Ranking Top 25 Quarterbacks in College Football After Week 3
Welcome to Bleacher Report's Top 25 college football quarterback rankings after Week 3.
This will be a weekly feature published each Tuesday morning throughout the 2023 season, with the goal of progressively identifying the 25 best QBs in the country each week as the season unfolds.
The only thing that matters here is on-field production in 2023.
That means past performance, future expectations, physical tools and NFL upside have all been removed from the equation.
Each quarterback's individual production and quality of opponent will be considered each week, and players will rise and fall based on where they ranked the previous week, so it will be a fluid process throughout the year.
If your favorite team's quarterback is not currently on the list, fear not. If a guy is putting up numbers, he will find his way onto the list. On the flip side, a strong first two weeks is only going to go so far if a player falls flat in Week 3 and fails to duplicate his early success.
With only 25 spots up for grabs and 133 quarterbacks to consider, an honorable mention slide featuring the "Next 25" who just missed the cut is also included here. Those are the guys with the best chance of jumping onto the list with a strong showing in Week 4.
Let the debate begin.
Honorable Mentions
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These 25 quarterbacks were also under consideration for a spot in the rankings but ultimately settled for an honorable mention following Week 3 action:
Joey Aguilar, Appalachian State
Drew Allar, Penn State
Carson Beck, Georgia
JT Daniels, Rice
Jayden de Laura, Arizona
TJ Finley, Texas State
Dequan Finn, Toledo
Brett Gabbert, Miami (OH)
Darren Grainger, Georgia State
Mitch Griffis, Wake Forest
Seth Henigan, Memphis
KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
Emory Jones, Cincinnati
Riley Leonard, Duke
Drake Maye, North Carolina
Jordan McCloud, James Madison
Graham Mertz, Florida
Joe Milton III, Tennessee
Dante Moore, UCLA
Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
Kaidon Salter, Liberty
Kedon Slovis, BYU
Preston Stone, SMU
AJ Swann, Vanderbilt
Jacob Zeno, UAB
Nos. 25-21
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25. Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland (Previous Rank: HM)
Week 3: 19-of-30, 342 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT; -7 rush yards
Season: 66-of-99, 889 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT; 16 rush yards, 1 TD
Tua's younger brother has Maryland off to a 3-0 start, and he is already well-established as a productive passer with back-to-back 3,000-yard seasons under his belt. A road game against Michigan State next weekend will be his toughest test so far, and a strong performance could bump him up the rankings.
24. Cade Klubnik, Clemson (Previous Rank: HM)
Week 3: 16-of-27, 169 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT; 35 rush yards, 1 TD
Season: 71-of-107, 693 yards, 8 TD, 2 INT; 63 rush yards, 1 TD
A 5-star recruit and the No. 2 quarterback in the 2022 class, Klubnik landed with a bit of a thud after entering the 2023 season with plenty of hype when Clemson was upset by Duke in Week 1. He has been rolling the last two weeks against Charleston Southern and Florida Atlantic, and now the Tigers are on a collision course with Florida State next Saturday.
23. Devin Leary, Kentucky (Previous Rank: HM)
Week 3: 16-of-25, 315 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT; -12 rush yards
Season: 58-of-94, 855 yards, 8 TD, 3 INT; -29 rush yards
Leary threw for 6,807 yards and 62 touchdowns in four seasons at NC State before transferring to Kentucky during the offseason. He has the Wildcats knocking on the door for a spot in the Top 25 poll with a strong 3-0 start, and he seems to have found a favorite target in Tayvion Robinson the last two weeks.
22. Mikey Keene, Fresno State (Previous Rank: HM)
Week 3: 32-of-49, 281 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT; -65 rush yards
Season: 85-of-131, 874 yards, 8 TD, 2 INT; -83 rush yards
With road wins over Purdue and Arizona State, the Fresno State Bulldogs have quietly put together a quality non-conference resume. After sitting behind John Rhys Plumlee at UCF last season, Keene is leading the way and he has thrown multiple touchdown passes in each of his three games this year.
21. Chandler Morris, TCU (Previous Rank: HM)
Week 3: 24-of-37, 314 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT; 53 rush yards
Season: 74-of-109, 856 yards, 6 TD, 3 INT; 146 rush yards, 2 TD
Originally an Oklahoma recruit, Morris spent the last two seasons playing behind Max Duggan at TCU. The redshirt sophomore is coming off his first 300-yard passing game since Nov. 6, 2011, when he threw for 461 yards in a win over Baylor. He has also made an impact on the ground with 146 yards and two scores through three games.
Nos. 20-16
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20. DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon State (Previous Rank: 11)
Week 3: 14-of-30, 284 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT; 17 rush yards, 1 TD
Season: 42-of-68, 630 yards, 6 TD, 2 INT; 38 rush yards, 4 TD
Uiagalelei accounted for eight total touchdowns in lopsided victories over San Jose State and UC Davis, but he didn't have a great individual performance in a 26-9 victory over San Diego State on Saturday. The Clemson transfer will have a chance to put up some big numbers in what figures to be a shootout with Washington State this weekend.
19. Will Howard, Kansas State (Previous Rank: 14)
Week 3: 25-of-39, 270 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT; 21 rush yards
Season: 64-of-97, 817 yards, 8 TD, 3 INT; 59 rush yards, 3 TD
One of only two quarterbacks in this week's Top 25 who lost on Saturday, Howard still threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns against Missouri. After completing just 56.6 percent of his passes over his first three seasons at K-State, he has upped that to 66 percent so far in 2023.
18. Kyle McCord, Ohio State (Previous Rank: HM)
Week 3: 19-of-23, 318 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT; 1 rush yard
Season: 53-of-76, 815 yards, 6 TD, 1 INT; 10 rush yards
One of the top quarterbacks in the 2021 recruiting class, McCord stuck it out at Ohio State despite spending his first two college seasons sitting behind C.J. Stroud. Now he's the unquestioned starter, and after a middling Week 1 performance against Indiana, he has thrown for 576 yards and six touchdowns the last two weeks.
17. Brady Cook, Missouri (Previous Rank: HM)
Week 3: 23-of-35, 356 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT; 2 rush yards, 1 TD
Season: 54-of-75, 732 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT; 14 rush yards, 3 TD
Cook threw for 2,739 yards and 14 touchdowns in his first season as a starter last year while adding 585 yards and six more scores on the ground. He threw for 356 yards and two touchdowns in an upset win over No. 15 Kansas State on Saturday, and Missouri is now on the doorstep of the AP Top 25, which is a big step for a team that has not won more than six games since 2018.
16. Conner Weigman, Texas A&M (Previous Rank: HM)
Week 3: 25-of-29, 337 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT; 18 rush yards, 1 TD
Season: 74-of-105, 909 yards, 8 TD, 2 INT; 69 rush yards, 2 TD
Weigman bounced back nicely from a poor showing in a loss to Miami in Week 2, lighting up the Louisiana-Monroe secondary in a 47-3 blowout before spending much of the second half watching from the sidelines. Now it's on to SEC conference play, and the Aggies will welcome Auburn to town on Saturday.
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Nos. 15-11
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15. Haynes King, Georgia Tech (Previous Rank: 20)
Week 3: 28-of-41, 307 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT; 42 rush yards, 1 TD
Season: 68-of-102, 910 yards, 9 TD, 1 INT; 95 rush yards, 1 TD
The highest-ranked quarterback to lose in Week 3, King still had a great individual game, piling up 307 passing yards, 42 rushing yards and three total touchdowns in a 48-23 loss to Ole Miss. The Texas A&M transfer is averaging 8.9 yards per attempt and he has thrown for at least 290 yards in each of his first three games, despite a 1-2 start for the Yellow Jackets.
14. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan (Previous Rank: 5)
Week 3: 8-of-13, 143 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT; -1 rush yard
Season: 56-of-68, 716 yards, 7 TD, 3 INT; 35 rush yards
McCarthy climbed to No. 5 in these rankings last week after completing 87.3 percent of his pass attempts through Michigan's first two games, but he fell out of the top 10 after a three-interception performance against Bowling Green. He has still completed more than 80 percent of his throws, and the Wolverines are 3-0, but he can't try to do too much on a team with a wide variety of weapons.
13. Garrett Shrader, Syracuse (Previous Rank: 22)
Week 3: 14-of-28, 184 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT; 195 rush yards, 4 TD
Season: 51-of-82, 727 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT; 266 rush yards, 5 TD
Shrader now ranks second among all FBS quarterbacks in rushing yards after he piled up 195 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in Syracuse's 35-20 win against Purdue. He could have had a fifth score had he not chosen to slide after one of the best fake hand-offs I've ever seen. After facing off against Army this weekend, Syracuse will take on Clemson, North Carolina and Florida State in a row to begin ACC play.
12. Jordan Travis, Florida State (Previous Rank: 7)
Week 3: 15-of-24, 222 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT; 38 rush yards
Season: 53-of-84, 739 yards, 8 TD, 1 INT; 96 rush yards, 1 TD
Travis has posted modest numbers in two games since throwing for 342 yards and four touchdowns in an upset win over LSU in Week 1, and he would certainly benefit from more consistency from his wide receivers. After narrowly escaping with a 31-29 win against Boston College, the Seminoles face a tough test this week on the road against Clemson.
11. Tyler Van Dyke, Miami (Previous Rank: 12)
Week 3: 19-of-23, 247 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT; 16 rush yards, 1 TD
Season: 57-of-75, 822 yards, 8 TD, 1 INT; 4 rush yards, 1 TD
Van Dyke vaulted into the rankings last week with a 374-yard, five-touchdown performance against Texas A&M, and he followed that up with an efficient game against FCS opponent Bethune-Cookman on Saturday. A road matchup against Temple should provide another solid opportunity for efficient production.
Nos. 10-6
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10. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss (Previous Rank: 15)
Week 3: 10-of-18, 251 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT; 136 rush yards, 2 TD
Season: 45-of-68, 852 yards, 7 TD, 1 INT; 213 rush yards, 2 TD
Dart had to beat out Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders to win the Ole Miss starting quarterback job, and it doesn't look like he will be giving it up any time soon. With back-to-back quality wins over Tulane and Georgia Tech, the Rebels are up to No. 15 in the latest AP poll, and Dart has made a major impact through the air and on the ground.
9. Quinn Ewers, Texas (Previous Rank: 8)
Week 3: 11-of-21, 131 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT; -5 rush yards, 1 TD
Season: 54-of-89, 740 yards, 8 TD, 0 INT; 18 rush yards, 2 TD
The 31-10 final score in Saturday's win against Wyoming does not tell the whole story, as it was a 10-10 tie heading into the fourth quarter before the Longhorns finally seized control of the game. After a big game in an upset win over Alabama, Ewers threw for just 131 yards on Saturday, though he did tally two of his three total touchdowns in the decisive final quarter.
8. Cameron Ward, Washington State (Previous Rank: 16)
Week 3: 20-of-26, 327 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT; 12 rush yards, 1 TD
Season: 77-of-107, 990 yards, 9 TD, 0 INT; 95 rush yards, 2 TD
Ward spent his first two collegiate seasons at FCS Incarnate Word before transferring to Washington State last year and throwing for 3,232 yards and 23 touchdowns in his first season at the FBS level. He moved up the rankings last week following an upset win over Wisconsin, and lighting up Northern Colorado for five total touchdowns on Saturday moves him into the top 10.
7. Bo Nix, Oregon (Previous Rank: 9)
Week 3: 21-of-27, 247 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT; 14 rush yards
Season: 76-of-98, 893 yards, 8 TD, 0 INT; 60 rush yards
Nix has been somewhat quietly effective for an Oregon team that logged blowouts against Portland State and Hawaii, sandwiched around a nice road victory over Texas Tech. He has completed 77.6 percent of his passes and he has yet to turn the ball over, but he has not made the same impact on the ground that he did a year ago when he rushed for 510 yards and 14 touchdowns.
6. Jayden Daniels, LSU (Previous Rank: 19)
Week 3: 30-of-34, 361 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT; 64 rush yards, 2 TD
Season: 70-of-95, 976 yards, 8 TD, 1 INT; 157 rush yards, 2 TD
After a five-touchdown first half against Grambling State in Week 2, Daniels put together a fantastic encore performance on the road against Mississippi State, accounting for 425 yards and four total touchdowns between his passing and rushing output. Even in the Week 1 upset loss to Florida State, he still threw for 346 yards.
5. Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma
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Previous Rank: 6
Week 3: 28-of-31, 421 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT
Season: 66-of-80, 905 yards, 11 TD, 1 INT; 35 rush yards, 1 TD
During a 3-0 start against Arkansas State, SMU and Tulsa, the Oklahoma Sooners have outscored their opponents 167-28, and quarterback Dillon Gabriel has been one of the nation's most efficient passers.
The lefty has completed 82.5 percent of his passes, which is tops among all FBS quarterbacks with at least 20 pass attempts, and his five-touchdown performance brings him to 11 touchdown passes on the year which trails only Sam Hartman (13), Michael Penix Jr. (12) and Caleb Williams (12).
4. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
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Previous Rank: 3
Week 3: 38-of-47, 348 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT; 3 rush yards
Season: 107-of-136, 1,251 yards, 10 TD, 1 INT; -59 rush yards, 1 TD
It took double overtime for Shedeur Sanders and Colorado to squeeze out a win against Colorado State on Saturday night, and that actually gave Sanders a chance to pad his stats a bit as he threw two of his four touchdown passes after the end of regulation.
That said, there is simply no ignoring the fact that he ranks among the FBS leaders in passing yards (1,251, second) and passing touchdowns (10, seventh), and he has done it while completing an impressive 78.7 percent of his throws.
3. Sam Hartman, Notre Dame
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Previous Rank: 4
Week 3: 16-of-26, 330 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT; 6 rush yards, 1 TD
Season: 64-of-90, 1,061 yards, 13 TD, 0 INT; -7 rush yards, 2 TD
Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman climbed a few more notches on the all-time leaderboard for passing touchdowns with 330 yards and three more passing scores against Central Michigan.
That performance jumped him over Ty Detmer (121) and Aaron Murray (121) and moved him into a tie with Landry Jones (123). Up next is a three-way tie between Colt Brennen (131), Rakeem Cato (131) and Baker Mayfield (131) for the No. 3 spot in the rankings.
2. Caleb Williams, USC
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Previous Rank: 1
Week 3: Bye
Season: 55-of-70, 878 yards, 12 TD, 0 INT; 61 rush yards, 1 TD
Caleb Williams has essentially played nine quarters worth of football through USC's first three games, yet he still ranks second in the nation with 12 touchdown passes. The Trojans played a Week 0 game, so they had a bye this past Saturday, which now makes it easier to compare his stats to everyone else since he's not a game ahead.
For now, he drops to the No. 2 spot in these rankings after our new No. 1 quarterback had another huge game on Saturday, but it might be just a matter of time before he's back on top once he has a chance to play full games against better competition. Arizona State is up next on Saturday.
1. Michael Penix Jr., Washington
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Previous Rank: 2
Week 3: 27-of-35, 473 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
Season: 84-of-113, 1,332 yards, 12 TD, 1 INT; 9 rush yards
Michael Penix Jr. led all FBS quarterbacks with 473 passing yards during Week 3, and that marked the third week in a row he has gone over 400 yards through the air to kick off his 2023 campaign.
While Caleb Williams has a slight edge in completion percentage and has matched his 12 touchdowns in significantly less time on the field, Penix has now thrown for almost 500 more yards than his fellow Heisman Trophy front-runner. For now, that's enough for him to move into the No. 1 spot.
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