Predicting Every College Football Conference's Player of the Year in 2024
While the transfer portal is certain to spin a few high-impact players to new college football teams, the strong majority of FBS rosters are set for the 2024 season.
Over the next few months, expectations will begin to form. Conference champions will be picked, award winners will be projected and preseason all-conference or All-American teams will be laid out. One common theme within the lists will be attention on star players.
Spoiler alert: It'll be a bunch of quarterbacks, too.
As is tradition, we're getting a headstart on the festivities with early educated guesses on the best players in each conference.
American
1 of 9
Reigning champion SMU is leaving for the ACC, while both Tulane and UTSA need to replace their longtime quarterbacks.
On paper, 2024 is Seth Henigan's time to shine.
A three-year starter at Memphis, he's registered three consecutive seasons of 3,300-plus yards. Henigan has tossed 79 touchdowns to 25 interceptions, adding 708 yards and nine scores as a runner.
Memphis is also set to return top wideouts Roc Taylor and Demeer Blankumsee, who both surpassed 900 yards in 2023. Koby Drake and Auburn transfer Jyaire Shorter—a former standout at North Texas—give the offense two more quality options in the receiving corps.
Given what the Tigers bring back in 2024, a season of this caliber might put Memphis in the expanded College Football Playoff, too.
ACC
2 of 9
Perhaps I was simply a year ahead of schedule?
Among my inevitable misses in preseason picks, I thought first-year starting quarterback Cade Klubnik and new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley would propel Clemson to a CFP trip. Well, an upset loss to Duke in the opening game ruined that prediction in a hurry.
But, look, the ACC isn't a dominant league. Florida State assembled a stellar 2023 yet faces a significant rebuild. Miami and North Carolina have a habit of fading, and Louisville is still building its reputation.
The opportunity, at the very least, is evident.
Klubnik must improve its subpar efficiency—he averaged just 6.3 yards per pass attempt last season—and fumbling issues. That experience matters, however, as does the return of injured wide receiver Antonio Williams and breakout freshman Tyler Brown. They led Clemson in receiving as first-year players during the past two seasons.
Should the Tigers reclaim the ACC throne, Klubnik will likely have an appealing resume for a Player of the Year honor.
Big Ten
3 of 9
New team for Dillon Gabriel, new conference for Oregon. But it might be a match made in college football heaven.
Gabriel has been a hyper-efficient and productive quarterback at both previous stops, UCF and Oklahoma. Oregon, meanwhile, boasted one of the nation's best offenses under Bo Nix during the past two years. The system is solidly in place for Gabriel to thrive with the Ducks.
Plus, there's a changing of the QB guard in the Big Ten anyway.
Michigan's J.J. McCarthy is gone, while Kansas State transfer Will Howard is Ohio State's likely successor for Kyle McCord. Pac-12 newcomers USC and Washington must replace Caleb Williams and Michael Penix Jr., respectively.
Gabriel will quickly pair with Tez Johnson, who reeled in 86 passes for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Texas A&M transfer Evan Stewart is a potential star, too.
Add in Traeshon Holden and Gary Bryant Jr., and the Ducks are built to compete for a national title with Gabriel.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Big 12
4 of 9
Utah opened the 2023 campaign with a 4-0 record, fueling the hope of a possible CFP run if Cam Rising returned from his knee injury. After all, the program had seemed optimistic throughout the offseason.
That, unfortunately, never came true. Rising's complicated rehab sidelined him for the entire season, and the Utes finished 8-5.
But he'll be back—and healthy—in 2024.
Utah is shifting to the Big 12, where it manages to avoid Kansas, Kansas State and West Virginia in the regular season. The schedule is favorable for Rising and the Utes, who added former Arizona standout Dorian Singer in the transfer portal. They finally get tight end Brant Kuithe, the leading receiver in 2021, back from injuries of his own.
Rising has a great opportunity to close his college career with an emphatic exit and help Utah announce its presence in the Big 12.
Conference USA
5 of 9
The moment Kaidon Salter withdrew from the transfer portal, it'd be fair to say this projection became obvious.
Salter received the C-USA Player of the Year in 2023, a season in which he propelled the Flames to a conference title and an appearance in a New Year's Six bowl. He passed for 2,876 yards, rushed for 1,089 and totaled 44 touchdowns to six interceptions.
As always, don't confuse this for guarantee. The departure of 1,000-yard wideout CJ Daniels matters, and Liberty has to replace a couple of senior wide receivers.
The upside, still, is undeniable.
Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell has established himself as one of the nation's most creative offensive minds, and Salter is clearly an ideal player to run the prolific system.
MAC
6 of 9
Let's start here: Please stay healthy, Brett Gabbert.
Since earning MAC Freshman of the Year in 2019, he's consistently been an effective quarterback. The problem is Gabbert missed most of the 2022 season with a shoulder injury, and a leg injury sidelined him during the last six games of the 2023 campaign.
For his career, though, Gabbert has averaged a superb 8.3 yards per attempt with 59 touchdowns to 19 picks. He's a reliable starter for a perennial bowl contender that just won a MAC title without him anyway.
The guy could use a metaphorical, not a physical, break in order to lead a championship-winning group.
Top receiver Gage Larvadain transferred to South Carolina, but the trio of Cade McDonald, Javon Tracy and Jack Coldiron would provide a nice foundation for Gabbert's final year.
Mountain West
7 of 9
Boise State's addition of USC transfer Malachi Nelson, a recent 5-star prospect, undeniably caught the Mountain West's attention.
Keep an eye on Fresno State once again, however.
Yes, an 8-1 start turned ugly as the Bulldogs lost three straight games to close the regular season. Along with Air Force, they plummeted from a premier Mountain West threat to a mid-tier finish in the standings as Mikey Keene battled a couple of injuries.
Intrigue is there, nevertheless. Keene passed for 2,976 yards and 24 touchdowns in his first season as the starter, and Fresno State brings back 500-yard receivers Jalen Moss and Mac Dalena.
Keene's health will probably be a popular topic, but the outlook of his second year in Fresno is appealing.
SEC
8 of 9
Any list of 2024's best returning quarterbacks will be heavy on SEC talent. The conference boasts Alabama's Jalen Milroe, Georgia's Carson Beck, Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart and Texas' Quinn Ewers, among others.
There's a painless argument for any member of that quartet here. My own answer might change by the time August rolls around.
Alabama, of course, is dealing with the aftermath of Nick Saban's retirement. Will the Crimson Tide actually be able to sustain their excellence under Kalen DeBoer? Fair question. Good question.
I do not have those answers. What I know, though, is that DeBoer's offenses have always scored a lot of points. He's inheriting a quarterback in Jalen Milroe who just finished third nationally at 10.0 yards per attempt while totaling 3,365 yards and 35 touchdowns. Box-score production should not be an issue for Milroe in 2024.
Alabama might not stand atop the SEC, but Milroe is a serious contender for individual honors, including the Heisman Trophy.
Sun Belt
9 of 9
After appearing in the Sun Belt Championship Game in 2023, Appalachian State should be a leading team yet again.
Joey Aguilar put together a stellar debut in Boone, throwing for 3,757 yards at a respectable 8.2 per attempt. He tossed 33 touchdowns to 10 interceptions and chipped in 245 yards with three scores on the ground.
And the Mountaineers' pass-catching corps is stacked.
Kaedin Robinson notched team-high marks of 67 receptions, 905 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Christian Horn had 566 yards and six scores, while Makai Jackson and Dalton Stroman both posted 390-plus yards. Tight end Eli Watson grabbed five touchdowns, too.
Aguilar and the offense will headline App State's pursuit of a first Sun Belt championship since 2019.
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