipation, fits that billing.

Since the slate includes Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama with trips to Mississippi State and South Carolina, though, Leary must be ready for an October and November full of challenges.

Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland

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COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 08: Taulia Tagovailoa #3 of the Maryland Terrapins rolls out of the pocket against the Purdue Boilermakers at SECU Stadium on October 08, 2022 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

Maryland faces the inglorious task of competing with Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State in the division. Since 2014, the Terrapins are a combined 3-22 in those matchups—with two victories back in that very season.

This, clearly, is more than a quarterback conversation. But there's hopefully a light at the end of that tunnel with Taulia Tagovailoa.

Now, it's unfair to call his 2022 campaign a truly bad year; most quarterbacks would be content to register 3,008 yards at 7.7 per attempt with 18 touchdowns to eight picks. But it followed his 2021 season of 3,860 yards at 8.1, along with 26 scores to 11 interceptions.

Maryland has a favorable September, opening the season with Towson, Charlotte, Virginia, Michigan State—the lone road opponent—and Indiana.

The Terps need Tagovailoa to thrive right away in order to work toward bowl eligibility and be ready to play the spoiler role in those marquee Big Ten showdowns later in the season. His final perception as an NFL prospect will hinge on those outings, too.

Tyler Van Dyke, Miami

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BLACKSBURG, VA - OCTOBER 15: Miami Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (9) throws a pass from the pocket during a college football game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Virginia Tech Hokies on October 15, 2022, at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, VA. (Photo by Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Any number of factors led to Tyler Van Dyke's disastrous 2022 season. Beyond his shoulder issues, you could point to his own struggles, a shoddy offensive line, a thin receiving corps—especially after Xavier Restrepo's injury—and a new offensive system.

However, the takeaway is the same: That is not what we expected from Van Dyke last year.

In 2021, he threw for 2,931 yards at 9.0 per attempt with 25 touchdowns to six interceptions. Van Dyke closed the 2022 season with 7.3 yards per attempt and awful performances in losses to Middle Tennessee and Duke, along with basically five missed games due to injury. Miami had a litany of problems but, in short, imploded on the way to 5-7.

So, hey, no pressure this season, right?

In theory, the 'Canes have reinforced the offensive line. The receiving corps is still a concern, but Colbie Young and Restrepo are a decent 1-2. New coordinator Shannon Dawson runs a system more comparable to 2021 play-caller Rhett Lashlee than Josh Gattis in 2022.

Van Dyke is set up reasonably well for a bounce-back year, and Miami desperately needs it.

DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon State

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CORVALLIS, OR - APRIL 22: Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei #5 of the Oregon State Beavers runs the ball out wide during the Oregon State Spring Football Game at Reser Stadium on April 22, 2023 in Corvallis, Oregon. (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)

After two underwhelming years as Clemson's full-time starter, DJ Uiagalelei saw a better opportunity at Oregon State.

"I didn't want to do what I was doing at Clemson," he told Bruce Feldman of The Athletic. "I didn't really like what we did there scheme-wise. I didn't think we did very much. I thought it was very basic. It didn't help me out as a quarterback and play to my strengths."

Specifically, he said, those strengths are working under center, more play-action passes and throwing deep shots.

But a "better opportunity" is easy to say on paper; execution is the most important part of the discussion.

Uiagalelei peaked at 6.8 yards per attempt over the last two seasons. If the Beavers are to legitimately compete in the Pac-12, he probably needs to raise that number to the 8.5 range.

Quinn Ewers, Texas

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College Football: Texas Quinn Ewers (3) in action, throws the football during a spring exhibition game at Darrell K Royal Stadium. Austin, TX 4/15/2023 CREDIT: Erick W. Rasco (Photo by Erick W. Rasco /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X164345 TK1)

Among the players featured here, Quinn Ewers is the lone quarterback with a 5-star prospect looking over his shoulder.

And the context doesn't get friendlier.

Not only is Arch Manning a backup, the Horns are undoubtedly the front-runner in the Big 12. As if that's not enough, Ewers is also entering his first season as an NFL draft-eligible player.

As promising as he is, Ewers—who dealt with a shoulder injury last year—tallied a modest 7.4 yards per attempt. He has plenty of room to improve.

Even if Texas isn't actually "back" as a national championship threat, the 2023 season offers a stellar opportunity for the program to secure its first conference crown in 14 years. Without question, the SEC-bound Longhorns would love to exit the Big 12 on top.